Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting brake caliper rubs on wheel

I just recently replaced my front pads and roters on a '95 Contour. I am now hearing a metal grinding sound which turns out to be a point on the wheel the rubs against the caliper with each rotation, the sound gets more pronounced when the brakes are applied. There seems to be a bit of play in the caliper, can worn bushings in the caliper be the culprit?

This may be a dumb question but did you install the anti-rattle spring? I've seen some missing in the past and some don't know to install one. It keeps the floating parts on the guides.

I just went through the same thing. Check your anti rattle springs. They are the only thing that holds the outboard end of the "floating" calipers in the proper position. I installed mine incorrectly not paying close enough attention to their correct installation. I bought a haynes manual for my `96 Contour and there is a picture in the brakes section demonstrating the proper positioning. Pay close attention to the contact points of the spring, caliper and caliper mounting bracket. I ran mine installed incorrectly for 4 months, wore my new pads crooked and had to install a new set with springs installed properly and no noise. You can check your calipers but after 110,000kms and 4months of stupidity the noise is gone and I could find no wear on the calipers.

Brian: I made the mistake of changing front disc pads and rotating the rear wheels to the front at the same time. Turns out the right-rear wheel was not 'true' and the caliper rubbed against the wheel at every revolution. My local friendly independent brake shop shaved the caliper to solve my problem.