Something's Not Right. Lot's of Heat and Shaking

[hEaT]

This problem started this weekend where I would get a shaking in the wheel at speeds over 50 or 60mph. Under acceleration (onto an on-ramp or even passing on the highway) the shaking goes away. Under coasting it comes back and it's worse under decel. As the car goes slower, it goes away. The car itself doesn't shake, it's the steering wheel that's having a seizure. The problem does not get any worse or better with the application of the brakes, gentle or hard. I checked wheel lug torque, the fronts were a bit loose for my liking, but I torqued them back to spec and the vibration still exists.

I also noticed a burning smell when I would come to a stop and figured this was just the new header burning in (ceramic coated), but under further inspection the LF brakes are HOT. The wheel (17" EAP) is very hot to the touch around the center. The RF is warm, but I'd say normal. The burning reminded me almost of a plastic burning smell, but I'm guessing it's brakes. There is no smell coming from the RF, but you can definitely smell it from the LF when you put your face down there. I don't see any discoloration or cracking on the rotor itself, but it is definitely hot.

I'm guessing these two problems are related since they both started happening around the same time. The car doesn't pull at all while driven and brakes perfectly straight even under hard application without my hands on the wheel. It sounds like a dragging caliper...but the car brakes normally. There are no weird noises or anything either. I'm stuck?

[reldridge]

Sounds like a wheel bearing about to die. It's heating up and causing warpage and out of balance condition at certain speeds since it's so hard to turn. It will also sound like a brake dragging. I'd get it checked out/replaced ASAP, rather than seizing and snapping off... (worst case scenario )

Ryan

[hEaT]

Would the wheel bearing make any sort of noises if it was going?

[reldridge]

Originally Posted by hEaT

Would the wheel bearing make any sort of noises if it was going?

Yep... Usually starts as a hum (often confused with tire noise) and then gets more to a 'scraping' noise as it gets worse (a little metal-on-metal action )

Ryan

[hEaT]

I did notice a hum...thought it was tire noise. Maybe it wasn't, but when I did my tie-rod ends (about a month ago and I had already been hearing the noise for a while), I checked the wheel bearing for play and there was none. I'll check it again today if the weather clears up. I haven't heard the hum for a while and I don't drive the roads anymore where I was hearing it before so I thought it was road/tire noise.

[reldridge]

I'd give it a look see. It won't have 'play' so to speak like a ball joint does... Get the tire off the ground, put car in neutral, and spin the tire/wheel. If you hear a 'scraping' noise (almost like a swish-swish-swish as it goes round), you've found it.

Just make sure your brake pads aren't touching slightly, as they could make the same sound (and another problems. Frozen sliders maybe?).

I'd jack up both sides and compare the sounds and the amount of muscle needed to turn the wheels.

[hEaT]

Sounds good, will do.

Hopefully it's something like a stuck slider which I should be able to R&R myself. Hell, even a new caliper is cheaper and while I have the brakes off...wouldn't be a bad time for new pads and rotors. The DS caliper is VERY hot after driving as well. I didn't really use my brakes on the way home today and I could touch the PS no problem. I put some water on my fingers and dabbed it on the DS and watched it evaporate quite quickly.

[hEaT]

DS caliper is dragging.

No play in either side, but the wheel is very difficult to turn on the driver's side. You can hear/see the pads dragging and the wheel stops turning shortly after I let go. The PS will turn quite a few revolutions after I let go.

[reldridge]

Pads are dragging on both sides of rotor? Sounds like a bad caliper to me... You could try rebuilding it yourself, but I'd just buy a rebuilt one at NAPA/AZ/AAP and call it a day. While you have it up there, sounds like a good time to paint the calipers, and do a full brake fluid flush!

[brads03zx3]

Check everything up there. Could be a ball joint.

[gizmo88]

Seized caliper. Is it a common problem with foci?

[reldridge]

Originally Posted by gizmo88

Seized caliper. Is it a common problem with foci?

Not that I've seen or heard... Could be just a one-off anomaly (moisture got behind a seal or something).

[hEaT]

Well, it definitely seems like the brakes. I replaced the pads and the DS inner pad had separated from the backing plate. The shaking is now gone with the new pads, but the caliper is still dragging because I still have the excess heat and brake smell on that side. I was unable to turn the rotor by grabbing the lug nuts, but when the caliper was removed it was cake.

[reldridge]

How easily did the caliper piston go back into the bore? Did it at all? Sounds like it's not releasing properly...

Ryan

[Todd TCE]

Cheap wheel centering rings if the shaking is constant regardless of brake pressure.

Pad build up if it's under very light pedal pressure.

Bearings should be both felt with the wheel off the ground by holding and rocking at 12/6 or you may feel/hear it more in a low speed constant turn at near full lock.

[hEaT]

I swapped on a caliper from Ray's old ZX3 and the problem is gone. No heat/shaking/etc. I couldn't test the line first which I wanted to do because the bleeder valve on the old caliper snapped like a twig when I tried to loosen it. What a piece of ****.

Originally Posted by reldridge

How easily did the caliper piston go back into the bore? Did it at all? Sounds like it's not releasing properly...

Ryan

The same as the passenger side. I had to use a c-clamp for both of them, but no unreasonable force.

Originally Posted by Todd TCE

Cheap wheel centering rings if the shaking is constant regardless of brake pressure.

I'm running the SVT EAP wheels with the correct size center bore and no spacers so no centering rings are needed.

Originally Posted by Todd TCE

Pad build up if it's under very light pedal pressure.

It shook very slightly on-throttle, very bad off throttle and at all levels of brake pressure.

Originally Posted by =Todd TCE

Bearings should be both felt with the wheel off the ground by holding and rocking at 12/6 or you may feel/hear it more in a low speed constant turn at near full lock.

No play on either side when rocking at the 12/6 position and no noises turning at any speed/wheel position.

Thanks for the input guys, but the problem seems to have just been that bum caliper. I'm going to pull it apart later today (never had one apart, kinda of curious) and see if I can spot any problem sources.

[reldridge]

Good work!

I had caliper issues with my old Escort GT, so I've seen some of these symptoms before. Glad you got it fixed!

Ryan

[hEaT]

The caliper is definitely shot. I added compressed air to it to pop out the piston...and I was using quite a bit of pressure and I stopped increasing it so I didn't kill myself. I read 10-15psi should do it. I was well over that and it wasn't moving. In the trash it goes. I saved the plastic caps and slide pins.