Rear brake problems

[lockguy]

I have a 2010 ford transit connect. Since 30K miles (now at 115K) I have had serious lunging and scraping/squeaking sounds out of the rear brakes. I have tried replacing the drums and pads twice and resurfaced the drums a couple of times as well.

When new or freshly machined, the braking is nice and smooth. the more the pads bed in, the worse the symptoms get. I have had the dealer do most of the work although I have had other mechanics do some of the work trying to get second opinions.

I have done quite a bit of research on the internet thinking it may be the rear wheel bearing on both rear wheels going bad.

My theory: the bearings are loose or "sagging" causing a mis-alignment of the hub and pad. they are not making the lunging and scraping sounds when the hubs are new or freshly machined because the pads are not biting in to the hubs and just smoothly skimming across. but when the part that is making better contact with the hub starts bedding in, its causing the lunging etc. The only thing is that while driving along they do not make any sound though I have heard they can go bad without making noise.

the problem is the bearings are EXPENSIVE to the tune of at least $250 each. $500 plus labor is hard to swallow on a hunch and if it doesn't work Im gonna be really disappointed.

any advice would help..thanks

 

[Quest]

LOL! it's not the bearings, buddy. It's the braking materials that is at fault.

Try different compound and see how it goes.

(if it's bearings you won't be here posting already...bearing "loose" is no laughing matter)

 

[Brule]

The explorer had bearing issues. I replaced both rears on mine around 100k miles. Symptoms include constant noise/roar that can get louder or quieter while turning. I don't know if this issue spilled onto the transit as well, but braking was never affected when my rear bearings went out.

 

[lockguy]

Ive read that they can go bad with out making the classic loud noise and can cause alignment issues with the brakes. didn't sound right to me but that's what I read. I did have a good mechanic say it was possible.

As ive stated, I tried several different drums and pads including motorcraft, centric and raybestos, they all do the same.

at this point, I still think it may be the bearings but I guess it could be sticking pistons. But if it was the pistons, what are the chances that they both mess up at the same time?

 

[supton]

Can you lift the vehicle, and wiggle the wheel? If you had enough bearing play to make the brakes wear bad, I'd think you could easily feel it at the edge of the tire.

Isn't there a pivot point on the bottom of the shoes? I wonder if there is something amiss there. As the brakes bed in they should bite harder. I'm wondering if the shoes are vibrating around and causing wear on one of the surfaces that we don't think normally of wearing.

 

[lockguy]

I don't think the bearings are that loose.

I remember at 30K the brakes were working fine until i had my first brake job done....at the dealer. when i pulled to the edge of the parking lot they squeaked before i ever got on the road. In my many attempts to get the dealer to fix the problem, they did briefly mention that one of the abs sensors was out of place somehow. When I asked if it could be a bad sensor, they emphatically said no.

Im thinking it may be a bad abs sensor now. I think the joker that did the brakes at 30K was screwing around and messed up one of the sensors. the abs light has never come on, but i have also heard that a sensor can cause issues with the warning light never coming on.

if a sensor was sending a bad signal, I think its possible that the sqeaking noise i was hearing was actually the abs system causing the shoes to retract away from the drums/let off the the braking pressure unecessarily.

Ive got two abs sensors on the way from rockauto now. Ive also got an extra set of drums im getting machined. If this doesn't work, I would imagine my next step would be the bearings just to be sure.

thanks for the input.

 

[Warstud]

See if your brakes are dragging. Either the calipers stuck or the parking brake isn't fully disengaging. And the overheating are causing the rotors to warp. Is there a burning smell after driving?
If possible check the rotor temperature after driving it with a temp gauge or just feel the wheel itself.

 

[eljefino]

If you had ABS sensor problems you'd have an idiot light and code indicating that wheel was the wrong speed or it had "judder".

 

[outdoorsman310]

check to see if the backing plate is touching the drum and see that everything is in its place inside the drums. some shoes could cause noise. is the noise constant or just when braking, accelerating, etc. does the noise happen if you hit the parking brake while moving or the regular brake pedal

 

[lockguy]

im pretty sure the brakes are not dragging, you can spin the wheels with your hand.

Ive been told that the abs can mess up without throwing a code, thats why i ordered new ones, not way to know for sure until i take the plunge.

As far as the backing plate, I haven't thought of that but more than one person has looked at the brakes and didn't say anything about that. the brakes don't make the sound on a fresh machine job, only after about 5-10k when they have worn in a bit. so i don't think its that. But i will check it out when i do the next swap for drums and sensors.

I can say that once they start squeaking, I can jack up the van, spin the wheel and put light pressure on the brake, it will stop on the same high spot everytime. they are definitely wearing out of round.

 

[outdoorsman310]

when you get the drums turned do you have the shoes changed as well? perhaps new drums and shoes would be a good option or get them cleaned and adjusted.

 

[lockguy]

I think the pads are not really worn, ill just resurface the drums.

 

[outdoorsman310]

if you do that, use a scotch brite pad or something to take glaze or anything off the shoes. make sure you do it lightly and not too much. just try to make the finish dull. you can also check if the shoes move freely when the drums are off.

 

[lockguy]

will do, thanks! i assume i can get the scotch brite pad at an autoparts store?

 

[outdoorsman310]

you can probably get them at any hardware or autoparts store. or grocery store