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2009 Escape Brakes Dragging

23K views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  R.S.LOGAN 
#1 ·
2009 Ford Escape, V6, 105K Miles

Started experiencing the brakes dragging on the front passenger side. After 20 mins of city driving, droaning noise, and smoking caliper. I inspected the caliper, and couldn't push in the caliper piston. Figuring the caliper was just frozen, I purchased a new (rebuilt) caliper, and decided to do the pads and rotors while I'm in there. After bleeding the brakes, the problem seemed fixed.

Then it started happening again. I thought a wheel bearing was going because of the persistent noise, but it seems to be brake related. Brake drag seems to happen after about 20 mins of city driving, or after the brakes have seen some use. It gets so bad, that the car won't creep forward while idling. Car is now sitting until I figure out what's wrong or I take it to a shop.

Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
You mention a persistent noise. What does it sound like? Is it a whine, growl or grind? Does the sound change with vehicle speed?

The three things that I can think of is a sticking/binding caliper, brake hose or a wheel bearing.

I would have never suspected a brake hose in the past but it was proven to me not long ago that they can cause a brake to bind. The inside of a hose can deteriorate over time, still allowing brake pressure to pass, but block up not letting it release. Setting for awhile it will bleed back off.
 
#4 ·
The noise sounds like a small groan, and more of a "whoom-whoom-whoom" once the car speeds up.
I took the car to a shop, told them the symptoms, and asked them to check the brakes and wheel bearing. They didn't think it was a bearing, and the brakes weren't acting up. <GROAN>

When the brakes aren't dragging, and if I step on the brakes hard, there's a creaking sound from the master cylinder & booster area once the pedal returns. The car will stay put, and eventually lurch forward once the creaking subsides.

So now I'm planning to replace the front brake hoses - $10 each at Rockauto! I don't want to keep throwing money at parts, but should I be concerned about the MC & BB?
 
#6 ·
" They didn't think it was a bearing, and the brakes weren't acting up. <GROAN> "

What did they suggest the noise was then ?

Did they road test car and hear the noise ? If they just checked for wear / play at bearing it wont work .A bearing can be noisy without showing play at wheel.
 
#7 ·
I spent some time swapping the front passenger side brake hose. It seems some fluid was trapped it there, because once I cut it in half, a lot spilled out. I plan to slice it lengthwise and look for separation. So far I'm guessing there might be corrosion on the fittings clogging it???

Once replaced, and bled, the brakes seem fine again. I drove around for about 15 minutes, and checked each rotor with a temp gun. The both seemed equal, and nothing over 215 degrees. I'll road test it over the next several days.

Oh yeah, the noise I thought was wheel bearing is less pronounced, but still an issue. In fact I found thick grease around the hub nut and center of the rotor. Wheel bearing grease, right?
 

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#12 ·
I spent some time swapping the front passenger side brake hose. It seems some fluid was trapped it there, because once I cut it in half, a lot spilled out. I plan to slice it lengthwise and look for separation. So far I'm guessing there might be corrosion on the fittings clogging it???

Once replaced, and bled, the brakes seem fine again. I drove around for about 15 minutes, and checked each rotor with a temp gun. The both seemed equal, and nothing over 215 degrees. I'll road test it over the next several days.

Oh yeah, the noise I thought was wheel bearing is less pronounced, but still an issue. In fact I found thick grease around the hub nut and center of the rotor. Wheel bearing grease, right?
I’m having the same thing with my 2010. So did it end up being the brake hoses. I can be at a red light and let off my brakes and the escape won’t roll and as the front driverside pads let up after a couple seconds I get that groaning sound.
 
#10 ·
+1 for a bad wheel bearing! I got the bearing replaced, which is tons of fun without a shop press. I ended up buying a new spindle as well ($43 Duralast) because I couldn't get the race off the old spindle. I don't know how much it helps, but freezing the bearing makes it shrink a microscopic amount, and easier to force into the hub. I then froze the new spindle, and was able to get that in easily as well.

The car no longer creaks and lurches forward a moment after releasing the brake pedal. Noises are gone, except for a small whoom-whoom-whoom sound when braking. I'm guessing I warped my new rotor slightly with the second overheating. I still haven't gotten around to checking the old brake hose to see how blocked it was. I also need to replace the driver's side hose so this doesn't happen again.

I used a BrakeBest caliper from O'Reily Auto Parts, which I thought was painted. It's now a wonderful shade of brown rust, unlike my stock driver's side caliper. Lovely.

So after 100K miles, never doing a brake fluid flush, and living in salt covered winter roads in the midwest, my brake hose was acting as a check valve, or completely blocked. That caused the caliper to fail, burn the pads and the rotor, and ruin the wheel bearing. In all, I needed new hoses, a caliper, a spindle, a wheel bearing, and opted for new pads and rotors. BTW, if you try explaining this to anyone who is not mechanically-savy, they look at you like you just explained Einstein's Theory of General Relativity.
 
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