2000 Sport Low speed Drivetrain & Front end Noise

[tbirdman]

Hello to all. A quick question. My Sport has been making a growling/ rumbling noise at low speeds (city speeds) when cold.Visual inspection has shown one interesting thing- rotors seems some what rusty on exterior.Took it out on high way and applied brakes hard a few times.Pulled over and checked- rotors warm from braking but rust still visible on outside braking surface of rotor. It appears that the caliper is not pulling in on the outside of rotor-therefore possibly(?) sticking a little . Majority of braking seems to be from inside surface of rotor as brake dust was evident after a few hard highway stops but still no evidence of rust removed on outside surface of rotor after braking. Now- my questions.Seeing as it is 7 years old in December and has never had brake service done other then a fluid flush every 2 years- maybe calipers are seizing up ? Talked with local Ford shop foreman and he & I agree that a frozen/stuck caliper would heat up a rotor real quick- and this is not the case. This vehicle has 38,000 kms (approx 25,000 miles) The rotors and pads have lots of material left. Maybe warped rotors or bad front hub bearings are causing the growl/ rumble at low speeds when cold? It should also be noted- this problem goes away when vehicle warms up after approx 20-30 minutes city/ highway driving. If any suggestions- I would welcome input as it goes to dealership tomorrow to figure out. Thanks.

 

[Wrench]

Warped rotors would give you a pulse feeling in the steering wheel and brake pedal. Looking at you mileage verses age I would say your brake calipers need service (slide pins) and maybe your rotors need surfacing. Uneven pad wear is a sure sign of poor caliper function. Everytime the tires are rotated (10,000km) the calipers should be inspected for freedom of movement and uneven pad wear.
Tight caliper slide pins is not a reason to replace a caliper and a "properly" trained tech knows this.

 

[dynamite196]

I have the same problem in my 97, it's not the rotors because it goes away once they everything warms up. I'm thinking it's the differential but I could be wrong, let us know what you find out

 

[tbirdman]

Wrench- thanks for your reply. I have booked the service for tomorrow as "disc brake & caliper service".As you explained- this is what I have concluded from talking with a few friends and Ford guys. Some think not- but the age of the vehicle and the lack of any previous service to the calipers probably means they need attention.And possibly rotors need surfacing as well.Hopefully this will be the cure. I will post my results when this problem is fixed and hope it will be helpful to others who may be experiencing similar problems.Thanks for your input.

 

[tbirdman]

Well- disc brake service was helpful for my 2000 sport. It seems to be a lot more "free" when I 'm driving (like it used to be). Low speed rumble has been checked- apparently it's considered fairly normal with the AWD. Maybe I'm just getting old & fussy : ) but I must admit -it does seem to be working better and the rust on outside of rotors is starting to disappear after some hard braking on the highway to test my theory. So-I will call this fix a success for my 2000 sport. Hope others find the info helpful and thanks to Wrench for advice & input.