I have a 2012 GEM EL. When I am braking on occasions there is a noise like a hammer hitting metal. Any ideas what this might be?
Can you tell which direction of the car the noise is coming from? Maybe get another set of ears to ride along with you. (front, back, L or R)
Hold the brake down real hard and bump the throttle a bit to see if it can be produced this way. Do it in FWD and REV. It may be a suspension component cracked or a loose caliper?
Jack up each end of the car and see if any of the wheels move around more than it should. Spend some time with a hammer and tap on random things(frame sections, suspension, shocks) looking for the same tone like your noise. It might help narrowing it down.
Does the clank always happen along the same spot in your path? I have a manhole cover on the street that is not firmly seated in it’s pocket. It produces a loud clank when driven over. (one of those days I’m going out with my prybar and clean out that little pebble)
Maybe you will find a rogue golf ball rolling around in the battery tray.
Or perhaps it is that street sign that you keep hitting on the wild rides home from the market?
I have had Gem repairman check on two occasions and checked out all the possibilities you suggested. They can find nothing that would be making the noise. Thanks so much for all your ideas.
See if you can catch the sound on video. Intermittent problems can sometimes be tough to diagnose until a wheel comes off. If this happens it would become an obvious problem but it might make for a fun video too!
Will try that. Thanks for advice.
A lot of the time brake noise is caused by the brake shoes or brake pads. Deglazing sometimes works but most of the time it’s live with the noise or replace the shoes/pads.
Thanks for information.