Homer Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Long story here, so bear with me.. When I bought the car about 14 months ago it was sold as having a problem with warped front discs. They cetainly were warped and had some strange presumably heat related damage on the inside of the front drivers side disc, the outer edge was also worn away in an area where no wear should occur: So I replaced those discs but after a few weeks the front brakes started binding in stop/start straffic again (i.e. brakes were on all the time), the new discs went blue from overheating. Strangely when stopping the car and depressing the brake pedal very hard with the engine running it freed them up again for a while. So I took it to a garage which diagnosed sticking calipers. So, they replaced those with brand new ones (but didn't change the discs or pads). Since then (about 1 year!), the car has had the binding issue come back a couple of times, though not in the last 10 months. However the front brakes are now constantly squealing when driving along, they don't squeal under braking. It's very loud and does change noise, temporarily goes away while making a turn or small steering adjustment (usually when turning the wheel slightly right ) It's even audible when at over 70mph on the motorway. The discs look okay now, there's no uneven wear, the pads also look okay, they have plenty of meat on them. The brakes also work fine, no pulling in any direction and there is plenty of bite. It also just passed the brake test for it's MOT. Any idea's what could be wrong here? It's been to 2 garages so far and none could find any issue (guess they gave up!). I'm tempted to replace the discs (again) and pads, but am not convinced this will solve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPRALOOPY Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Flexi hoses acting as a one way valve? pads staying put due to dust? Just a couple of ideas to chuck in the pot. But with out testing or road testing the car I am just guessing mate. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted June 27, 2009 Author Share Posted June 27, 2009 Flexi hoses acting as a one way valve? pads staying put due to dust? Just a couple of ideas to chuck in the pot. But with out testing or road testing the car I am just guessing mate. Dave I've cleared the dust away with a high pressure air hose and in desperation a jet washer. It made no difference at all, the squealing was back after moving the car 20 foot. Not sure what you mean by flexi hoses, but the lines are in great nic and have no kinks or anything. The car has only done 66k, but hasn't done many miles in the last 5 years (about 4k) Agree that it's a difficult one to diagnose over the interweb, but not sure where to go from here as local garages have been hopeless. Already spent more than the purchase price of the car trying to sort this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPRALOOPY Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 You are welcome to get it to me. But if you have changed calipers etc.. Then for the price of two flexible front brake hoses its worth a shot. Same for the rears. the rears may only have one. What I mean by flexi's is the the brake hose from the metal pipes to the caliper itself. The sqealing could be down to vibration (IE rubbing your finger around the top of a glass) type thing. As said before Darryl without having the car I cannot diagnose the problem only guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPRALOOPY Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Ok to check the flexi's you need two people. Jack the car up and get someone to apply the brake hard while you try and spin the wheel, then get bthem to release the pedal with you still trying to spin the wheel, if when they let off the pedal the wheel spins imediatly then the brakes are working ok, do this with all wheels to eliminate calipers,flexi's etc.. If you get any resistance from any wheel thats where you start. Sorry if that made no sense but its hard to explain. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted June 27, 2009 Author Share Posted June 27, 2009 You are welcome to get it to me. But if you have changed calipers etc.. Then for the price of two flexible front brake hoses its worth a shot. Same for the rears. the rears may only have one. What I mean by flexi's is the the brake hose from the metal pipes to the caliper itself. The sqealing could be down to vibration (IE rubbing your finger around the top of a glass) type thing. As said before Darryl without having the car I cannot diagnose the problem only guess. Could a bad brake line (hard line to caliper) cause continuous squealing from the brake line? I agree though, it's worth replacing if only for diagnosis sake. It's from the front brakes only though, so can rule out the rears. I'd love to get it to you but the distance doesn't make it practical. Ok to check the flexi's you need two people. Jack the car up and get someone to apply the brake hard while you try and spin the wheel, then get bthem to release the pedal with you still trying to spin the wheel, if when they let off the pedal the wheel spins imediatly then the brakes are working ok, do this with all wheels to eliminate calipers,flexi's etc.. If you get any resistance from any wheel thats where you start. Sorry if that made no sense but its hard to explain. Dave I'll try that, thanks Dave With the car jacked up and no brake applied the wheel spins freely, but there is a very slight bind, i.e it squeals and comes to a fairly short stop after giving it a spin. Also, when pulling up to lights there is no need to use the handbrake even on a slight incline. It'll hold firm even when the car should roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPRALOOPY Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Change the front rubber/flexi brake lines.. after checking them of course.. good night mate keep me posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absz Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 squealing brakes over time tend to be worn or cheap quality brake pads. also do you have a wear lip on the brake disc's. as that could also cause the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 squealing brakes over time tend to be worn or cheap quality brake pads. also do you have a wear lip on the brake disc's. as that could also cause the problem. Thanks abs, the pads are old ones and have not been replaced after the overheating issues. There's no wear lip on them. So, you think it best to just swap the front pads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPRALOOPY Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Thanks abs, the pads are old ones and have not been replaced after the overheating issues. There's no wear lip on them. So, you think it best to just swap the front pads? Did you not say the brakes were holding on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 Did you not say the brakes were holding on? Yes, they appear to be holding on a little. The car doesn't roll back when I'd normally expect it to. Dunno. Might just replace the pads anyway and see if that makes any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 Pulled the pads out today - they looked pretty much new, but had some glaze on them, also they seem to be riding over the top of the brake disc (i.e there is a lip on the outer edge of the pad). There were no anti-squeal shims, but my (quick-fit employed) neighbour said this was very common on Fords.. There was also no copper slip on the backs of the pads. Calipers were as new condition, no sticking at all. As expected really as they are only 1k miles old! Anyway, replaced the pads with new partco ones (all of £18 ), loads of copper slip and there is no more squeal so far. Thanks for the advice lads, will see how it works out over the weekend as I have to do a lot of miles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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