1995 Ford Ranger Intermittent squeaking

Tiny
JDR48
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 FORD RANGER
Noises problem
1995 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 147k miles

Hi I have a 1995 ford ranger 3.0L V6 2wd. The other day I noticed an intermittent rather loud and annoying squeaking when I brake, it doesn't seem to be associated with anything in particular. It happens at high speeds, at low speeds, with hard braking, it appears to occur at random. Yesterday as I drove through a parking garage I noticed a very quiet squeak that sounds exactly like the one that I hear when I brake. I can hear it if there is minimal road noise and a wall that it can echo off of. I jacked up the front wheels today, spun them and didn't hear anything, applied some of the stuff to quiet squeaky brakes to no avail. So I took apart the drums and replaced the shoes and hardware since it needed to be done anyway. Hoping that would solve my. The squeaking isn't a constant noise but rather a squeak-squeak-squeak that varies in frequency according to wheel speed. I'm stumped! Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Monday, November 1st, 2010 AT 7:46 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,755 POSTS
If the rear are new and the fronts are good, have you checked wheel bearings? Also, have you checked the front brake pad sensors?
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Monday, November 1st, 2010 AT 8:00 PM
Tiny
JDR48
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The front pads and rotors are about 2 weeks old. What's the best way to check wheel bearings? I thought bearings made more of a rumbling noise while driving?
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Monday, November 1st, 2010 AT 8:02 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Does the sound change when you make turns? Also, if you lift the wheels off the ground, is there any play in / out / up / down?
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Monday, November 1st, 2010 AT 8:26 PM
Tiny
JDR48
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It doesn't seem to change at all when I turn. When I had it up on jacks today it didn't seem to have any play, but I'm not 100% sure, I'll have to double check it.
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Monday, November 1st, 2010 AT 8:31 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Let me know what you find. It could be a bearing going bad but still not have any noticeable play in it.
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Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 AT 7:13 AM
Tiny
JDR48
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I'm taking it in to the guy who replaced the fronts because I'm stumped and given up lol. I'll let you know what he finds.
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Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 AT 12:37 PM
Tiny
JDR48
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I took it to the guy who had replaced the rotors and pads, he went through it and checked the rotors, pads, and calipers and found no problems, even tried adjusting the backing plates a bit to ensure that wasn't rubbing and causing the noise. He checked the bearings and saw no issues. So I took it to the shop that re-geared the differential for me since I went to much larger wheels, they listened to it with me and said that's not the kind of sound a dif. Would make and suggested maybe it was the U-bolts or the hanger bearing. They went through and said the U-bolts were good and the hanger bearing was no good, so they changed that out for $40. That still didn't solve the problem so they looked at the drums and suggested they be resurfaced. I didn't have the time to drop the truck off and since the drums on there were original parts with 147, xxx miles on them I picked up new ones on my way home and swapped them out with no effect on the noise. So I've submitted to the possibility that I'm just going to have squeaky brakes for a while. So I'm hoping that with time and some miles they'll work through whatever is causing the noise. Thank you for your suggestions! I'm done driving myself crazy trying to hunt down this mysterious noise! Lol
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Thursday, November 4th, 2010 AT 6:12 PM

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