Hi all,
We have a 2001 Y Reg Ford Focus 1.6 which we bought 18 months ago, and ever since then it's had squeaky brakes, and now the brakes make an occasional click when pressing the brake pedal.
The car has been booked into the garage 5 times for the same squeaking problem without a solution and it's beginning to drive us mad.
I'm not sure if it's pads or shoes on the back, but all the pads/shoes on the car are in good order and the brakes work well. It's recently had an MOT with a main Ford Dealer who gave it a thorough examination.
1. When we first got the car the brakes squeaked so we took it back to the garage where it was bought and had the brakes stripped down and cleaned - the squeak stopped for a while but then came back.
2. We took the car to Kwik-Fit who also stripped the brakes down and cleaned them - they still squeaked afterwards.
3. We took the car in to Benfield Main Ford Dealer and they too cleaned the brakes but didn't cure the squeak.
4. We took the car back to Benfields for them to try again - the brakes still squeak ! ... they said it's damp getting into the brakes, but the brakes still squeak on a hot summers day !
5. The car then developed an occasional click when the brake was pressed so we went back to Kwik-fit to so if they could do something about the click and the squeaky brakes - they didn't cure the squeak, and blamed the click on the wheel bearings and quoted us £320 for new ones.
We've since asked advice at 3 other garages about the click, and although they're not sure what it could be, they say it's not likely to be the wheel bearings.
Can anyone offer any ideas to where we go from here ? We've been reluctant to change the pads/shoes because they are in good condition, and the garages tell me that it would be a waste of money. If I knew that new pads/shoes would definitely be the answer then I would pay to have them done.
HELP ME BEFORE I GO NUTS !!!!!!!!
John
{Reformatted to use the whole width of the box, and not just 2 thirds of it}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 02/10/2008 at 10:55
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>>HELP ME BEFORE I GO NUTS !!!!!!!!
Are the brake parts currently fitted genuine Ford parts, or, are they of spurious origin?
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>Can anyone offer any ideas to where we go from here ? We've been
>reluctant to change the pads/shoes because they are in good condition,
change them - you have to bite that bullet sooner or later.
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>>change them
Quite.
Although the genuine parts may be more expensive, my experience is that they are less likely to cause noise and squeals. For example, the pads are more likely to have heavy damping material fitted to the steel backing plates rather than the bare painted metal of spurious offerings.
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Thanks for the replies - they're appreciated.
To be honest, we don't know if they're the genuine parts or not. The pads were fitted when we got the car and since then it's done around 6,000 miles or so.
I presume that a mechanic can tell if they're genuine or not, so you would think the main ford dealer would have mentioned it when we took it there (twice) for squeaking brakes.
When we mentioned this problem to an Autonational breakdown man that came out to us for a breakdown, he said that garages sometimes have to use copper grease / copper slip between the brake piston and the rear metal side of the brake pad to prevent vibration which sometimes can cause squeaking....
I did pass his comments on to a couple of the garages that we went to for advice but they just looked at me like I had my head on back to front !
Thanks again.
John
{Reformatted to use the whole width of the box (again!), and not just 2 thirds of it}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 02/10/2008 at 10:56
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he said that garages sometimes have to use copper grease / copper slip between the brake piston and the rear metal side of the brake pad to prevent vibration which sometimes can cause squeaking....
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Assuming it is the front brakes that are squeeking (the 1.6 Focus has rear drums) that will do the trick. Copper grease carefully applied to areas where the caliper and pad are in contact with each other, care has to be taken not to get copper grease on the pad face or disc!
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I had the same problem when I purchased a 2003 Corsa. I can't remember if the pads were genuine, but removing the pads and cleaning only temporarily solved the squeaking. I replaced with non genuine pads and have had no problems with squeaking since.
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Check drum and brake sizes - are they the correct ones for your vehicle? So many home mechanics out there fit the wrong ones!
If rear - check setting of handbrake adjuster and if this assembly or the springs are old - replace them.
Check rear shoes for loose or missing rivets and check the front pads to make sure they have not 'split or wafered' (expanded and come away from the steel backing plate)
When you put the handbrake on - do the rear brakes stay on after damp weather or if the car has been left for a few days when it is released? If so this is the pads binding themselves to the drums - change them as they are absorbing moisture. It could also be (but unlikely) the handbrake cable sticking - watch how you lubricate this or you could feed oil/grease in to the rear drums.
If front, check piston is not corroded and sticking and that there is not a build up of brake dust
As said by others copper grease on the rear (only the rear...) of the centre of each pad a small amount (like a very thin layer of butter on bread!) should rectify this.
See here:
tinyurl.com/yfd95p
Look about the 1/3rd of the way down - very informative (too even?!) web page - especially the section on Full-contact Disc brakes.
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Take the brake pads out and file a chamfer on the top edge.
Same for the shoes on the leading edges.
This should stop the brake squeal until they wear down a bit, by that time the pads will have bedded in.
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Thanks for all the replies, they're much appreciated.
Regards.
John
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Also, try filing and greasing the squared mountings where the pad sits on and slides along the caliper between the piston and disc. It obviously doesn't move much in action but a bit of corrosion might make it too tight a fit.
If the pads won't slide the piston will tend to just squeeze the disc with the outer part of the pads. I think that's what can cause not just a squeal but also corrosion of the disc at the inner bit which doesn't get squeezed as much. The corrosion then gradually raises the inner relatively unswept/sqeezed surface causing uneven wear and premature disc failure. I have caught it early on occasion with a hammer and screw driver to chip off the worst and then a Black and Decker carburundum and a new set of pads. Unless you have a heavy R foot discs should last well over 100,000m. [my old Passat's did 200,000 - current Audi is at 100,000 with plenty of wear left]
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