Hello all,
So I was driving one day and my brakes were not slowing me down, I got home and my pads and rotors both needed to be replaced. I bought new pads, new rotors and figured I should do the bearings while I was at it. When I got done I went to test drive my truck and at very low speeds it seemed like the abs was kicking in. As I continued to drive I realized that it was more of a ticking noise and that I could feel it in my pedal when its happening. It is something mechanical making the noise and I have no clue what it is. I took into Ford to have the service dept. do a full brake diagnostic, when I went in to pick it up they told me that they could not find anything wrong and they didn't know what I was hearing (150$ so they could scratch their ***). As I was driving the truck home it continued to do the same thing. the brakes don't stop very well at all so it has not been driven until I can figure this out. Any information anyone has is greatly appreciated.
I know it is not a wear strip or something stuck in the brake pads. The sound and feeling happen anytime I brake and continues when I am stopped unless I let off of the pedal and re engage it, it almost makes the pedal press back into my foot while it is depressed each time the tick sound happens.
Thanks.

 

Hmmm, What year truck? Does it have ABS? What type of brakes? Standard? Metallic? Ceramic? Who made the brakes? Who made the rotors? Were they OEM spec or something fancy? There may be more questions coming from others, but let's start with these.

 

I expected questions so no worries haha. This is such a thorn in the side.
1998
ABS Yes, recently replaced the rear speed sensor which from what I read is also one of 3 ABS sensors on my truck.
Semi-metallic pads, Duralast brand from autzone.
Duralast Rotors and bearings as well.
They are nothing fancy whatsoever.
everything on my truck is stock besides my radio and speakers.

Ask me a million questions if needed! Thanks for your help!

 

The only thing left that hasn't been replaced are the calipers.
When the new pads and rotors were installed, the pistons in the calipers have to pushed back home.
If the dirt seals on the pistons are compromised, then dirt may have made its way into the bore when the pistons were pushed back in.
The carriage on these appears to be rubber mounted and in most cases there is a special silicon grease that lubricates the rubber.
What is the condition of the rubber mounts and the carriage ?

Carefully loosen off the bleed nipple on one of them.
Clean fluid should flow out.
If it's dirty or no fluid come out, then that needs to be addressed.

In most cases when a brake job is done, the caliper is replaced too.

About bearings...
I'm going to assume that the new ones went in nice and square and are seated properly with new grease.
Did you replace the seals too, are they in square.

At any rate, I would start with the caliper and make sure that both are OK.
I would look for a sticking/seized piston(s) and or sticky carriage.

The fact that the brakes weren't even working before and still not working afterwards _ not slowing you down would indicate a caliper problem.

Worn pads and rotors will still stop the vehicle, even when metal to metal.
They get extremely grabby when that happens.

 

How do the new rotors compare to the old rotors, as in style? Were there any differences? Are there any sensors in the front hub area you may have damaged or removed and replaced? I'm assuming this is a 2WD.

 

Style wise I would say they were identical. However the old rotors were very worn.
As far as I know there is one abs sensor in each hub and they were tested at the dealership and checked out so they were not replaced.

It is a 2WD.

 

The dirt seals looked fine however I will admit the pistons weren’t in perfect condition.
I did evenly return the pistons Home when I replaced the pads and the seated all the way in. The truck has 80000 miles on it and I’m sure they are original.
Brake fluid does not seem to be an issue but I will check how clean it is at the hub.

Your assumption on the bearings are true, the shop checked them as well as said they looked good.

How would I check for a seizing piston, is it as simple as pulling the caliper and seeing if they are uneven, or do I have someone press the brake pedal with the caliper removed and watch how they react?

I do see your point with bad pads and rotors still stopping, it’s a good one to be honest.
To further explain how they were acting before I did the brake job, I was exiting the freeway onto an empty off ramp, when I applied my brakes they were slipping and not slowing down, the abs did not kick on when this was happening. My assumption when I pulled the tire and saw a deeply grooved rotor and worn pads was that it was the issue. The ticking cane after that.

Thanks for your detailed response!

 

If the pistons pushed back in easily, then you're probably OK there.
What I do is loosen off the bleed nipple and push the pistons in by hand.
You can check if the fluid is clean this way and the pistons are easier to push home.

ABS can't apply brake pressure, it can only release it, so if the brakes weren't coming on properly in the first place, the ABS wasn't being activated.

See screen shot, was the area pointed working freely ?
The non-piston side needs to slide back and forth on the main caliper housing.
There will be some resistance, but it shouldn't bind and you will be able to move it with your hand if it's free.

 

I will be working on my truck this Saturday and will get back on what I find with the caliper movement based on your screenshot. I’m also going to check the fluid and while I’m at it I’m going to return the pistons home and see how they feel when the bleeder is open.
Work has picked up so I haven’t had time to work on it this week. I appreciate your help and information, hopefully ill have some news pointing me in the right direction come Saturday.