Brake smell?

[blksn8k]

I have been noticing a smell like hot brakes on my 07 ST. I have checked the obvious like making sure the E-brake is not on. It seems to be coming from the front. I remember asking the salesman when I brought it home if he noticed it since I had him follow me from the dealership and he said "They all do that". I didn't think much of it since it was brand new but now that it has about 1600 miles I would think all those break-in smells would be gone. Anyone else notice anything like this on their 07? :unsure:

 

[Scott Doughtie]

I sure have. Especially in the heavy traffic here in Atlanta. I also think I may need to have my rears adjusted or the bearings checked out. I have noticed a squeal from the real in the last week is slow traffic as well.

 

[A1cntrler]

I thought there was something wrong with mine because it smelled for so long after my Magnaflow install... It eventually started to not smell though..

 

[Tom Schindler]

blksn8k,



Where did you buy your Trac? If you are positive it is the brakes and your dealer is giving you the run around, I can get you into the dealer I deal with. They get the stuff done right the first time.





Tom

 

[blksn8k]

I have not gone back to the dealer yet. I do not feel anything unusual that might indicate a brake hangup. I did notice a similar odor before the Magnaflow install but it is a lot worse now. I will wait a little longer to be sure it is not just the exhaust. I did see in the Magnflow instructions that they mentioned there would be an odor. The original system had some tape or stickers of some sort on the tailpipe that could have been causing an odor as well I suppose. I have not driven it any distance since the exhaust install so it is very likely that it has not been hot enough for any length of time to burn off much of the oil residues. I see a road trip coming...

 

[Richard L]

If you are actually smelling your brakes, it would mean they are very hot. To check and see if it is the brakes, check your wheels and see if they are hot. When brakes get hot enough to smell, they will radiate a tremendous amount of heat. Hot enough to boil watter on your rims and much too hot to touch.



Hot brakes can be a symptom of a sticking caliper or caliper slides. If you have been driving on a freeway and coasted to a stop without using a lot of brakes, then you should not have excessive heat in your brakes. If you do, you can suspect that one or both front calipers may be sticking. That will wear you front brake pads unevenly and dramatically reduce brake life. The excessive heat will also warp rotors.



I drove down a mountain in the Germany alps (Hitler's retreat in Berchasgarten) and when I got to the bottom and stopped for gas I could smell the brakes and the front wheels were so hot that I spit on the rim and it sizzled. There were no immediate ill effects but several months latter I started to notice the pulsing in the pedal indicating warped rotors.



...Rich

 

[Johnny O]

New vehicles have assorted strange smells until they're driven for a while.

 

[blksn8k]

Thanks for the replies. I did check the wheels a few days ago when I first noticed the odor. The fronts were warm but not unusually so. I had a 1980 Bronco that had some strange calipers with resin pistons that would stick after getting wet as in driving through deep water. The first time you touched the brakes after that they would not release and things would get a little toasty. With the experiences I have had over the years with some of Ford's brake systems I guess I am just a bit gun shy.

 

[Alan Peters]

I second JohnnyO. I smelled a bunch of strange things until I hit 10K miles.

 

[blksn8k]

I used to drive by a sewage treatment plant everyday. Now those were some really strange smells, especially on foggy days. :blink:

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.