A few months ago I had an annoying rattle coming from the drivers side wheel/suspension area. I changed out the brake pad pins and rattle clips. It went away for a bit...and now its back...same rattle from the same area. I've greased everything imaginable. Rattle clips are fine, everything is tight from what I can see. I've ruled out the suspension, ball joints, etc....because it goes away when I tap the brakes. It only happens on large bumps in the road....but then I'll go over the same bump with my foot on the brake and I don't hear anything. So I'm leaning towards the brake caliper??? The caliper is tight...but could I have a internal problem inside of it? This is driving me crazy.

 

That the noise goes away when you use your brakes would seem to focus the problem on the brakes, but it could still be other parts of your suspension or wheel assembly. The torque applied by the brakes could quiet or mask the true problem.

I had a similar rattle on my '88 Pickup that turned out to be the center cap on my aftermarket wheel. An easy fix once I figured out the problem.

I also had a similar rattle on my '92 that went away when I used the brakes, it turned out that the top shock nut was loose & the metal washers were rattling.

Check your wheels & caps, shock mounts, wheel bearings and A-arm bushings for play. If it's a 4x4, check the half shafts & CV joints.

Good luck,
Paul

 

sway bar twisted or rubbing? My rear one was 'twisted' and took several months to narrow it down.