Brake Issues
 

Me and a friend were trying to track down a brake noise, I think we got it but now I hear another one :banghead:

This is like a knock or two on the first or maybe 2nd time I brake going forward AFTER backing up. We worked on the fronts. We kept the pads & rotors because they're ok but we did have the pads out and put them back in. It never happens on regular forward driving, not even a real hard stop, or even while backing up, its only after I've backed and stopped and drive forward. Any ideas?

Also...if I take the caliper off to reset the pads do I still need to push the piston back? I think we had to because it wouldn't go back on but its just going back on the same thickness pad so should it make a difference?

were the caliper guide pins moving freely/no slop? sounds like maybe ones worn/loose/sticking...or a bolt came loose... retorque the wheels too :)

Well we did work on the slide pins. We found the left rotor hard to turn, and on removal the bottom pin would not come out & needed to be pried. Upon inspection there was rust on the pin near the base like under the boot area. So we bought a new set of pins which came with new bolts. Lubed them up, transferred the boots, and seated them. The bolts were checked - 1 actually did come off but then we tightened it with a torque wrench to at least 24lbs. Wheel lugs are tight. The anti-noise clips are in place. The noise doesn't happen every single time. but somehow it makes me think its a pad movement.

These pads (Motorcraft) didn't have any additional shims other than what was part of the pad - do I need shims maybe?

The slide pins came from O'Reilly's so its not Ford - Ford doesn't sell just the pins without the bracket. The new pins looked ok, I wonder if something could be wrong?

There should be 4 stainless clips that mount between the caliper anchor and the ears of the 2 brake pads. When installed the pads should slide smooth on them. If too tight remove clip and check anchor for possible rust buildup. The pads when installed in caliper will have 1 large stainless anti-rattle clip also. Make sure none of the clips are missing.


I find myself using Ford silicone brake grease between anchor and clip helps prevent rust build-up on the anchor. I also use it on clip surface so the pad will move smoothly.

Wait....... a large anti-rattle clip??? Where? Is it attached and part of the brake pad? What does it look like? I do not remember seeing one! BTW, this is the front brakes I am talking about.

I checked those metal clips and they are present and accounted for. I wonder if I'm missing something. The noise doesn't sound like a loose caliper (I had that already, it sounds different). It sounds to me like a loose pad but we had torqued the slide pin bolts. I wonder if those O'Reilly's made-in-China pins/bolts are the same spec as the factory.

Another thing. THe Ford service manual says to remove and discard the caliper mount bolts. Why can't they be re-used? Ford doesn't list them in parts separately; they and the pins are part of the bracket. So how can they make you discard them in order to do a brake job? Where do the dealer techs get bolts to put back in? We removed the right caliper but since only the left side had a rusted pin, we just put back the old bolt & slide pin on the right side. Could this be making noise?

Perfect opportunity to upgrade to 2014 Shelby Gt500 6piston Brembo's! Late model has them for like $1400 shipped! "When life gives you lemons make lemonade"

Well we looked at it again and i saw immediately without even taking the wheel off that one of the anti rattle clips was totally loose, barely hanging on. Upon further inspection, the little tab on the back of it was like cut off. I have no idea how that can happen!!! But we bought a new kit & put a new one, tightened everything up, double checked all the bolts....

The noise is still there, but not every time. Same noise - back up, stop, go forward, apply brake and you hear it. I dont hear it on any subsequent stops until I back up again.

I don't know what else to look at.

Sorry Pony07, for the confusion. I was looking at the brake set-up for a 5.4l engine instead of a 4.6l. Here's a link to what I saw;


http://iihs.net/fsm/?dir=103&viewfile=4.0L SOHC and 4.6L (3V).pdf


Looking now at 4.6l engine picture, as well as my own 05, there are 4 small stainless shims but the pads should also have small springs attached to them on the back-plate. Those springs clip to the caliper and should keep the pad from rattling.

The dealer had replaced the originals with Motorcraft pads last year. I remember looking in the box, there was the 4 shims but no old springs. And when my friend pulled the pads the first time - the ones the dealer had put in - there were no springs that came out or were attached to the pad. The exploded view on that link doesn't show any springs either. i don't know where you're getting this from.

Does anyone have a picture of what this spring is supposed to look like?

Don't confuse it with the rear ones. The rear pads have shims plus a metal spring looking thing on the back. Are you sure you didn't mean that? That is only on the rear pads.

Another question. When I was having my wheels balanced the tech told me I was going to need a new caliper on the right front because the wheel was hard to turn. He showed me. When I grabbed the tire to spin it on the lift, it required a surprising amount of force. You could also hear the pad I think dragging on the rotor. The left side did not require the same level of force. Is this a symptom of a bad caliper? It does not veer right when I hit the brake - actually if anything it tends to go a little left. Is there anything else that could cause the wheel to be so hard to turn? I don't think its a bearing because when we spin it, they do not make noise. Has anyone else seen this kind of thing before?

The right front caliper may be partially frozen causing a drag making the wheel hard to turn. This could also cause a slight pull to the left as brakes are applied because the right caliper is not allowing the piston to move freely, creating less braking power on the right than the left.

I had the car in for a wheel balance and the independent shop did confirm and showed me that the wheel was hard to spin. So I had both calipers replaced and brake fluid flushed.

The noise however did not go away. Now, its a bit different. Many times when its warmed up I'll hear a light knock each time I touch the brake pedal. Its coming from outside, underneath, front. If I tap the brakes - like tap and release - several times I'll hear it each time. This is in addition to the going forward after backing up when I hear it. They checked all the anti rattle clips, and the calipers came with new slide pins. I have the previous pads on it though, but they are not worn out. The shop is trying to convince me it is from the LCA but I am not sure. The LCA's are new <12 mo. I'm out of ideas now. :(