Friends,
It sounds like the front brakes on my rig are making an awful grinding noise. Duh--check the pads and rotors. Sounds like I mighta run past the squeak tabs.

Well I pulled off the front wheels and looked at the pads and rotors and they looked fine. My truck has 73,000 miles on it and the pads look like they are only half gone. Anyone else hear anything like this on your truck? I can't really figure out what it could be.

I do need to say that I did not pull the pads and look at the surface of them. I did not have time to do that yet. Truck stops ok, just makes that awful noise. Any thoughts?

Big

2000 F250 SD SC 5.4L Gasser
4.10s 4x4 L/S rearend
Western 7'6" plow
White with parchment cloth

 

Semi metallic pads are known for this.

Asbestos may have been bad for our lungs,but it made some damn fine brake material.IMO,there are a lot more brake and rotor complaints in the years since asbestos has been done away with.

 

So the fact that this just started at 72,xxx miles is common? Acceptable? I will make time this weekend to pull the pads and check them out. I can't immagine that anything big enough to make the sound I get finding its way betweent the pad and rotor. I will report any thing of note.

If I do need to replace the pads (or rotor, God forbid), anyone have any good experience with a particular brand? The Ford pads have lasted a hella long time to date and look to be able to go to 100k+. I don't mind how they stop, cuz I know this is a 6800 lb machine. Do others stop better than the stock?(without changing the rotors)?

Thanks
Big

2000 F250 SD SC 5.4L Gasser
4.10s 4x4 L/S rearend
Western 7'6" plow
White with parchment cloth

 

Front hub bearings ? They have been known to fail on these trucks as early as 35 K. I would make sure you have no slop or play in those front bearing before driving much further. These are the sealed, no greasable, hubs. Very Pricy $$$$$:-( My friend just did his at about $400.00 a shot.

GAV10 ( Mark )

 

I had the same experience with my 99 PSD. I went exactly 74,000 miles and decided to get my brakes done. Guy at the shop said I still had maybe 20% left to go. But, I wanted it done because I had the money. Well, he just turned the rotors and put on Napa pads. Thus began 4 months of headaches. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, JUST BRING IT TO A FORD DEALER YOU TRUST AND HAVE THEM PUT ORIGINAL PARTS ON. I am not kidding, this is not something I would say very often. After the first time my truck pulled so bad to the left I wacked a curb at the toll booth on the highway. The wheel just went. I brought it back and they said there is nothing wrong with it. Yeah right. I finally brought it to the ford dealer, a friend of the family works at. I have to say they had it four days and had a bunch of guys drive it and put some time into it. They put on original pads and rotors and now it works great. After four months of its the hoses, the accumilator, the calipers, etc..... Just my two cents..and $1200.00 later.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 11-Dec-02 AT 08:32 AM (EST)]Front hub's(wheel bearings) GAV10 is right on !
Its common problem at that kind of mileage ,oversize wheels and tires contribute to it, along with running snow plows.
Diesel's too because they're front end heavey!

There should be no play at all ,not like old bearings of the old type
these are sealed units .and very expensive!

Rich





02 F250 4x4 SC 5.4v8 6spd 3.73ls Trueblue/Silver and Chrome Nerfs

"All Levers"

 

>Front hub's(wheel bearings) GAV10 is right on !
>Its common problem at that kind of mileage ,oversize wheels
>and tires contribute to it, along with running snow plows.
>Diesel's too because they're front end heavey!
>
>There should be no play at all ,not like old bearings of the
>old type
>these are sealed units .and very expensive!
>
>Rich
Forty,
What can be done to do preventative maintanence on these bearings?

 

Not much Doug !
I have heard that some guys force grease in through the sensor hole!
This is built in obsolesence(did I spell that right?)
I've been through 2 sets of this same style on a 98 explore (105,000)
Same design
some guys are trying to rebuild the hubs ,haven't heard any info to further this though!
Rich
02 F250 4x4 SC 5.4v8 6spd 3.73ls Trueblue/Silver and Chrome Nerfs

"All Levers"

 

> What can be done to do preventative maintanence on these bearings?

Forty is right: nothing. No sense is trying to grease a sealed bearing.

 

My one big dissapointment in these "Heavy Duty" trucks.
Good for the dealer, bad for the owner. Sealed unit bearings are good for throw away vehicles, not a truck made to work hard. Too bad the modern market has forced manufacturers to come up with these stupid designs so they can brag that it "never needs service". Appeases the masses that think routine maintenance means the vehicle is broken or sub-standard.

Okay, here is a good one for the Xmas wish list.

The new Dynatrac kit that gives you the old style knuckle, spindle, bearings and related parts. Please come true....:-X12

 

>I had the same experience with my 99 PSD. I went exactly
>74,000 miles and decided to get my brakes done. Guy at the
>shop said I still had maybe 20% left to go. But, I wanted it
>done because I had the money. Well, he just turned the
>rotors and put on Napa pads. Thus began 4 months of
>headaches. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, JUST BRING IT TO A FORD
>DEALER YOU TRUST AND HAVE THEM PUT ORIGINAL PARTS ON. I am
>not kidding, this is not something I would say very often.
>
OK so if I find that the brakes need replaced, I can see using OEM pads. These went at least 70,000. That is pretty good in my book. I don't drive the truck that hard but still, 70k is not bad for any brake pad.

Now, as to GAV10s thought about the front hub bearings. I don't plow much at all. Maybe two dozen times, max. Not rough stuff either. But I did notice when I had the hubs locked in after our recent snow (no plowing) that the front axle seemed to bind really bad when coasting around sharp turns (faster than I should be going). If I take the same turn at a slower speed, I don't hear the binding. Is that a symptom of front bearings going out? And back to the brakes: if they look ok, would the front bearings make that kind of wore-out-brake-pad-to-rotor noise only when braking?

I think I need to get this truck to the Ford garage. I can get by without it for a few days on my own schedule, but I can't afford to have it melt down at some inopportune time out in BFE.

Thanks for the tips.

Big

2000 F250 SD SC 5.4L Gasser
4.10s 4x4 L/S rearend
Western 7'6" plow
White with parchment cloth

 

The answer to your ?'s are yes and yes!
when making a turn either in hubs locked or unlocked you get this noise correct.When you pull your wheels this weekend grab the top and bottom of the tire and try to rock it in an out,there should be no play at all.

how old are your tires ? this is or maybe a silly thought but I have had tires in the past make a sound like wheel bearings going bad !

Just My $.02

Rich




02 F250 4x4 SC 5.4v8 6spd 3.73ls Trueblue/Silver and Chrome Nerfs

"All Levers"

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 12-Dec-02 AT 09:32 PM (EST)]>when making a turn either in hubs locked or unlocked you get
>this noise correct.When you pull your wheels this weekend
>grab the top and bottom of the tire and try to rock it in an
>out,there should be no play at all.
>
I guess I was just looking for something other than that which was staring me in the face. It just about slapped me it was so obvious. Hubs are fine. U-joints are ok. Bearings are good too.

>how old are your tires ? this is or maybe a silly thought
>but I have had tires in the past make a sound like wheel
>bearings going bad !

Tires are 9k old. Problem is not the tahrs. It is the idiot behind the wheel. Here is the problem:

I could have SWORE the noise was coming from the front brakes. I could even feel it in the pedal. I was just sure of it! I didn't have a lot of time to pull the wheels so I just did the front. I mean who ever heard of the rear disc brakes going before the fronts?!? So the front brakes and rotors were fine. Didn't pull the calipers to look at the pads, but I could see a good 1/4" of pad on both front brakes. That was Tuesday. Or was it Monday?

Anyway. Fast forward to today. The 'noise' is most assuredly a brake noise and most assuredly a bad noise that has been pushed too far. But when I looked at the rotors through the wheels, they looked fine. So I pulled all four wheels with the intention of pulling all fo the calipers and looking at all of the pads. Obviously did the fronts first. They are the first to go, right? These were AOK. Jump the the back.

I pull the rear wheels and get to where I can see the rotors. Bingo. The inside of the left-rear rotor is seriously gouged. Apparently what had happened is that the inside pad had self-destructed and kissed the rotor. No. Make that French Kissed the rotor. The outer pad had at least a quarter inch of pad left, but the inner one just was not there. Metal to metal. So I get to treat myself to new pads and having the rotors turned on the rear axle. I am thinking about having the front done to get rid of that little bit of brake shudder while they have my truck. The truck that I need for work. That will hurt to the tune of $4xx.xx. But better down once and fixed than down a second time when I really need the truck. Oh well. That is the price of...price of...Anyway. I still love my truck.

Peace out.

BIG

>"All Levers"
PS I have maual hubs too. Only way to go on an HD truck.

PPS thanks for all of your tips and opinions.

2000 F250 SD SC 5.4L Gasser
4.10s 4x4 L/S rearend
Western 7'6" plow
White with parchment cloth

 

Big ,it happens to all of us ,not seeing it when its right in (Front)the rear of us!

Glad you found it !
Be sure that your dealer or who ever does the turning on your rotors is
not over zealous on how much material they remove or your gonna be doing this again soon,rotors are thin to begin with,not like our older trucks!

Rich
02 F250 4x4 SC 5.4v8 6spd 3.73ls Trueblue/Silver and Chrome Nerfs

"All Levers"

 

Turns out (pardon the pun) that the Local Ford Garage wants to replace rotors and pad on the rear axle. The rotor is beyond turning, and you gotta replace both on an axle even if you need one, right?

They also tell me that the left front rotor has been 'over heated' and needs replaced. Has anyone ever heard of this? I would think that both would be over heated if anything. The pads on the LF look just fine. No signs of excessive pad wear nor of a stuck caliper. By the way, how do you determine that a rotor has been 'overheated'?

Now the juicy part. Ford Garage wants to replace rotors and pads on rear, and rotors only on the front. All for the low, low price of $825 plus tax (now 6% up from 5% - thanks governer O'Bannon). So I am thinking back to the group purchase from Applied Rotor Technology. Total for new rotors and pads all the way around my SD is $590 + shipping (according to the Group Purchase forum). I think I can put on new rotors my self, right? The only think is that I will have to wait 2-3 weeks for the ART box to be here (again, according to the Group Purchase forum). I have not been able to talk to Dean at ART. Hopefully he can help me out with that 2-3 week business.

I will keep y'all posted in the form of a new topic when I get some stuff figered out. Maybe do a step-by-step....NAHHH!

Big

2000 F250 SD SC 5.4L Gasser
4.10s 4x4 L/S rearend
Western 7'6" plow
White with parchment cloth