# Front brake mystery **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 30, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/front-brake-mystery/25778 "2009-01-30T07:46:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RangerChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@RangerChic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RangerChic)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/front-brake-mystery/25778/1 "2009-01-30T07:46:27Z")
I’d love to hear anyone’s advice on this… '99 Ford Ranger, manual tran, 91K miles, front brakes are disc type. Recently started hearing a clicking noise when braking and it seems to come from the front, possibly front left, wheel. Brake pedal felt soft-ish but not as bad as a master cylinder problem. Replaced the calipers, pads; resurfaced the rotors, flushed brake fluid - and now the clicking is back (after a couple miles of driving). The pedal has more braking power/strength but still feels less than 100%. Swear I felt a cable-type tension once or twice, like pushing the parking brake on, as I braked. (No, the parking break isn’t and wasn’t on.) What I don’t get is why the first few miles were OK after the repair and now they’re getting progressively worse again with the noise and lessening brake power. Suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 10:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/front-brake-mystery/25778/2 "2009-01-30T10:48:52Z")
Is the clicking constant and even? Could it be a CV joint? ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/front-brake-mystery/25778/3 "2009-01-31T01:11:06Z")
Ranger, apparently not 4wd? ---
**Author:** ![RangerChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@RangerChic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RangerChic)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/front-brake-mystery/25778/4 "2009-01-31T19:47:46Z")
Yes, it’s not 4wd – just rear wheel drive. The clicking is pretty constant and even, but doesn’t happen every time I depress the brake pedal (most times, but not all). Can’t figure out a pattern to when I get the clicks - after the truck is warmed up, not warmed up, going a certain speed, brakes getting more pressure or less… What’s a CV joint? (I’m not a mechanic – took it to one for the work) ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/front-brake-mystery/25778/5 "2009-01-31T20:01:41Z")
You don’t have a CV joint. A CV joint, short for “constant velocity” joint, is a special joint used in the drive axles of FWD vehicles to allow the axle to articulate to sharp angles while under power without the ooscillations inherant in a universal joint. U-joints can only tolerate small angles of articulation. CV joints accomplish this by having basically a ball & socket with slots and ball bearings in them (simplified description). When they dry up or wear you can hear the components of the joint clicking. You may have a wheel bearing going. ---
**Author:** ![RangerChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@RangerChic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RangerChic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/front-brake-mystery/25778/6 "2009-02-03T03:11:03Z")
Wheel bearing - ugh. Well, that’s one thing I haven’t had replaced in the last week. It is back in the shop for the 4th time in a week – master cylinder was replaced this morning, and the clicking came back while I was driving it home from the dealership. Of course I drove it straight back with instructions for them to drive it more tomorrow. I’m completely baffled, as are they. Front brakes look OK but the pedal doesn’t feel right when I depress it - but it doesn’t happen every time (maybe 2 out of 3). It definitely sounds and feels like it’s coming from the front left wheel. Do bearings fail intermittently, like master cylinders can? Is there a valve that could be causing this? Or, if the rotors weren’t resurfaced smoothly enough, could the naked eye miss it with just visual inspection? Thanks for the replies so far!