I just recently bought a championship white 95 Hatchback with a b18 swap in it, and most everything on the car is in perfect condition as far as I can tell. (haven't gotten a chance to get under it yet) But since i've been driving some the past two days. I've noticed a strange noise coming from the front end that I just can't seem to place. It only happens right before you're about to stop. about 5-10 seconds after you put the transmission in neutral. The noise is similar to a pop, or click, much like the noise an a/c compressor makes when it engages but louder. It comes directly from the front passenger side of the vehicle, then the same noise but slightly quieter comes from the front driver's side after about 10-15 more seconds of rolling forward slowly in neutral. My guess is suspension related, but it also could be the brakes, since it's only ever happened while slowing down. Any idea what this might be? And what i might should look for under the front end that could be wore out? I'm going to be getting under it tomorrow hopefully and examining everything. I'm tempted to just wait and let the tire shop examine it when i go to have the alignment checked, but I figured I should at least try and diagnose it myself. So, what do you guys think? This is my first Honda, and my first older fwd car so I'm not familiar with all the nuances of these systems. Also, if it helps it has non-power assist steering. Thanks!

 

Inspect the front brakes. The brake pads may fit loosely or the brake pad spring clips are old.

 

Yeah, I thought about that. The guy I bought it from said he just did the front brakes though. They seemed in good condition when i bought it but i didn't look too awful much. I'll be sure to look at it tomorrow though, honest people are liars too sometimes.

 

Is it a single or multiple pops/clicks? Have a video?

Are the pads aftermarket? It may be excessive brake dust caked on the rotor. One way to find out is to hard brake (60mph to 5mph) a few time to burn off excessive brake dust on rotor.

 

It's always a single pop on the right side, then on the left. I've not got a video at the moment but I'll see if i can make one today. And I'm sure the pads are just whatever's the cheapest replacement is at autozone.