Any ford mechanics out there??

[rogerwa]

I have a 97 Ford Expedition with Brake troubles. I am having unusual wear and consequent brake dust on my front rims.<br /><br />Last year I went to replace the pads all around and put new rotors on the front since they were pulsating. I couldn't get the rotors off (common problem on Expedtions)and just put the pads on to take me through the winter.<br /><br />In November, these pads had worn all the way through and I decided I had to fix the rotor problem. I pulled the whole front hub with the rotor attached and had the rotors pressed off with a hydraulic press. I reassembled with new rotors and pads and thought I was done.<br /><br />In February, the pads were worn thorugh again. I figured that the calipers must be sticking, as the braking feel did have a certain amount of grabbiness to it. I again replaced rotors (they were beyond repair) and installed loaded calipers on the front. As a result the brakes seemed much more responsive.<br /><br />The problem is that I am still getting lots of brake dust. I inspected the pads this weekend and they have plenty of pad left and the wheel turns just fine without hanging up. I also inspected the rears to see if they could be bound up and not functioning. They appear to be fine.<br /><br />Does anyone have any words of wisdom to help in this problem??

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

how many miles was it?

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Overall it can't be more than 10K since I started last year with the first set of pads..

 

[62_Kiwi]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Hi Roger<br /><br />I'm not a mechanic, but I did have the same problem with my Explorer recently. The answer was to get the brake discs reground before fitting new pads. It's a common and quick procedure and wasn't expensive at my local brake specialist centre.

 

[KennyKenCan]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Should have bought a Chevy! lol

 

[ahollinger]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Rogerwa,<br />Boy do I know what you are talking about here. I have an 86 Bronco with basically the same problem. With the Bronco, it is on a f150 frame with brakes from the F150. I don't think they are big enough for the extra weight. The slowing of the truck turns the energy from momentum to heat. I suspect that when you shut the truck off and the rotors are hot, the pads keep the heat in the rotor longer than the parts of the rotor not covered. I think that the uneven cooling is what is warping the rotors. I can't swear to that being exactly what is happening, but it is just my opinion. I tend to warp rotors every 10k miles or so. Once the rotors warp, the pads get worn real quick. the only solution I have found so far is to be ahead of the rotors, I have them turned or I replace them as soon as I feel that shimmy.<br /><br />Do you have a 4 wheel drive? I have to pull the wheels down to the spindle as the rotors are held in place by the lugs on the hub. I gotta pound each lug out to get the rotors off.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

roger<br />Aftermarket pads will not last on that vehicle. Buy OEM Ford pads. They are very high in cast iron (metalic) to match the hard rotors. Brake dust is par for the course with metalic pads, but generic pads are much worse. There is likely nothing wrong with the vehicle.....

 

[NOSLEEP]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

If you want your rotors to last longer without<br />going out of round or getting hard spots. Use a<br />cheaper pad with a lower metallic content. You<br />will have to change the pads more often and <br />braking will suffer slightly, however you wont<br />get the hard spots on your rotors and they will <br />stay true longer. The high content metallic pads<br />are to blame premature failure of your rotors.<br />High content metallic pads where the result of<br />asbestos banning in brake lining in the mid 80's.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

What about ceramic pads?? I didn't flip for the extra $20.<br /><br />When you say ford OEM, do you mean buy them from the dealer?? I usually buy the OEM equivalents not the cheapest.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Kenny, I would have bought a suburban if I could have found one that seated nine.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

rogerwa <br /><br />Go the extra, and buy the Ford pads. You won't get away from the dust, but they will last longer and give better braking with 9 people in the truck....

 

[cpasseno03]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Sounds like the rest of the advice so far covers it, But when I first read it, I thought of valve troubles. Do the rear brakes wear out in sync with the front? If they last much longer this could indicate a bad metering valve, which lets brake juice to the rear and build up pressure before going to the front. (because the rear brakes travel farther out as they wear, and front brakes make contact almost instantaneously no matter how worn) Now if this is stuck just right I do beleive it could make your front brakes do most of the work and wear out faster. And you probably wouldnt notice unless you were really paying attention to it. Also a proportioning valve could possibly cause the same problem, but thats not nearly as likely. anyways, they might have it nailed with the ford pads, this is just my thought I had, and then I thought I'd share it <br />Craig

 

[Fishbusters]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

All I know about Ford brake problems is the last time I had to stand back and say HMMM was my 86 Bronco II 4X4. It ended up spending a month with the Ford dealer and then somehow the problem was fixed. At least 3 master cylinders, all new front and rear brake parts and new brake lines as well as several calls to Ford from the dealer (this was after I had a shop do the brakes because of problems and they replaced a master cylinder). I ended up not paying a dime because no one could actually figure out what caused or solved the problem. My 87 Ford Ranger all I have had to do is replace pads and such and it runs like a champ with over 200,000 on it now.

 

[DJ]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

rogerwa,<br /><br />Schematic is correct. There are so many varying qualities of aftermarket pads out there, you'll never know what you are getting.<br /><br />Here's something that not many people know. Aftermarket brake producers do not test their brake friction material for life and/or stopping/fade resistance. Only OEM's do.<br /><br />There are two different qualities of brake friction material available from Ford-"value line" and "blue box" . The blue box will give the best wear. There are also great differences in rotor quality from OEM and aftermarket. You get what you pay for.<br /><br />I would not use ceramic pads, they are very hard on rotors and do not stop nearly as effectively.<br /><br />One thing you may want to look at. I would be willing to bet that your rear brakes are doing very little, if anything. THE REAR BRAKES ARE ADJUSTED BY THE USE OF THE PARKING BRAKE.<br /><br />If your parking brake cables are frozen, that will inhibit rear brake adjustment.<br /><br />The brakes on the Expedition are NOT too small. If anything, being designed along with the F-150 chassis makes the brakes larger than needed. The F-150 has a much higher GCWR (gross combined weight rating) than the Expedition, with thew same components.<br /><br />Also,<br /><br />Does your Expedition stop straight? If not, you may have a caliper issue. lubricating the caliper slides is imperative for even brake wear on the inner and outer pads.<br /><br />If the brakes are not dragging, I would highly suspect the quality of the components that you replaced.

 

[cpasseno03]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

I just did the rear brakes on my 86 F150 today, after noticing the U bolts were VERY loose! decided to check the brakes while the tire was off and it was time. I will most likely do the front in the near future, I'll let yall know if anything goes awry...<br />Craig

 

[DJ]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Craig,<br /><br />Parking brake cables/useage?<br /><br />Funny, how no one ever wants to answer that question.<br /><br />That pedal (parking brake) was not designed in as a "what if". It was designed in as a "why not".

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

I have rear disc brakes. How does the parking brake adjust the rear usage?? I am also suspect that the rears are not doing much but have no way to diagnose or adjust. I have used the parking brake, mostly when launching an retrieving the boat, but not in normal driving as I usually park on an even grade.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

rogerwa <br /><br />Your parking brake is a skewcum setup with balls and ramps. The adjustment is made automatically everytime you apply the foot brakes. Using the parking brake on your setup is not required as an adjustment.... The rear brakes will not wear as fast as the fronts because of weight distribution being higher in the front (engine weight etc.). More braking effort will be applied to the front.

 

[cpasseno03]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Djohns, What do you mean? I didnt mention anything about a parking brake... But since you did Im gonna share my ingenious idea for it! We all know parking brakes never work ESPECIALLY up here in michigan. The only time they work is if you use them often. Well Mine was frozen of course, So I put on the thinking cap and heres what I came up with. The cable itself was good for about the first two feet where it exits the floor from the ratcheting pedal. Simple, I cut it at a foot and a half, and drilled a hole underneath the normal brake pedal, then routed the cable through that. Now after I attach the cable to the pedal, when you push the ratcheting pedal it in turn pulls on (and holds) the normal pedal. Bingo! 4 wheel parking brake! I usually just leave her in gear but thats a hassle when launching... so anyway, what were you asking me in the first place? I didnt catch it..<br />Craig

 

[DJ]

Re: Any ford mechanics out there??

Craig,<br /><br />I won't even think about endorsing that.<br /><br />The braking proportion on a disc/disc system is about 60/40. Thus, brake wear will be at about that rate front to rear.<br /><br />FYI, disc/drum brake systems were typically 75/25 unless there was a load sensing proportioning valve on the rear axle housing.