Hi all-

A quick question- I just finished a 600 mile road trip in my 97 tacoma 4x4 (115000), and by the end of the trip the front left wheel was scraping like all get out when I approached stop signs, regardless of the brakes. It does it both when straight and turning, and sort of makes a metal on metal scraping sound that is consistent with the speed (shree...shreee...shree), and sometimes a rattle. So first I think it might be something in the brakes, so I take the tire off, and everything looks fine. So then I think it may be time for the wheel bearings to be replaced- and I still think it's a possibility. But, the ringer is that when I engage the manual hubs, the sound disappears. I'm not sure, but maybe the CV joint has issues? I hope not- that's costly.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated before I take her in/or dismantle her! Thanks all

 

Could be CV's but...I'd check the brake system a second time. Check for rocks stuck in between your dust shield and rotor. You sure you had life left on your brake pads, there is a wear indicator that when the pads get too low, they'll make that type of noise no matter the speed or condition. I would expect the noise to change with braking though, so if it doesn't then that might rule it out. Again, I'd recheck the brake system before tearing into any sort of CV repair.