Metal grinding and rotor play?

[Renegade_]

Alright, just 2 days ago when driving I would randomly hear a metal on metal screech coming from the right front wheel well.

At first I thought I screwed something up with the axle install I did about 2 weeks ago. I took the wheel off and found out that the rotor there has the tiniest bit of play on it which in turn hits the dust shield. I would wiggle the rotor and the hub remains perfectly still.

On RSs, wheel bearings have a tendency to go out every now and then, but I thought wheel bearings were supposed to be a deeper sound? Every case of wheel bearing failure was described as a very dull deep roar. There is absolutely no other noise coming from the car out of the ordinary and the screeching is completely random. When it first started I drove 20 minutes and nothing, but 5 minutes from home all of a sudden it got really bad. Now it is extremely intermittent, very random, but seems to happen moreso when the car is slowing down (I don't have to be on the brakes for the screeching to happen). You might hear it for 3-4 seconds while normal driving and then you hit a bump or change direction and it stops.

Any idea what this is?

[05GT]

What about if it has a little bit of play, perhaps it is somehow rubbing the metal sensor (for lack of a better word) that lets you know when your break pads are getting really low? Know what I mean?

[Gregory]

I agree. Check pads. You might as well while you have the wheel off anyways.