There's a high pitch squeak coming from what sounds like my rear tires when I begin driving. It happens when I go in reverse or forward, and it sounds very similar to squealing brakes, but its when I drive, not brake. It goes away after I get up to approx. 20 mph.

I have a hunch that it may be related to the parking brake, possibly the brakes aren't retracting enough. Its a used car i just purchased from an individual and it didnt do it when I bought it, but i also noticed he didn't use his emergency brake. Would it be possibly that some kind of retracting spring isnt pulling the emergency brake away?

I also saw online where it mentioned lubing the u-joints, ball joints, etc. I don't know if any of these parts would be moving parts that need to be lubed... wheel bearings? I'm just speculating. I might open up and inspect the drum brakes tomorrow to see what I can see. *shrug*

1/24/2009 9:45:46 PM

Saw this online:

Quote :

"Worn wheel bearings usually rumble instead of squeaking. (I've never heard of a wheel bearing squeaking, and I think the reason why is that the bearings and the hub are simply too heavy to vibrate fast enough to produce a high-pitched noise). Yes, a bent backing plate/dust shield CAN cause this..and it WILL stop when the brakes are applied..and if turning in the right direction..had this exact problem with a 1993 Ford Escort. "

[Edited on January 24, 2009 at 9:57 PM. Reason : I'll be checking the brakes just to make sure its not low brakes or something with calipers. IDK.]

1/24/2009 9:51:04 PM

did you get a prepurchase inspection before you bought it?

1/25/2009 8:37:12 AM

you have a pebble stuck between the caliper and the rotor.

1/25/2009 8:44:20 AM

without knowing what the fuck kind of car it is, i'm gonna guess that is loose wheel spokes on your 1924 duesenberg

1/25/2009 10:03:49 AM

I came in here to help but don't know what we are working on?

1/25/2009 10:09:50 AM

Sorry. It's a 99 Ford Explorer 2WD. And no... I didn't get it pre-inspected. I drove it and it drove alright, and it was a good price (one I could even spend a little money on work and it be a good price). I gambled and hope it doesn't bite me in the ass. We'll see. It may be a lesson learned. If nothing else, I'll get a chance to learn some shit trying to work on it myself

On a possibly related sidenote, it seems odd that there is absolutely no give to the emergency brake pedal. You push it down and maybe get an inch on it and thats about it. I havent had a pedal activated emergency brake in a while. Is this normal or should I be able to push the pedal in a little more than this? I was wondering if maybe the brakes are rubbing up against the rotors (I get the impression all are disc brakes, but this is just looking up parts info for the car, I'm still learning about it).

Also, Anyone have some jack stands, or are they expensive to borrow/rent? I was thinking about jacking it up and giving it a look, taking the wheels off and inspecting the brakes. I guess I could do that one at a time, but I figured if I were going to rotate the tires, might need some, unless its important enough to balance them when I get them rotated.

[Edited on January 25, 2009 at 11:40 AM. Reason : minght go to harbor freight for that last part]

1/25/2009 11:29:45 AM

your first mistake is that you bought a 10 year old explorer

there is nothing specific in the 17 safety recalls or 136 tsbs, but more than likely the tiny spring clip that holds the shoe on has rusted off and the parking brake is just dragging on the inside of the rear rotor

1/25/2009 11:45:00 AM

^ Yeah, I figured it was something like that. I'll check it out and update once I get the chance to look at it.

And as far as buying the car... I know its probably not the most reliable of vehicles, but I didn't pay very much at all for it, and I liked the way it drove and felt... there are just a few things I want to take car of, give it a general inspection. Like I said, it may be a lesson learned.

1/25/2009 12:03:29 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdiXSsFp29s

1/25/2009 12:18:43 PM

^ I KNEW IT! Good find

In other news, I ran a diagnostics test on the non-working cruise control and I was informed that the Brake Deactivation Switch (or Speed Control Deactivation Switch) was open or the circuit was bad. This is the part that had gone bad on all the Fords that got recalled, so I may be able to have it fixed for free. And if not, the part is only $21. Hopefully this will fix the problem and that few undred knocked off because the CC didn't work will be a bonus.

1/25/2009 12:45:39 PM

^ ever think maybe they unhooked the cruise control so that the truck would not catch on fire?

hmmm

or was that F150's?

1/25/2009 1:11:51 PM

might as well have all 17 recalls taken care of while its there

1/25/2009 1:20:48 PM

^^^ haha i debated posting it, but it was the very first thing that popped into my head while reading the first post.

1/25/2009 3:50:31 PM

Thats what I was thinking, calling into the dealership tomorrow (can it be any Ford dealership?) and asking them to take care of all the recalls that apply. I also just went to Harbor freight and bought some jack stands and a jack so I could dick with the brakes a little bit. I need to find a level area to work on though since my driveway is slanted.

1/25/2009 4:07:12 PM

Also, I just checked and the guy had the tires WAY overinflated (assuming the door sticker psi recommendation of 30 psi is correct). The rear tires (the older ones) are almost bald in the middle and have plenty of tread on the outside.

Oh, and I looked under the hood. The Speed Control Deactivation Switch was unplugged and taped over with electrical tape, probably happened during the initial stages of the recall when the dealer was supposed to "disconnect" the part until they got replacement parts in. I hope I can get a replacement part for free.

1/25/2009 5:07:42 PM