Help diagnosing BRAKE problem

So about 2 months (maybe?) ago I started getting a "clank" sound from my front left wheel area. It began just after installing some 1.25" Wheelspacers from JTs diffs. I left the spacers on for a couple weeks, but then decided to remove them due to the clanking. Well problem is, the clanking never stopped after their removal. It continues to this day, whenever I get up to at leaste 10 mph and apply the brakes, they start to engage and then, "clank". like something is shifting down there.

I did get under there at one point to see if I could diagnose the issue, what i found was that when I press up on the pads? (the black things in the caliper) it would recreate the sound pretty much to the T, maybe a bit quieter since I wasnt applying 4500 lbs of force. The pad was loose enough to shift a few millimeters and "clank" on something, maybe the rotor?

Well I had attributed it to that and let it be for a while, because the brake pad wasnt falling off, and i figured i would be ok.

Sometimes it doesnt even do it, and sometimes it does it everytime i hit the brakes.

Also, To make matters worse, now when I am rolling to a stop, I get almost a rattle? but i cant really tell if its a rattle, or something scraping? or what, but its definatly a weird sound, and basically, the whole thing is disconcerting, especially after seeing how short our studs are.


If you have any info that can possibly help me diagnose and or fix this, please help.

Thanks

 

Your rotor might be warped.

When you were inspecting the brakes - did you rotate the rotor around to notice any back-forth movement of the pads (because the rotor is chaning position)? I had a similar problem on my jeep. My rotors were badly warped and I'd get clicking sounds everytime I pressed on 'em.


Wheels spacers can cause all sorts of weird problems - including brakes & bearing issues.

 

thanks I will check that, I definatly will never put wheelspacers on another rig.

Still open to more ideas, as I am really at a loss here until I know for sure whats going on.

 

that is still there and seems to be set well

 

it happens forwards, and backwards..

sometimes I can get it to do it with little motion, but usually once I am up to at leaste 10 mph and hit the brakes firmly, they begin to engage, then CLANK


reverse is a little different, dont need as much momentum, when I am backing out of my driveway and apply the brakes, CLANK

 

and now with this rolling rattle added on, its just a big mess! Clank, grumbl, grumble, grumble

 

hmm, this could be it, as the grumble started after the UCA/CO install.

I am getting a lot of squeaking from my front end, but I had attributed that to Camburg as I have heard they squeak a lot


I have never removed the Calipers, so they should be at the factory torque settings.

 

ok I will check that.

and what do you think about the clank after wheelspacers?

 

no, nothing looks bad at first glance, I played with them a little, they have what I feel to be the correct amount of play, just a little

 

I see, the only thing with that is that, until the wheelspacers, My wheels hadnt been removed, or anything messed with down there for like 10,000 miles at leaste.


There is 1 thing that i did forget to mention.

The side where this is occuring, back right after I got my lift installed, I was out in the woods and my abs speed sensor wire was snipped, since my abs light has been on. How could this have an effect?

 

ok, I will try that. but I will say that wire snapped at aout 3000 miles, and im at 17000 now, clank started at about 15,000