Brake Ticking

[ifelder]

Had a hard braking event on the highway earlier this week, ever since I have noticed a 'ticking' coming from the rear passenger side.

Speed of the ticking is modulated by wheel speed, not engine RPM and sounds like its coming from the rear passenger brake.
Ticking goes away and returns intermittently, don't notice it as much at highway speeds but possible engine/road noise is masking it.
Ticking immediately goes away with the lightest application of the brakes, which leads me to suspect a correlation to the hard braking event.

Before I jump to take my tire off and stare at the brake caliper like a dolt, has anyone else experienced something like this before or has a fix?

[sdg3205]

When was the last time you serviced your brakes?

One possibility is that you have a semi-seized piston that got a real wake up call when you jammed the brakes. It's still seized, but further out and putting a little pressure on the pad against the rotor and it's not backing off sufficiently when the brakes are released. Original soft lines have also been known to collapse and act like a check valve, which would cause pad/rotor heat, noise and smell.

I'd take your tire off and investigate. See if the pads/pistons can be pushed back into the callipers.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Most of the time you can check if a brake is sticking by feeling the wheel caps on all four wheels after a drive. The wheel usually heats up much more than the other three.

[hmcelraft]

There could be a brake problem but, that clicking noise is not uncommon. The pads normally have some free space and they can move around making that noise. I got some "springs" that fit onto the caliper to keep the pads back against the caliper pistons. They usually work. Ever now and then I pick up a click and my brakes have been working fine. They are service regularly too.

[dn010]

Check the torque on your rear hub nuts (#108514) - it may not be brake related at all and it is your bearing that is failing.

[David T]

That ticking is caused by the pads riding up and dropping down. Have the rotors scuffed up in a random pattern and get a set of springs to put on the pads.

[SProfita]

I have a ticking, can't tell if its front or rear, but is coming from the right side. Other than springs to fix it, would stainless brakelines help? worst case, new calipers?

[DMCMW Dave]

I have a ticking, can't tell if its front or rear, but is coming from the right side. Other than springs to fix it, would stainless brakelines help? worst case, new calipers?

Neither would fix it. Most likely you need the springs and have a very slightly warped rotor that is kicking the pads out.

BTW - a couple small springs is WAY cheaper than a set of SS brake lines. Nothing against the lines, but they won't help this problem. Neither will rebuilding the calipers.

[David T]

Neither would fix it. Most likely you need the springs and have a very slightly warped rotor that is kicking the pads out.

BTW - a couple small springs is WAY cheaper than a set of SS brake lines. Nothing against the lines, but they won't help this problem. Neither will rebuilding the calipers.

The cause of the problem is the rotors have a pattern in them kind of like a vinyl record. It causes the pads to follow the "track" up and then suddenly drop down causing the 'tick'. Usually caused by cutting the rotor and not scuffing the surface in a random pattern to prevent the "threading". The springs can help but you should get some sandpaper on a pad and using a drill, make circular patterns around the rotors on both sides. No need to remove much materiel, just scuff the lines on the rotor up. Warped rotors would cause the pedal to move up and down against your foot and/or vary the braking as you slow down. Could also cause the steering wheel to move a bit as you apply the brakes.

[DMCMW Dave]

Warped rotors would cause the pedal to move up and down against your foot and/or vary the braking as you slow down. Could also cause the steering wheel to move a bit as you apply the brakes.

- - if the defect is in the rear you won't feel it in the steering

- - you may not feel a true slight warp as the pistons will move back and forth in tandem offsetting each other, and will not necessarily move the pedal. You will feel a fat/thin rotor wear or a very severe warp (very rare) in the pedal.

You will feel a bad spot in the rotor as a seat-of-the-pants or steering vibration. What most people feel as a so-called warped rotor is one with very uneven wear or corrosion.

If a warped rotor is kicking out the brake pads, you may also notice too much pedal movement at first press as the pads re-set in the caliper. May also show up as a pull on the first brake press but if you let off and press again quickly the pull isn't there. I've seen this on a car with a bent hub.

Back to his original question - I still believe the springs will generally solve his issue, and doing a surface hone on the rotors would not hurt. I've found a flex-hone to be a pretty handy tool for that: http://www.brushresearch.com/brushes.php?c1=6