Front Brake Grind- felt through pedal.. 2004 GT..

[1965coupe]

Hey everyone.. this is my first post on the "Tech" forum. On my 2004 GT, there has ALWAYS been a brake "grind"... you can feel it through the brake pedal and also hear it.

Anyone that rides in the car always ask what the grind is.. I don't know if I should call it a grind- it feels as if something is rubbing.

When I first had the car in for warranty issues (leaky convertible top) I told the service advisor that the front brakes always sounded weird.. they said they checked the pads and everything was fine- no abnormal wear, etc..

So, that was when the car was new- probably had less than 1000 miles on it..

Today, the car has about 9800 miles on it. Still has the "grind"- which, annoys the cr@p out of me... My warranty (3yr/36K) is up in a year. I do have the Ford ESP, although the deductibles are $100..

I feel as if something is wrong with either my front brakes, a bent rim, a bad bearing, etc.. I've driven plenty of cars to know that the brakes shouldn't be heard through the cab as a loud grinding/humming sound.. (this is hard to explain)... I've driven: 2005/2006 mustangs, 2000 f-350, 1996 f250, mercedes old/new- diesel/gas, 1965 mustang, 1965 mustang stick, 1966 mustang, etc.....

I've driven quite a few cars and done quite a few brake jobs... I dont want to be told that my brakes are within spec and then have major front-end issues when my warranty is up. Also, they replaced my front left tire because it was "defective" (the car had a steering wheel shimmy from day one)..

What do you all think? Is the brake pedal supposed to "grind"- or is it possible that something else is the issue? What should I request they do at the dealership?

 

[DTMach1]

a slight whirr maybe, but a grind??? Heck no.

Is it only when braking? Or does it occur when you turn the wheel as well? No squeaking or squeeling, just a grind?

I know my ABS is really touchy and sometimes I'll get the pedal vibration from that, but never a grinding feeling.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

How many miles are on the car now?

 

[1965coupe]

Kilgore- There are 9800 miles on the car now.. It will be 2 years old (to me) this January. The car came with 64 miles and sat on the lot for quite some time... I'm just wondering if anything happened to it while it was on the lot, or being test driven...

 

[1965coupe]

DT Mach- It is really hard to describe the sound. All I know is that it is definitely noticeable.

At low speeds it is intermittent as the wheels spin slowy- almost like warped rotors.. but the steering wheel doesnt shake...

Oh also, car does NOT have ABS!!! That should eliminate the possibilities..

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I think you should throw some new pads on there. It almost sounds like the brakes are not being used often enough. It is possible that a slide pin seized from lack of use...?

So I suggest installing new stock pads and while you are in there check/lube the slide pins.

Another common issue is the huib bearing assembly going bad. Are you missing your dust caps over the hub bearing assembly retaining nuts on the front by any chance?

 

[Mustang5L5]

No grind here, even when i had stock brakes. In fact, my Mustangs brakes were the best in any car i've ever driven in terms of not feeling any grinds or noises and having nice smooth application.

Defintely bring the car back in and have them check it again. Could be a stuck caliper slide.

Are you sure it's the front brakes? This commonly happens on the rear brakes. The slide pins seize during times when the car isn't driven and cause the caliper to push on one side only (usually the inside) so it's difficult to see. If you want to check, pull a wheel off and visually confirm that you have equal amounts of pad material on each side. If you don't, then your pins are seized.

If you replace any pads, use OEM pads. Parts store pads are junk and tend to make noise.

For rotors, you can get dirt cheap Brembo blanks off www.tirerack.com

Thats if you decide to do it yourself and not take it in for warranty work. You could also do the 13" Mach 1 upgrade for $340/shipped

 

[1low03gt]

I think you should throw some new pads on there. It almost sounds like the brakes are not being used often enough. It is possible that a slide pin seized from lack of use...?

So I suggest installing new stock pads and while you are in there check/lube the slide pins.

Another common issue is the huib bearing assembly going bad. Are you missing your dust caps over the hub bearing assembly retaining nuts on the front by any chance?

I agree with this.
When i bought a brand new '98 F150 STX in late '98,that first summer i had to replace the front brakes do to the caliper on the driver side being seized,and wore the ***** out of the pads on that side.I think cause i bought it in nov of '98,the truck must've set too long at the dealership (most of the summer of '98) and caused the caliper to seize do to not being used.And that was not my only problem either.Reason i got rid of it.LOL!!
So check to see if the wear on the brake pads on the side with the "grind" has more wear then the side that is alright.

 

[Superhereaux]

talk to the service manager


ask him/her to drive the car and explain the problem thouroughly. be polite about it, if you storm into the place demanding your car be fixed they'll pretty much tell you to fxck off. i see it all the time

since this is probably not a warranty problem (it's not ford's fault the car sat a long time) it's up to the dealer on what they want to do


off the top off my head and me not driving the car, i'd guess your rotors have rusted due to the sitting on the lot too long (if a tire flat spots like your "defective" one, your car must've been sitting awhile). surface rust is one thing but if the rust has become too thick it won't be worn away during normal driving. it'll turn into a wear resistant material (black spots) and cause vibration and possibly a grinding sound/feel



as far as the ABS, wasn't it standard on all 'o1-o4 gt's?

 

[Mustang5L5]

as far as the ABS, wasn't it standard on all 'o1-o4 gt's?

Nope, I beleive ABS was standard only on 01-03 GT premiums and an option on 01-03 GT deluxes.

for 2004 it was an option on both trim levels....and most came without it.

 

[CRZYHRSGT]

off the top off my head and me not driving the car, i'd guess your rotors have rusted due to the sitting on the lot too long (if a tire flat spots like your "defective" one, your car must've been sitting awhile). surface rust is one thing but if the rust has become too thick it won't be worn away during normal driving. it'll turn into a wear resistant material (black spots) and cause vibration and possibly a grinding sound/feel

This is what I was thinking. I've seen a lot of cars that have sat for extended periods of time who's rotors get rust-pitted pretty bad. If it's on the inner side of the rotor they might have overlooked it due to the big honkin' dust shield covering the itty-bitty rotor.