Hi i have a 1997 4x4 f 150 when I brake I get a clunking noise and a pulse in the brake pedal. It usually only occurs when I use firm braking pressure at 45mph+ . I replaced the pads and greased the caliper pins while I was down there. Everything looked good but it still made the noise. I took it into a shop and the guy said it was a bad lower ball joint. I did three last year and this one went out now. So I pressed a new lower ball joint in the passenger side and the wheel felt tight and solid but it's still making the noise, I unplugged the abs sensors and it still made the clunking noise. The rotors aren't dead flat but but the noise and feel seems to be too extreme to be caused by a slightly wrapped rotor. Any input would be Mich appreciated. Thanks

 

That's weird. Sounds like you ended up trying out everything. I have a 01 screw and it was doing the same things. When I decided to put a new tire/rim setup I ended up switching out a lot of the braking components. Switching from old (didn't seem bad at all) pads/calipers to seramic calipers and the standard pads (Amazon had a deal for fronts and rears: pads and calipers) seemed to fix it for me!

 

And by the way mine usually did it when I was slowly on the brakes coming to a stop/if I had to press hard on the brakes to stop quick.

 

Check your upper ball joints/ control arm bushings then check your tie rod ends.

 

Check to make sure you aren't missing a caliper bolt. And if you didn't use any locktite on them, I would make sure to get some on there.

 

Hi thanks for the replies everyone! I think I may end up replacing the rotors just for giggles. Like I said they're not in the best of shape. The upper ball joints, control arms and control arm bushings are all new last year and in very good shape. When I jack my truck up and wiggle the tires back & forth and Up & down the tires are tight and have no play. When I replaced my pads, I did not use lock tight on the caliper bolts but they are in tight (I'll have to remember to do that next time). one thing I noticed while I was down there, was that the dust boots on my passenger side caliper were cracked and worn. Possible cause of caliper failure??? However I think the problem is in the rotor(s) (my best guess) because of the staccato rhythm of the clunks??? Thanks again. Let me know if my thinking is off.

 

Nolan he meant caliper bracket bolts. You have to look right at the backside of the hub. Those are the huge bolts at about 130-150 lbs of torque. There's a known problem with those bolts, your suppose replace with new once removed. That's because they loosen and fall completely out if you don't or if you don't clean and re-apply LT Quickstix Blue. Yea, not those small caliper bolts, the larger bracket bolts. Not saying that's the problem, but it could be...check them. You don't want the assembly to wrap into the wheel if both or right one falls out...trust me $$$$.

 

Hi Jbrew, while I did put caliper bracket bolts in quite tight I guess I didn't realize that they required so much torque. I will definitely have to take those out and apply some lock tight and re torque them soon. However when the problem first showed up I went down there right away to replace the pads and inspect everything else and neither the caliper bracket bolts or the caliper bolts were at all loose.

 

Well, that's one possibility put to rest. Pretty sure Torque is 136 ' lbs. Hang on I'll look.....Yea, Brake Caliper Anchor Plate 136 lb ft.

A little pick of the bolts, -



Click on the image twice for a Monster pic lol.

 

One thing I noticed but forgot to mention is that every time I hear the clunk in the front end I feel a jerk in the brake pedal then it softens slightly.