Brakes sticking or dragging?Front and rear sometimes but not always.

[Joey P]

Just trying to narrow this down as I don't want to spend money on something I won't need. A search came up empty for me. I've got a 96 AWD. Whenever slowing down to a stop 20 mph and to the stop or whenever taking off from a stop after the brakes have been applied, I get this sound kinda like brakes dragging but I can only hear it. I can't feel it. It's not a squel, it's more of a hum. sounds like "Err,err, err (etc)" , I guess. At any time it can happen in this 0-20/20-0 mph range. It only happens after the brakes have been applied. Sometimes it happens in the front and then sometimes it happens in the back. Sometimes it happens on the right and sometimes it happens on the left. Sometimes I can't tell if it's the front or the back and might be the front and the back at the same time. New pads are on this vehicle. That's about all I've ever done to the brakes though. It's not a straight sound though either. It "fades" in and out. Like 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 seconds here and there and between each time it does it. I stomped on the brakes yesterday to come to a fast stop and then when I took off, the rear was sticking so bad that it felt as if I had a locker in the rear or something. Anyways, Thanks. Hope you can help me figure this out.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

interesting...I would take off all four wheels and inspect it. Check both inner and outter pads. I think you're metal to metal maybe (metal to metal stops you pretty fast). Also - you may want to take your rear rotors off and clean off the parking brake shoes to make sure there isn't a lot of build up in there. Good luck

-Drew

 

[Joey P]

It's not metal to metal at all. It's brake pads, I think, to rotor. No squel and no metal sound. I know what metal to metal sounds like with brakes. It happened to me all the time on my '94. It's more like a rubbing sound but at all 4 corners is what confuses me, and not at the same time and inconsistent.

 

[Joey P]

bump

 

[Joey P]

bump

 

[ma96782]

Get in there and look......inspection may tell you something.......maybe something like the caliper sliders.


http://www.explorer4x4.com/tips2.html#caliper


Or the master cyl is applying pressure (when it isn't suppose to).....the piston maybe getting sticky w/in the cyl.....in that case change out the master cyl.

Aloha, Mark

 

['97 V8]

inspect everything. take a power washer to the brakes and get all the dust and gunk out of there. bleed the he system too. this happend to my dads car, a bleed and wash solved the problem. try it.

 

[Joey P]

I'll look into the caliper slide pins and a good cleaning. I suspect a faulty master cylinder but I'lll start with the cheap stuff first.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

If nothing else works, check the brake lines from the metal line to the caliper. I had an old van that had the interior lining collapse, causing the brakes to be slow to let off and drag. Replaced calipers first, then brake lines second. If I had of done it in the reverse order, I would have saved some $$$. But the brake lines are not cheap.

 

[Joey P]

Thanks.

 

[jp450]

I know you said that you just did the brakes but maybe the rotors warped while putting the tires back on. Do you feel anything in the pedal while braking?

 

[exploded99]

I have experienced something similar with cheap semi metallic pads like autozoned out sells. The anti - squeal shims on the back of the pads are glued on, and the glue does not hold up to the stresses / heat. The shims twist on the back of the pad, and intermittently grind on the hub.

So check your pads carefully. Better pads cure the problem if you have the cheap pads. Also, check your caliper slide pins and make sure they slide easily. Use synthetic brake grease on them only - regular grease cooks from the heat and causes caliper sticking.

 

[Joey P]

I hadn't used Cheap pads but middle of the road. I think they are fine. Now that you mention grease, I used a high(er) temp grease but not brake grease on all 4 wheels. This could be it? I still haven't gotten into it yet but I will sooon. Thanks for all the help thus far on things to check!

 

[FexplorerV8]

i didnt use brake grease last time i changed pads i need to check that today!

 

[exploded99]

When I said brake grease I meant a synthetic high temperature grease - most parts stores have little packages of it available.

Joey, wasn't it your truck that had the front end rumble - what did you ever figure out the problem was?

 

[Joey P]

It was my truck. I guess I forgot to post back in that thread. I think it was a result of imporperly rotated tires on a full-time awd vehicle. The tires I had on there, I had rotated, front to rear and rear to front and then sometime after that's when I developed the noise. It didn't sound like tire noise or road noise though. That's why it had me confused. I drove like that for a LONG LONG time. I rotated the tires again from the rear to the front to how it was originally and the sound almost dissapeared. I knew then it was the tires. I replaced the tires(even though they had about 30% tread left) and voila!! Noise is gone. I think the front tires had become a certain "shape" and when I rotated the tires, I think that the rears that were now the fronts needed to "catch up" to the shape? I don't know, I guess. I just know now that I will rotate my tires every 3000-6000 miles to be safe.

 

[Joey P]

Got this sorted out. Caliper slide pins. They are different than the 1st gen explorers and I couldn't quite figure them out but I got it. One on each side on the front was rusted into the caliper bracket. Wouldn't even move. I worked on it for an hour and a half on each sided and then ended up purchasing caliper brackets and slide pins. Greased it all up and the front was good to go. The rear just had one slide pin on one side that was sticking because of built up brake dust, I think. Cleaned both sides up and now everything is good to go again! Really is better and I don't hear the noise and the truck moves easier now too. Thanks for the help and suggestions guys!