Loud Screechng Sound...PLZ HELP!

[jharbrecht78]

Hello all, I am very new to this forum and I am not a motorhead by any means...

I have a 2003 Ford Explorer Sport with around 133k miles on it (bought it from ford dealer about a month ago).

Today, I was driving and a very loud screeching sound came out of nowhere. It rained this morning, but I know it was not the real faint screech from the brakes being wet. It sounded like it was coming from my front driver's side tire. My dad is not home or else I would have him look at it. He said that it might be a belt, but I do not think so. I really do not know what it could be...possibly a worn brake pad??

 

[Turdle]

You mentioned it "felt like" it was in the tire.

Check the caliper mounting bolts, and the caliper bracket mounting bolts. Check the inside of the rim and look for contact with the brake caliper--
just a hunch.

 

[jharbrecht78]

I checked all of the bolts that I could see and everything seems like it is in order. There is nothing that I can tell that is out of order.

 

[jharbrecht78]

I should also mention..When I was driving, I pulled off to the side of the road. I check the tire to see if I could see anything, kind of shook the car to see if I could hear anything and nothing! When I got back onto the road, the sound stopped....as I continued driving, It came back and the intensity of the sound varied. It didn't vary with RPM. Just came and went at different intensities.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Not trying to be critical, but as you said that you're a self-professed 'non-motorhead' I think the inspection of a pro might be a little more thorough and they might quite easily find the issue...

 

[jharbrecht78]

I wouldn't call myself a "motorhead" but I have worked helped work on brakes before. From my knowledge, I didn't see anything wrong, but yes I do agree with you. The only thing, I need my car today and I can't afford to have anybody look at it. I was researching online and I saw a post (not on this site) that something could be lodged in between the pad and the disk. They said to drive it forward and in reverse several times to see if it could fall out. I tried that and drove it around a parking lot and I no longer heard the screeching sound.

 

[OffTrac]

Hope you got it.

BTW, if something was between my pad and rotor, that would certainly not be the way I would try to get it out. It is incredibly easy to remove a wheel and inspect, even if you have to remove the caliper.

 

[jharbrecht78]

Unfortunately it still does it...I am having a friend come over to look at it. Any other suggestions?! It goes in and out now. I haven't made a connection on if it goes in and out with speed, rpm, turns, etc.

 

[WidgetTrac]

A loose slipping belt might come & go without being strictly tied to engine rpm, but the sound WILL be affected by the gas pedal, and it CAN occur when stopped, and will be aggrivated by being wet. belt slippage could be the result of excess resistance in the power steering pump, a/c compressor, or AIR (smog) pump (pending lockup!)

The power steering pump makes a whining sound if it's low on fluid or about to go out. It can occur when stopped or moving slowly when you turn the wheel, and the sound is affected by both engine rpm and steering input, except if it's real bad then it whines full time.

If it's a wheel/brake issue, it will vary with vehicle speed, and possibly steering or brake too, but not engine, and the sound will slow down and stop when you stop the car.

Or it could be a nest of possums!

 

[swshawaii]

Remove the serpentine belt and check all the drive pulleys for binding.
Run engine without the belt for less than a minute and listen for noise.
At the very least it could be a belt tensioner, idler pulley, or worn belt.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

When you check it again look at the anti-squeel shims that sit in between the brake pads and calipers. Sometimes they can get bent upand come in contact with the wheels.

 

[jharbrecht78]

Alright guys, I had my buddy look at it...there ended up being a rock stuck behind the rotor. Drove it after and the screech is gone! However, he did say my rotors were a little warped and my pads were low...goodbye last paycheck

 

[lounge lizard]

the fun of explorer bliss!

this is what it all comes down to. finding the issues and fixing them to make a better explorer for you to drive.

welcome to the club!

 

[swshawaii]

I wouldn't call myself a "motorhead" but I have worked helped work on brakes before. From my knowledge, I didn't see anything wrong, but yes I do agree with you. The only thing, I need my car today and I can't afford to have anybody look at it. I was researching online and I saw a post (not on this site) that something could be lodged in between the pad and the disk. They said to drive it forward and in reverse several times to see if it could fall out. I tried that and drove it around a parking lot and I no longer heard the screeching sound.

Wow! The OP actually called it. Doesn't seem to happen very often.

 

[Clusterpup]

the fun of explorer bliss!

this is what it all comes down to. finding the issues and fixing them to make a better explorer for you to drive.

welcome to the club!

Sounds familiar, I try to replace my parts with better parts then stock if I can. You should see the huge outer tie rods ends I put on a few weeks ago, they ended up making my rotor guard rub on the rotor and I had to do some bending to make it not rub.