2012 Ford Focus Titanium
Discussion
Found out that the car has rev matching today, but only on upshifts. When revving in any gear, dip the clutch and take note of where the rev needle lands; it'll hold perfectly on the revs of the next year for about 5 seconds, before dropping to idle. It's the little things like this that I'm really enjoying with the car. The only optional extra that I'm not a fan of is the auto full-beam. It should come on with no cars in front, and dip when on-coming cars appear or tail lights are in front. It does an okay job, but when it doesn't I have to quickly flick them back off, and it just looks like I'm flashing people in front. All of the other extras are fantastic.
The voice control is useless mind. I use it to call people, to say "Call Dad", but that's about it. I can't ask it to navigate somewhere, I can't ask it to do much at all as it'll just tell me "Device please" (whatever that means), then "Sorry?" if I repeat myself. It just shows how far voice control technology has come as this was the stat of it in 2012.
The voice control is useless mind. I use it to call people, to say "Call Dad", but that's about it. I can't ask it to navigate somewhere, I can't ask it to do much at all as it'll just tell me "Device please" (whatever that means), then "Sorry?" if I repeat myself. It just shows how far voice control technology has come as this was the stat of it in 2012.
The rear light came, £38 is an absolute bargain.
The difference is quite clear, no more gaps in the LED's.
That should be it with the car, no more issues!
But...
That rattle noise coming from the engine? It's back but not that loud, and I've confirmed the issue. It's unfortunately the DMF (dual mass flywheel). Posting on the Ford forums had people commenting the same thing, and looking at other videos with failing DMF's, it sounds identical, down to the rattle of the gearbox when the engine stops, and sometimes when the engine starts when it's warm.
I called my trusty garage to confirm, and this is how the conversation went:
Me: "So I have this rattle on my Focus on idle and also when the engine stops, but it disappears if I bite the clutch or rev/drive the car"
Garage: "Is it a diesel Focus?"
Me: "It is"
Garage: "Yeah that's your flywheel."
After them describing it, and after the research I've done, it certainly sounds like it's the flywheel. Good news, it's not the engine. Bad news, replacing the DMF costs £600+. The garage agreed that there's no need to replace it until it gets much worse or when the clutch needs changing, so hopefully I won't have to replace it anytime soon.
He also mentioned to turn off the stop/start as it'll stress the DMF out more, spinning up the flywheel at every start. Would this be true? The stop/start only functions when the clutch pedal is down, so I didn't think this would stress it.
The difference is quite clear, no more gaps in the LED's.
That should be it with the car, no more issues!
But...
That rattle noise coming from the engine? It's back but not that loud, and I've confirmed the issue. It's unfortunately the DMF (dual mass flywheel). Posting on the Ford forums had people commenting the same thing, and looking at other videos with failing DMF's, it sounds identical, down to the rattle of the gearbox when the engine stops, and sometimes when the engine starts when it's warm.
I called my trusty garage to confirm, and this is how the conversation went:
Me: "So I have this rattle on my Focus on idle and also when the engine stops, but it disappears if I bite the clutch or rev/drive the car"
Garage: "Is it a diesel Focus?"
Me: "It is"
Garage: "Yeah that's your flywheel."
After them describing it, and after the research I've done, it certainly sounds like it's the flywheel. Good news, it's not the engine. Bad news, replacing the DMF costs £600+. The garage agreed that there's no need to replace it until it gets much worse or when the clutch needs changing, so hopefully I won't have to replace it anytime soon.
He also mentioned to turn off the stop/start as it'll stress the DMF out more, spinning up the flywheel at every start. Would this be true? The stop/start only functions when the clutch pedal is down, so I didn't think this would stress it.
Edited by geraintthomas on Wednesday 11th November 14:43
bungz said:
Just excess stress due to more starts as the flywheel takes the brunt of the force when the starter kicks in.
Wouldn't worry unless it starts to really clatter unless you plan to keep the car for ages then just get it done and then at least you get the benefit of a nice new clutch
I see, that makes sense, but even when the clutch is disengaged (pedal pushed in)? I do plan on keeping it long term, but I'd rather not replace it until I absolutely need to. But then I'm also one for making a car perfect, and this is the only problem with the car. And I mean that, everything works as expected and there's not a mark on it. But it's not worth £600+ when I don't need to replace it. Wouldn't worry unless it starts to really clatter unless you plan to keep the car for ages then just get it done and then at least you get the benefit of a nice new clutch
Edited by geraintthomas on Wednesday 11th November 15:05
JakeT said:
Flywheels can last for ages when they're noisy. Once it sounds like a horse galloping down the road you'll know it needs changing. Starting up and shutting down lots does wear the flywheel, though. They have two masses (Hence the DMF) that move around relative to each other. But otherwise just drive it and worry about it once it gets really bad. The clutch will probably need doing before the flywheel.
That's good to hear. Is it worth turning off stop/start though?After some research and additional help from the Ford forum, it seems that I'd may as well run the car as normally, but to keep in mind the stop/start's eagerness sometimes. In other words, keep the clutch pressed with lights that I know will turn green shortly, and allow it to go into stop/start in traffic that I know I'll be sitting in for a few minutes. I suppose that's standard economical driving really.
Nevertheless, I've been driving it for this past week and it's been driving great. The flywheel has barely made a sound aside from the odd very minor rattle sometimes on idle (but not every time), and a minor rattle on start-up when the engine is warm, but apart from this there's nothing to it. It'll hopefully stay like this for quite some time. I'd actually forgotten about it the last couple of days, it's barely noticeable. At least I can take my mind off it. The car has done 141,000 miles and cost me £3,500, so if it takes £600 for a flywheel in the future, then I'm happy.
It's interesting. A good friend of mine has a Mk3 Focus 1.6TDCi too, except his is the facelift in grey. It's a beautiful car and only has 41,000 miles, but it's your standard Focus with no options. No dimming mirror, no auto headlights, no auto wipers, no sat nav, no fancy radio, climate control, folding mirrors, BLIS, parking sensors, and standard 16" alloys. It's a very basic car that he paid over £7,000 for, but of course that's due to it being a few years younger and having 100,000 less on the clock. But we stood the two together, and the engine on mine sounded identical to his with 100,000 miles more. Mine was in far better condition throughout, but that's not a failing on his part at all; he uses a car like most others, as a means to get from A-B, so cleaning it and restoring things like brake drums isn't a priority. But it goes to show that his cost twice the price of mine due to mileage, and I've actually got a far more premium car for half the price. Would I recommend he get a car with 140,000? Probably not. Things like the thermostat, the flywheel and binding calipers are things I can do myself, hence the purchase of a high mile car as I can maintain it and get a great car for the money. Low mileage cars have less of a tendency to go wrong... but that's arguable I suppose.
Anyway. The next upgrade I'd like to start at some point is the headlights. I'll be buying a spare set and will be splitting them open to fit bi-xenon projector lenses and 5000k xenon bulbs, as well as altering the car through 'FoCCCus' so that it has a constant 12v supply to the bulbs.
Along side this, some 5000k 501 w5w bulbs for the side lights, and some cree LED indicator bulbs so finish off the 'LED' look of the car. These lights are as powerful (if not more so) than your standard indicator bulbs. The only issue is the hyperflashing, which can normally be overridden by crimping a resistor on the + and - wire of the indicator bulbs.
Given the car is a Titanium with a tonne of options and LED rear lamps, I think it'll be quite fitting to install the xenon headlamps and LED turn signals. After this, there's nothing I'd want to add as it has everything else.
Nevertheless, I've been driving it for this past week and it's been driving great. The flywheel has barely made a sound aside from the odd very minor rattle sometimes on idle (but not every time), and a minor rattle on start-up when the engine is warm, but apart from this there's nothing to it. It'll hopefully stay like this for quite some time. I'd actually forgotten about it the last couple of days, it's barely noticeable. At least I can take my mind off it. The car has done 141,000 miles and cost me £3,500, so if it takes £600 for a flywheel in the future, then I'm happy.
It's interesting. A good friend of mine has a Mk3 Focus 1.6TDCi too, except his is the facelift in grey. It's a beautiful car and only has 41,000 miles, but it's your standard Focus with no options. No dimming mirror, no auto headlights, no auto wipers, no sat nav, no fancy radio, climate control, folding mirrors, BLIS, parking sensors, and standard 16" alloys. It's a very basic car that he paid over £7,000 for, but of course that's due to it being a few years younger and having 100,000 less on the clock. But we stood the two together, and the engine on mine sounded identical to his with 100,000 miles more. Mine was in far better condition throughout, but that's not a failing on his part at all; he uses a car like most others, as a means to get from A-B, so cleaning it and restoring things like brake drums isn't a priority. But it goes to show that his cost twice the price of mine due to mileage, and I've actually got a far more premium car for half the price. Would I recommend he get a car with 140,000? Probably not. Things like the thermostat, the flywheel and binding calipers are things I can do myself, hence the purchase of a high mile car as I can maintain it and get a great car for the money. Low mileage cars have less of a tendency to go wrong... but that's arguable I suppose.
Anyway. The next upgrade I'd like to start at some point is the headlights. I'll be buying a spare set and will be splitting them open to fit bi-xenon projector lenses and 5000k xenon bulbs, as well as altering the car through 'FoCCCus' so that it has a constant 12v supply to the bulbs.
Along side this, some 5000k 501 w5w bulbs for the side lights, and some cree LED indicator bulbs so finish off the 'LED' look of the car. These lights are as powerful (if not more so) than your standard indicator bulbs. The only issue is the hyperflashing, which can normally be overridden by crimping a resistor on the + and - wire of the indicator bulbs.
Given the car is a Titanium with a tonne of options and LED rear lamps, I think it'll be quite fitting to install the xenon headlamps and LED turn signals. After this, there's nothing I'd want to add as it has everything else.
Podie said:
A company called Autobeam do a complete unit replacement for the wing mirror indicators. Full LED across the lamp, a choice of clear, white or black - and with a switch to choose between static or sequential indicators.
https://autobeam.co.uk/collections/focus-mk3-5-201...
Currently 30% off with the code "AB30" - if you're quick...
Oh I'll take a look at those... thanks! I did see them on ebay but wasn't sure if I was interested in adding them. I'll be changing the bulb for an LED though at very minimum.https://autobeam.co.uk/collections/focus-mk3-5-201...
Currently 30% off with the code "AB30" - if you're quick...
One thing I do want to add in the future is the DRL lamps for the front, but only after I add the xenon lamps so that it matches.
These:
I really don't like the vertical ones, I saw them in the skin a few days ago and they look very aftermarket. The horizontal ones aren't that bad at all.
Podie said:
I imagine those DRLs are like rocking horse poo these days. Seem to recall I posted the Ford FINIS code earlier in the thread for you.
Photo of the clear Autobeam indicators for you. The whole strip lights up (which I prefer) and I have them in static mode as the other indicators aren’t sequential (and I dislike sequentials anyway!)
Hmm... not quite sold on that I'm afraid! Only as you can see the SMD's inside which aren't perfectly lined up (yup, I'm that picky). Maybe the white ones would be a little better on a white car.Photo of the clear Autobeam indicators for you. The whole strip lights up (which I prefer) and I have them in static mode as the other indicators aren’t sequential (and I dislike sequentials anyway!)
mholt1995 said:
Instead of gutting another set of headlights to add projectors and adding those DRLs, would it not be more sensible to just upgrade to Titanium X/ST headlights? That way you'll get factory xenons and integrated DRLs.
It would, if they weren't like rocking horse poo to find. I'm sure they were silly price the late time I checked?Just had another look, average price is £300 per lamp. From Ford it's almost £580 per lamp.
Putting Bi-Xenon projectors in costs £50, and the DRL's about the same, so it's much more cost effective. The reason why I haven't included the headlamp costs is that if it goes well, I'd sell my originals to compensate.
It would be nice though to keep it standard Ford equipment, it's just far too expensive for just a set of headlights.
Putting Bi-Xenon projectors in costs £50, and the DRL's about the same, so it's much more cost effective. The reason why I haven't included the headlamp costs is that if it goes well, I'd sell my originals to compensate.
It would be nice though to keep it standard Ford equipment, it's just far too expensive for just a set of headlights.
Mr Pointy said:
Won't changing the headlights lead to potential MoT issues?
Technically yes, but if they're done well and look factory you'd seldom have issues. I had modified headlights on my previous Boxster and they were fine; the beam pattern and colour were correct so they had no issues.DickP said:
Hi,
Nice car and I like seeing when people still take pride in higher than average mile average family cars.
I have a question however. I did (briefly) own a 2011 plate Focus mk3 estate with the 2.0 TDCi. I discovered that there was an awful delay between the accelerator being depressed and the car actually responding to it. Browsing online suggested it was related to emission controls. Does your 1.6 TDCi have a very noticeable lag before the engine responds? (This is very different to turbo lag)
Mine also raised the idle speed when pulling away, overriding the accelerator pedal input, but would then drop the revs again before I had fully engaged the clutch. This could cause violent lurching when setting off from stationary. Have you experienced this yourself with the smaller engine?
Since moving the car on I did wonder whether the very early mk3 was prone to these behaviours as they had just upgraded the engine to meet new euro emission standards?
Thanks,
Very interesting... I've not had any issues. The lag is there a little, but it's nothing substantial. For me it's the characteristics of a non-powerful turbo Diesel engine. I've not had an issue with the feel at all, so I couldn't actually say if it's there sorry!Nice car and I like seeing when people still take pride in higher than average mile average family cars.
I have a question however. I did (briefly) own a 2011 plate Focus mk3 estate with the 2.0 TDCi. I discovered that there was an awful delay between the accelerator being depressed and the car actually responding to it. Browsing online suggested it was related to emission controls. Does your 1.6 TDCi have a very noticeable lag before the engine responds? (This is very different to turbo lag)
Mine also raised the idle speed when pulling away, overriding the accelerator pedal input, but would then drop the revs again before I had fully engaged the clutch. This could cause violent lurching when setting off from stationary. Have you experienced this yourself with the smaller engine?
Since moving the car on I did wonder whether the very early mk3 was prone to these behaviours as they had just upgraded the engine to meet new euro emission standards?
Thanks,
In other news, guess what issues I have.
F%#*>NG BRAKE PROBLEMS.
It's the same brake, and it's started squeaking again when the brakes are applied. The squeak happens with every half a rotation of the wheel, and coming to a stop a knock takes its place.
I've replaced the caliper, then rebuilt the original caliper, replaced the discs and the pads twice, greased everything, replaced the retainer clip, the sliding bolts, the rubbers... everything. I'm running out of options.
Since I've rebuilt the old caliper, the disc is wearing correctly and doesn't overheat, which is great as that's a first. The brakes feel spot on. But now it's starting to chirp when I apply the brake. If I brake heavier, it disappears. On long drives, it starts to chirp without even braking. I'm hoping that if I re-grease the pads more and bend the clips of the inner pad that slots into the pot so that it has a more secure fit, it'll go away. If not, I could try Brembo pads. But it could be the disc again. Ish.
I need to jack up the front end and need to ask my other half to slowly start releasing the clutch in first to spin the front wheels, just to check for any wobbles in the disc reflection. This disc is brand new, after new seals, sliding bolts and after a freshly built original caliper. There's no overheating, so no reason for it to be warped. If it's not wobbling, I could put the squeaking down to an issue with the pads (either the fitment or the pads themselves), in which case some Brembo's rather than these Eicher's may be better. If the reflection is wobbling though, it may be my wheel hub carrier that's not straight. My garage told me this can happen, but I've not heard of it. In which case, a used hub carrier and a new wheel hub would be in order.
I'll let you know what happens. I'm getting a little sick of this brake issue.
joe6886 said:
Before you replace anything else, if the drive flange is still as full of rust as it is on page 4 then I’d suggest cleaning that up with a wire wheel and some emery paper. At least give the disc a chance of sitting flat.
Already did shortly after, but perhaps not as much as I should have. Thanks for bringing that up though, I'll go nuts at it this weekend.Right. For the last f***ing time, I've sorted the brake. Hopefully.
As you said, the hub wasn't great when it came to rust on its surface, and it was only by cleaning it did I realise how bad it was.
There's clearly a build up here, especially noticeable at the top of that hub. The middle face doesn't touch the disk, only the inner and outer parts of the hub as they're raised. I got to work on them by first spraying copious amounts of PlusGas, then sat for about 20 minutes with a wire brush.
Afterwards I sanded the whole face by hand to remove as much of the blemishes as possible.
Far cleaner, and I can't feel any raised parts. I've also done the areas that the carrier bolts to the car, as well as the pad wings and where the pads sit onto the carrier. Essentially, if something touches something, I've cleaned it, rubbed it back and greased it. That sentence doesn't sound at all dodgey.
There's no noise, no clicks, no nothing. I'm hoping that's the last I'll hear of the brake issues, and can finally put it down to surface contamination of the hub setting the disc out of line.
Here's hoping.
As you said, the hub wasn't great when it came to rust on its surface, and it was only by cleaning it did I realise how bad it was.
There's clearly a build up here, especially noticeable at the top of that hub. The middle face doesn't touch the disk, only the inner and outer parts of the hub as they're raised. I got to work on them by first spraying copious amounts of PlusGas, then sat for about 20 minutes with a wire brush.
Afterwards I sanded the whole face by hand to remove as much of the blemishes as possible.
Far cleaner, and I can't feel any raised parts. I've also done the areas that the carrier bolts to the car, as well as the pad wings and where the pads sit onto the carrier. Essentially, if something touches something, I've cleaned it, rubbed it back and greased it. That sentence doesn't sound at all dodgey.
There's no noise, no clicks, no nothing. I'm hoping that's the last I'll hear of the brake issues, and can finally put it down to surface contamination of the hub setting the disc out of line.
Here's hoping.
I did think of the wheel bearing, you could be right there.
I was travelling yesterday to visit my parents, and towards the end of the journey I could hear a light knock/tap coming from the front that disappeared when I touched the brakes, and wasn't audible at low speeds (oddly louder with the windows up). Annoyed was an understatement at the time, but just before we had arrived, both Maddie and I were certain that it wasn't coming from that side, and that it was coming from the other brake. We arrived before we could be sure, so I took it for a quick test drive half an hour after arriving on the same evening as it was on my mind, and it didn't make a single sound. We drove home late, it took over an hour, and it was silent the whole journey with no knocking or tapping at all. Now I'm completely confused. Not only is it inconsistent, I'm not even sure it's coming from the offending side anymore.
A while back when I first changed the pads/discs, I drove to Swansea which took about 1h15m, and about half an hour into the journey it made the same sound on the motorway; a knocking/tapping noise that wasn't audible at low speed. It sounded like the caliper was a bit loose, but it was the pad rattling inside the caliper. When I got home I pulled the inner pad out, bent the retaining clips out more so that they made a tighter fit into the piston, and pushed the pad back in with a more snug fit. I never heard that noise again... until last night. And now it sounds like it's the other side.
It could make sense. That O/S brake hasn't been touched since I originally installed the discs/pads as it hasn't caused any issues. It could just be that I need to bend the clips on that side to make it snug too, as I didn't originally do it on both, only the one. Why would I, the O/S wasn't making a sound until yesterday. But the fact that it's just happened now after sorting the brakes again? Bit of a coincidence. Nevertheless, if it is the O/S front then it'll just be those clips that need bending out. But if it's the N/S again, I'll need a new hub and bearing.
We've got a long drive to Cheltenham today to have a socially distant tour of a potential wedding venue. It's a 1h30m drive and I'm not sure I want to take the Focus now. I may just take the MX-5 to play it safe, or I could take the Focus as it didn't make a sound on the way home yesterday, but I also don't want it to knock the whole way there and back if I did take it.
I hate inconsistencies.
I was travelling yesterday to visit my parents, and towards the end of the journey I could hear a light knock/tap coming from the front that disappeared when I touched the brakes, and wasn't audible at low speeds (oddly louder with the windows up). Annoyed was an understatement at the time, but just before we had arrived, both Maddie and I were certain that it wasn't coming from that side, and that it was coming from the other brake. We arrived before we could be sure, so I took it for a quick test drive half an hour after arriving on the same evening as it was on my mind, and it didn't make a single sound. We drove home late, it took over an hour, and it was silent the whole journey with no knocking or tapping at all. Now I'm completely confused. Not only is it inconsistent, I'm not even sure it's coming from the offending side anymore.
A while back when I first changed the pads/discs, I drove to Swansea which took about 1h15m, and about half an hour into the journey it made the same sound on the motorway; a knocking/tapping noise that wasn't audible at low speed. It sounded like the caliper was a bit loose, but it was the pad rattling inside the caliper. When I got home I pulled the inner pad out, bent the retaining clips out more so that they made a tighter fit into the piston, and pushed the pad back in with a more snug fit. I never heard that noise again... until last night. And now it sounds like it's the other side.
It could make sense. That O/S brake hasn't been touched since I originally installed the discs/pads as it hasn't caused any issues. It could just be that I need to bend the clips on that side to make it snug too, as I didn't originally do it on both, only the one. Why would I, the O/S wasn't making a sound until yesterday. But the fact that it's just happened now after sorting the brakes again? Bit of a coincidence. Nevertheless, if it is the O/S front then it'll just be those clips that need bending out. But if it's the N/S again, I'll need a new hub and bearing.
We've got a long drive to Cheltenham today to have a socially distant tour of a potential wedding venue. It's a 1h30m drive and I'm not sure I want to take the Focus now. I may just take the MX-5 to play it safe, or I could take the Focus as it didn't make a sound on the way home yesterday, but I also don't want it to knock the whole way there and back if I did take it.
I hate inconsistencies.
Edited by geraintthomas on Saturday 5th December 12:07
Took it today for a long run, 3 hours in total. No noise there, but it started to squeak on the way home. Same as before. I think the hub/bearing may be bad. The caliper is also warmer than the other side, but not by much.
It could also be my tyres. I've had warped tyres on there for a while, haven't got round to fitting the new set that I have. I'm wondering if they're shaking the brake and causing the issues. It could also be a bad bearing/hub that's warped the tyre, but I won't know until I put the new tyre on.
Looking to fit them soon, will update then.
It could also be my tyres. I've had warped tyres on there for a while, haven't got round to fitting the new set that I have. I'm wondering if they're shaking the brake and causing the issues. It could also be a bad bearing/hub that's warped the tyre, but I won't know until I put the new tyre on.
Looking to fit them soon, will update then.
National Tyres turned me away, against company policy to bring my own tyres. Ridiculous. I'll be going to my usual place in the week, the only reason I went there is that it's the only place open on a Sunday.
Anyway, drove there and back and - pause for dramatic effect - I have vibrations under braking again. So we're back to square one. At this point I'm almost certain that it's the wheel bearing. If I turn right the tapping sometimes gets a little louder, the car has a sound that's similar to misshapen tyres (which I do have, but is also the sound of a bad bearing), and now this. It has to be.
£33 for a new bearing, and I'll have to have a garage to fit it. I'll ask them to throw the new tyres on while they're at it too, so it's all done and new. Hopefully the wobble is due to the bearing failing and not due to the disc being warped again. Only time will tell.
Anyway, drove there and back and - pause for dramatic effect - I have vibrations under braking again. So we're back to square one. At this point I'm almost certain that it's the wheel bearing. If I turn right the tapping sometimes gets a little louder, the car has a sound that's similar to misshapen tyres (which I do have, but is also the sound of a bad bearing), and now this. It has to be.
£33 for a new bearing, and I'll have to have a garage to fit it. I'll ask them to throw the new tyres on while they're at it too, so it's all done and new. Hopefully the wobble is due to the bearing failing and not due to the disc being warped again. Only time will tell.
After some extensive research, it's looking more and more like a bearing. The main sentence that popped up was:
"Wheel bearings allow the wheels to rotate while supporting the vehicle's weight. The brake rotor is connected to the wheel bearing hub assembly. A worn wheel bearing that has too much play will cause a vibration when braking."
The vibration doesn't happen throughout the whole brake pedal travel. Light or heavy pressure has no vibrations, but medium pressure gives an almost harmonic vibration through the wheel. There's a droning noise too, and the tapping noise gets more prominent as I turn a corner. This would also point to the bearing as the vehicles weight is on that corner. It's also come to my attention that the noise may not be from the brake, and may actually be from the bearing itself.
So after a caliper replacement, rebuild, new sliders, seals, discs and pads, and a clean wheel hub, it can't be anything else other than the bearing. It wouldn't be the hub that's warped as this is attached to the bearing. If there was any damage to be done (due to an impact), the weakest point is the bearing.
When I bought the car, there were scuffs on the front left of the car, as well as a badly curbed wheel (the same problematic corner). This is a stab in the dark but I wonder if the car had an impact on that side which has damaged the bearing, and therefore caused these issues. Who knows.
I've put two brand new tyres in the rear of the boot, along with the new bearing. I'll hand the car to a garage asap to ask them to fit the bearing and replace the tyres. There's absolutely no reason why this wouldn't work. But at this stage, I don't trust that it will. Here's hoping.
"Wheel bearings allow the wheels to rotate while supporting the vehicle's weight. The brake rotor is connected to the wheel bearing hub assembly. A worn wheel bearing that has too much play will cause a vibration when braking."
The vibration doesn't happen throughout the whole brake pedal travel. Light or heavy pressure has no vibrations, but medium pressure gives an almost harmonic vibration through the wheel. There's a droning noise too, and the tapping noise gets more prominent as I turn a corner. This would also point to the bearing as the vehicles weight is on that corner. It's also come to my attention that the noise may not be from the brake, and may actually be from the bearing itself.
So after a caliper replacement, rebuild, new sliders, seals, discs and pads, and a clean wheel hub, it can't be anything else other than the bearing. It wouldn't be the hub that's warped as this is attached to the bearing. If there was any damage to be done (due to an impact), the weakest point is the bearing.
When I bought the car, there were scuffs on the front left of the car, as well as a badly curbed wheel (the same problematic corner). This is a stab in the dark but I wonder if the car had an impact on that side which has damaged the bearing, and therefore caused these issues. Who knows.
I've put two brand new tyres in the rear of the boot, along with the new bearing. I'll hand the car to a garage asap to ask them to fit the bearing and replace the tyres. There's absolutely no reason why this wouldn't work. But at this stage, I don't trust that it will. Here's hoping.
DickP said:
Hi,
I managed to kill a front wheel bearing on the Focus mk3 I briefly owned, simply by losing control on ice and hitting the wheel at full lock parallel to the kerb. Impact was probably about 10mph, bending the track rod slightly and the bearing then deteriorated over the following 2,000 or so miles.
Thanks,
Really! That's very interesting to know. Thanks for that, it certainly explains the scuffs, badly curbed alloy and the wheel bearing. Looks like it's making sense after all.I managed to kill a front wheel bearing on the Focus mk3 I briefly owned, simply by losing control on ice and hitting the wheel at full lock parallel to the kerb. Impact was probably about 10mph, bending the track rod slightly and the bearing then deteriorated over the following 2,000 or so miles.
Thanks,
The car is booked in Friday morning for a N/S/F bearing change, and I'll be putting two new tyres on the front tomorrow.
In the meantime, I've replaced my side light bulbs with LED variants.
I'll be replacing the puddle lights on the folding mirrors too with the same bulbs. I've also bought some Osram Cool Blue bulbs for the headlamps as they give a very crisp white light to match without diving into the HID realms. I've used these previously on my old car with really good results, they look far better than stock halogen.
In the meantime, I've replaced my side light bulbs with LED variants.
I'll be replacing the puddle lights on the folding mirrors too with the same bulbs. I've also bought some Osram Cool Blue bulbs for the headlamps as they give a very crisp white light to match without diving into the HID realms. I've used these previously on my old car with really good results, they look far better than stock halogen.
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