squeaking/binding brakes after lots of braking (steep hill descent)

shovenose

Original poster
Member
Apr 24, 2016
318
SF Bay Area, CA
Brakes were perfect before this. I drove down a really steep hill (about one to two mins from top to bottom) and then I was getting squeaking whenever I wasn't braking. It did it the whole way home, and while it was hard to tell which side it was on I felt the wheels when I got home and the front drivers wheel seemed quite warm. What would cause the brakes to stick after being heavily used for a short period of time? I have driven down (other less steep) hills with this vehicle before and never had the issue. Thanks for any ideas!
 

Wooluf1952

Member
Nov 20, 2011
2,663
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
How many miles on the pads? You may have just reached the end of their life.
 

shovenose

Original poster
Member
Apr 24, 2016
318
SF Bay Area, CA
How many miles on the pads? You may have just reached the end of their life.

unfortunately i don't know - just got the vehicle. i would expect the opposite if pads were worn - squeak when braking. in my case i only had squeak when not braking. thanks!
 

Wooluf1952

Member
Nov 20, 2011
2,663
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Others will jump in, but, the only other thing I can think of that would be a constant noise, is the bearing. :undecided:
 

AtlWrk

Member
Dec 6, 2011
674
I know it seems backwards that the scraping noise goes away while braking but it does still point to worn pads. Unlike older systems where the pads back off the rotor completely when you're not braking, our electronic brake control module (ECBM) applies just enough pressure to keep the pad against rotor so that it can be applied in an instant. If your pad is worn this also means the scraper is kissing the rotor causing the squeaking.

Regardless, brake noise definitely warrants taking off the wheel and having a look. :thumbsup:
 

gpking

Member
Dec 27, 2013
534
Berkeley Springs, WV
If it sounds like this:
(The rattling sound is a shot rear endlink)
That scraping is the sound of the rotor rubbing on something. It starts after heavy braking, and temporarily goes away when the brakes are applied.
It occurs after the rotor heats up and expands ever so slightly enough to rub on something, like a bent dust shield or abutment clip.

I thought my brakes were sticking, but it was just a combination of rust buildup on the outer edge of one rotor scraping the abutment clip, as well as a different rotor scraping the dust shield.
I took a grinder and got the rust off, then sawed off all four dust shields for good measure, hasn't happened since.
 
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shovenose

Original poster
Member
Apr 24, 2016
318
SF Bay Area, CA
Yeah, that's pretty simliar to the noise I heard. Unfortunately it has not done it since so I couldn't troubleshoot the issue. I will be driving in that same place maytbe once a month so next time I do it, I'll pay more attention, and then pull over and look underneath the truck to see if anything is rubbing on the rotor. I mean, I'm happy it fixed itself, but I don't think it's truly "fixed"... I do have an occasional clunking over bumps so next time I bring it in for an oil change if I haven't had the issue since I'll ask them to check if anything is loose or rubbing.
 

murdog

Member
May 20, 2016
30
Duluth MN
The clunk is either the sway bar end links or lower control arm bushings. As to the squeak that could very well be the caliper sliders binding up some as well and putting just a tiny bit more pressure than spec. Either way pulling tires and giving your brakes a good once over never hurts when you buy something used.
 

Realism

Member
Nov 25, 2015
179
Idaho
Brakes were perfect before this. I drove down a really steep hill (about one to two mins from top to bottom) and then I was getting squeaking whenever I wasn't braking. . . when I got home and the front drivers wheel seemed quite warm.

1-2 minutes of a really steep hill. Were you riding your brakes all the way down? Do your rotors show any glazing? Old city I used to live in, Spokane, had a long slope road on the south end. Made for scary driving in winter, but I do recall way back when, coming down it in an Accord a number of times and had the same issue after getting to the bottom. Heated my pads up too much and the expanded metals made it sound like I was trying to wake the dead. Noise went away once they cooled. Rotors so shiny you could use it as a mirror to shave. Learned to use combination of low gear and intermittent brake pressure to avoid excess heat.
 

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