Doug Menkhaus
Member
HI, newbie here, found your site EXCELLENT! I apologize in advance if I should've posted somewhere else, but it looks as though this site is the most informative
, and, just saw that the last Sporttrac was produced last month! :cry: I did not know the Ford had decided to end the run...sad..
So, quickly, my story. We bought our 2002 Sport Trac from a local dealer in early '03 ("last one on the lot") and have loved it ever since. I originally drove it a lot for work, 90% highway miles, long runs, from Cincinnati to Detroit. Later, in 2006, we bought a smaller car, as I was really racking up the miles, and I wanter better MPG. I kept the ST though, as I have a 1922 Ford Model T that needs to be towed around periodically, and the econo-box doesn't do well in the snow, so we kept the ST. Now, I have ~90,000 miles on it. There have been times over the past few years that I have not driven the ST for upwards of a month, but it has always started right up, (It still has the original battery in it!) and taken me where I had to go. I have regualr maintainence done on it, and fix what I can (brakes, etc) when needed. The only thing I've ever had to do is replace the transmission cooler lines to the radiator as they rusted out up in front.
Drove the car last week. Now, when I first start up the car, and back it down my slightly inclined driveway, the rear brakes are 'touchy'. They tend to grab easily, for the first mile or so. I attributed that rust buildup on the rear brakes, since the car can sit for a while at times. Last week however, the rear brakes were super grabby, as they actually seemed to lock up when backing out of my driveway. I thought, "WOW, really really touchy today". Few quick brake jab on the way down, and it seemed better.
Just a few hundred feet up my street though, I have this horrible grinding noise, like bare metal-to-metal grinding, like the brake are totally gone. Problem is, the noise doesn't change at all when applying the brakes? It is definitly a rotational issue, as it doesn't happen when the car is not moving. Turned around went home, got the other car.
I began to surmise the problem might be in the rear brakes, as I haven't had them apart in years, and the fact they were super touchy is an indication right? (but why didn't the noise change when I applied the brakes?) I decided to get it up on jacks this weekend and see.
I replaced the rear shoes with new, and cleaned everything out, but didn't notice anything that would tell me they were bad. The touchiness was gone, but after a short test drive, the metal-to-metal grinding was still present. Darn.
I'm ruling out front brakes (though I can still check it out) as the noise doesn't change at all when braking, and I would think Front disk brakes would defintily change when applied.
I've seen other websites that talk about rear axles ring anf pinion, wheel bearings, etc. It "SEEMS" to come from the front, but I can't tell. 4 wheel drive still works.
Thoughts? (Again, I apologize if I'm on the wrong site. This is a definite metal to metal scraping noise, that seems to start above 5 mph, and gets worse as I go. I haven't driven more than 2 miles since it started, and it started very suddenly. Thanks again,
Doogie
, and, just saw that the last Sporttrac was produced last month! :cry: I did not know the Ford had decided to end the run...sad..
So, quickly, my story. We bought our 2002 Sport Trac from a local dealer in early '03 ("last one on the lot") and have loved it ever since. I originally drove it a lot for work, 90% highway miles, long runs, from Cincinnati to Detroit. Later, in 2006, we bought a smaller car, as I was really racking up the miles, and I wanter better MPG. I kept the ST though, as I have a 1922 Ford Model T that needs to be towed around periodically, and the econo-box doesn't do well in the snow, so we kept the ST. Now, I have ~90,000 miles on it. There have been times over the past few years that I have not driven the ST for upwards of a month, but it has always started right up, (It still has the original battery in it!) and taken me where I had to go. I have regualr maintainence done on it, and fix what I can (brakes, etc) when needed. The only thing I've ever had to do is replace the transmission cooler lines to the radiator as they rusted out up in front.
Drove the car last week. Now, when I first start up the car, and back it down my slightly inclined driveway, the rear brakes are 'touchy'. They tend to grab easily, for the first mile or so. I attributed that rust buildup on the rear brakes, since the car can sit for a while at times. Last week however, the rear brakes were super grabby, as they actually seemed to lock up when backing out of my driveway. I thought, "WOW, really really touchy today". Few quick brake jab on the way down, and it seemed better.
Just a few hundred feet up my street though, I have this horrible grinding noise, like bare metal-to-metal grinding, like the brake are totally gone. Problem is, the noise doesn't change at all when applying the brakes? It is definitly a rotational issue, as it doesn't happen when the car is not moving. Turned around went home, got the other car.
I began to surmise the problem might be in the rear brakes, as I haven't had them apart in years, and the fact they were super touchy is an indication right? (but why didn't the noise change when I applied the brakes?) I decided to get it up on jacks this weekend and see.
I replaced the rear shoes with new, and cleaned everything out, but didn't notice anything that would tell me they were bad. The touchiness was gone, but after a short test drive, the metal-to-metal grinding was still present. Darn.
I'm ruling out front brakes (though I can still check it out) as the noise doesn't change at all when braking, and I would think Front disk brakes would defintily change when applied.
I've seen other websites that talk about rear axles ring anf pinion, wheel bearings, etc. It "SEEMS" to come from the front, but I can't tell. 4 wheel drive still works.
Thoughts? (Again, I apologize if I'm on the wrong site. This is a definite metal to metal scraping noise, that seems to start above 5 mph, and gets worse as I go. I haven't driven more than 2 miles since it started, and it started very suddenly. Thanks again,
Doogie