Low Speed Groaning/Crunching Brakes

[AnotherS197GT]

I've tried to find an answer for this, and the most common answer I got was that the brake pads are inferior quality and need to be replaced. I changed my brakes out over a year and a half ago with all Motorcraft parts. New rotors and pads. I haven't had a peep out of them since a few weeks ago. I took my car to work and swapped all my exhaust, and when I left work the noise had started. I never heard or felt it before.

I thought it was just snow/ice packed into my wheels since it was snowy when I went up there that day. I went and got a car wash and the noise went away. It started happening again a few days later so I went and sprayed the wheels off again. Stopped for a few days, now doing it again. Its been inside the shop at work for 4 hours one day and that should have melted any snow/ice. Its also been above 50 here for the past 2 days and its still doing it.

The noise only happens from 10 mph and down, with moderate pressure on the brake pedal. Light pressure or heavy pressure = no noise. The pedal feels a little harder and I can feel the noise coming through the pedal. I'm having a hard time narrowing down exactly what wheel its coming from, but it sounds like its the front. I've inspected the pad thickness and they are still ~6-8mm thick. I also sprayed brake clean on the pads/rotors to try to clean them off.

I don't think my pads are glazed, and I can't imagine why they were silent until I went into the shop and got noisy immediately after I left.

 

[05stroker]

Does it sound like it could be the wheel bearing? I had one go out while my car was in the garge for four months some how. LOL

It will make a grouning sound at low speed while on the brakes becouse of the shift in weight to the front.

 

[AnotherS197GT]

I have no idea. I've only heard one bad wheel bearing before and it was in my moms car and one of the rear wheels. I don't hear any noise other than the last few feet braking.

 

[05stroker]

Try doing some mild breaking while turning the wheel back and forth as you come to a stop. If it is the wheel bearing as mine was it will make the grown as you transfer the weight to the bad side. Mine never shook the wheel or anything just the grown.

 

[AnotherS197GT]

I tried turning the wheel from side to side as I was braking last night, and it just seemed to make the sound jump from side to side.

 

[05stroker]

I tried turning the wheel from side to side as I was braking last night, and it just seemed to make the sound jump from side to side.

Maybe a rock or other debris stuck in the brake assembly?

 

[86GT351]

I've tried to find an answer for this, and the most common answer I got was that the brake pads are inferior quality and need to be replaced. I changed my brakes out over a year and a half ago with all Motorcraft parts. New rotors and pads. I haven't had a peep out of them since a few weeks ago. I took my car to work and swapped all my exhaust, and when I left work the noise had started. I never heard or felt it before.

I thought it was just snow/ice packed into my wheels since it was snowy when I went up there that day. I went and got a car wash and the noise went away. It started happening again a few days later so I went and sprayed the wheels off again. Stopped for a few days, now doing it again. Its been inside the shop at work for 4 hours one day and that should have melted any snow/ice. Its also been above 50 here for the past 2 days and its still doing it.

The noise only happens from 10 mph and down, with moderate pressure on the brake pedal. Light pressure or heavy pressure = no noise. The pedal feels a little harder and I can feel the noise coming through the pedal. I'm having a hard time narrowing down exactly what wheel its coming from, but it sounds like its the front. I've inspected the pad thickness and they are still ~6-8mm thick. I also sprayed brake clean on the pads/rotors to try to clean them off.

I don't think my pads are glazed, and I can't imagine why they were silent until I went into the shop and got noisy immediately after I left.

Very possible that the face of the pad got contaminated somehow and is causing a low speed groan. I would take a few minutes and remove the pads for a visual inspection. There might also possibly be a heat crack in one of the pads. Contamination is a brutal thing to keep away from brakes unfortunately!

 

[AnotherS197GT]

Very possible that the face of the pad got contaminated somehow and is causing a low speed groan. I would take a few minutes and remove the pads for a visual inspection. There might also possibly be a heat crack in one of the pads. Contamination is a brutal thing to keep away from brakes unfortunately!

Come to think of it, I was spraying a bunch of PB Blaster around the rear of the car trying to remove some broken exhaust bolts. Maybe I wasn't being careful and got it all over the rear brakes?

 

[86GT351]

That is possible. Also take into consideration that the braking process creates friction. Friction obviously creates heat. Heat in brake pads will "soften" the material slightly. With this happening and then the shock of the cold ice and snow hitting the pads can cause a pad to crack! Another reason to pull them off for a visual inspection!

 

[itsslow]

my car does the same thing but I don't have to press the brakes for the noise to be heard. It's at really low speeds but it isn't a constant problem, comes and goes. I think it's my wheels bearing.

 

[86GT351]

my car does the same thing but I don't have to press the brakes for the noise to be heard. It's at really low speeds but it isn't a constant problem, comes and goes. I think it's my wheels bearing.

A wheel bearing will make noise without the brakes being applied!

 

[AnotherS197GT]

I never got a chance to look at the brakes, but the noise stopped. Must have been pad composition or they finally got cleaned off.

 

[86GT351]

Good to hear!

 

[BIGCHRISS197]

I never got a chance to look at the brakes, but the noise stopped. Must have been pad composition or they finally got cleaned off.

Glad to hear things worked out, if it were me id still pull everything apart and inspect it, regrease slides etc just to be on the safe side

 

[AnotherS197GT]

Glad to hear things worked out, if it were me id still pull everything apart and inspect it, regrease slides etc just to be on the safe side

I might still check it all, but idk. I pull my car into the shop like once a week lol. If I start getting a noise or odd pedal feel, I'll do it for sure.

 

[AnotherS197GT]

Checked them today at work. Drivers side brake pad has some slight cracking in it. I'll be replacing the pads soon.

 

[AnotherS197GT]

I wanted to bump this back up.

After machining my front rotors and throwing new pads on, the car was quiet for a month or so. Started making the same noise again, so I'm kinda at a loss as for whats causing it. Today I was thinking and realized I don't really do a whole lot of hard braking. I putz along and have to make lots of frequent slow stops. I was thinking maybe there was some build up on my rotors that wasn't getting burned off, so I went and did 6 or 7 hard stops from 60-10mph, and the noise seems to have gone away. I'll take it back out tonight to verify.

 

[cm581978]

I have the same sound and have no clue what it is

 

[Scrape]

Holy crap I have the same freakin' problem as well. It frustrates the crap out of me. I don't drive it hard too and I have the same noise. It is definitely not the wheel bearings. I will have to take the brakes apart and see but I suspect it is the shim that is touching the caliper and it is causing this noise issue.

 

[86GT351]

With freshly resurfaced rotors or new rotors and new pads, there is a proper procedure to seat new pads to help eliminate noise issues!