Our 2007 Ford Freestar failed inspection...needed new pads and rotors all around. I did the front wheels today, and drove around town a bit this evening running some errands. At first, everything seemed fine, but after a few miles, a slight clicking sound started coming from the right front wheel. It was barely discernible at first, with the passenger side window down I could only hear the sound reflecting off of parked cars. I noticed a very slight pulse in the brake pedal as well.
I drove another mile or so to make another stop, and then headed towards home. The clicking sound got louder, and the pulse in the pedal became more noticeable. By the time I was a half-mile from home (less than fifteen miles driven total), it was clicking so loud (one click per revolution of the wheel) that it was echoing off of buildings, and when pressing the brake I could clearly feel that the pulsing exactly matched each click.
It was dark when I got home, so I just parked the van, resigned to the fact that my day tomorrow is shot. A few minutes ago, I went out with a flashlight to look around a bit. I don't think there is a thing wrong with the brakes. I can see the whole front side of the rotor through the wheel, and it looks brand new. I stuck my hand through and felt the back side, and it's still completely smooth. When I looked at the inside from the front of the van, though, I saw the mess. There's black oil and/or grease all over the brake lines and control arm, and from that quick look, it seems to be coming from the CV axle. I'm starting to think my whole weekend might be shot...
Tomorrow AM I'll take the wheel off to get a better look and take some pictures. Until then, any armchair mechanics want to offer up some hypotheses? My best guess is that either I somehow f'ed up and broke something or that a handful of light hammer blows to break the rotor free pushed a part that was getting ready to go to up and die over just a few miles (I'd prefer this to a frackup, but it seems unlikely). Any guesses on how extensive/difficult the job is likely to be?
Money is tight, so I'm either doing this work myself or parking the van until the motivation to drive outweighs the motivation to not draw down our savings. I'm not a gearhead at all, but I'm handy, have a shitload of tools, and I'd rather blow a weekend than a few hundred bucks on labor. I've gone as far as a timing belt/water pump replacement on a Subaru Outback and an intake manifold gasket replacement on a Chevy Malibu using Haynes manuals and a mix of common sense and experience. I also have a few people I can call for advice/insights tomorrow if need be, but I'll be doing all of the actual work myself.
Thoughts? Hypotheses?
I drove another mile or so to make another stop, and then headed towards home. The clicking sound got louder, and the pulse in the pedal became more noticeable. By the time I was a half-mile from home (less than fifteen miles driven total), it was clicking so loud (one click per revolution of the wheel) that it was echoing off of buildings, and when pressing the brake I could clearly feel that the pulsing exactly matched each click.
It was dark when I got home, so I just parked the van, resigned to the fact that my day tomorrow is shot. A few minutes ago, I went out with a flashlight to look around a bit. I don't think there is a thing wrong with the brakes. I can see the whole front side of the rotor through the wheel, and it looks brand new. I stuck my hand through and felt the back side, and it's still completely smooth. When I looked at the inside from the front of the van, though, I saw the mess. There's black oil and/or grease all over the brake lines and control arm, and from that quick look, it seems to be coming from the CV axle. I'm starting to think my whole weekend might be shot...
Tomorrow AM I'll take the wheel off to get a better look and take some pictures. Until then, any armchair mechanics want to offer up some hypotheses? My best guess is that either I somehow f'ed up and broke something or that a handful of light hammer blows to break the rotor free pushed a part that was getting ready to go to up and die over just a few miles (I'd prefer this to a frackup, but it seems unlikely). Any guesses on how extensive/difficult the job is likely to be?
Money is tight, so I'm either doing this work myself or parking the van until the motivation to drive outweighs the motivation to not draw down our savings. I'm not a gearhead at all, but I'm handy, have a shitload of tools, and I'd rather blow a weekend than a few hundred bucks on labor. I've gone as far as a timing belt/water pump replacement on a Subaru Outback and an intake manifold gasket replacement on a Chevy Malibu using Haynes manuals and a mix of common sense and experience. I also have a few people I can call for advice/insights tomorrow if need be, but I'll be doing all of the actual work myself.
Thoughts? Hypotheses?
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