whirring sound from front wheel

[sonik]

'94 with auto hubs... Okay, my brakes are squeaking pretty badly now so I decide it's time for new pads. I've never done this before so I take the left front wheel off to see what's involved. I used a C clamp to push the piston back a bit so the caliper can slide off better, and I have one of those two pins half way out before I decide if I'm going this far I might as well be putting new pads in. So I put the pin back in, pressed the brake pedal to see the piston come back out, and put the wheel back on. Once I had the lug nuts tightened and rotated the wheel around I heard a whirring sound, like when kids put baseball cards in bicycle spokes. Well, I go for a spin around the block and the whirring sound is pretty loud. I come back and when I'm taking the wheel off again I notice that the sound only occurs when the lug nuts are well tightened, if they're just hand tightned or if the wheel is off and I'm moving the wheel hub around the sound's gone.

To me nothing looks wrong with the pad/shoe, caliper, or disc. I did a search on here and most people suspect the auto hubs when this sound appears, well when I took the wheel off the first time the locking hub (the piece with 4X4 on it that sticks through the wheel) came off with it because I'm missing the little retaining washers that I've seen pictured elsewhere. I'm pretty sure I put it back on the same way it was though. BTW, I drove in reverse about 30 feet so it shouldn't be engaged.

So I'm not really sure where the problem lies... pad, disc, auto hub, wheel... I could use some help.

 

[410Fortune]

anti rattle clip on the brake pads? there is a spring mounted clip that goes on the rear brake pad that holds it tight in the slot on the knuckle, if that clip is gone the pad will move up and down, side to side.

You say a whirring sound but then you say like a baseball crad in spokes, which is it?

 

[sonik]

I replaced the front pads today. The clip was on the side that was causing the sound, but it was missing on the other. The squealing I was trying to remedy is gone, but the baseball-card-in-spokes sound is still there.

When driving the sound disappears when the brakes are applied firmly, but if I'm just cruising or lightly apply the brakes I get the sound. Any ideas?

Hopefully the rear shoes will be as easy to replace.