ok...feel free to offer any advice you may have on either or both of these little situations Ive got going on....

first, my brake pedal kinda creaks when pressed. Its not a high pitched squeak so much as a "creak" like an old floor might do. Anyways....is this normal? Can a little WD40 do the trick here or do I need to take it in or something?


secondly..and more importantly....

the other day I noticed that somehow a long strand of spearmint gum got on the side of my truck...I was able to get it off with a wet paper towel...BUT...it left that sticky residue that wont come off. Anyways...if soap and water wont get it off....should I try alcohol? Would alcohol mess up the clearcoat if washed off immediately after cleaning? If thats not the best solution does anyone know what would do the trick?


thanks

 

a product called "sticker shock" ought to work
if you can't find that stuff look for "goof off", both these product are used to remove bumper stickers and pinstripe tape, so it ought to work.

 

As Weezell said, Goof Off will work. If you go that route, you must remove the Goof Off residue since it's a petroleum product. You'll want to think about waxing the area since it's likely to remove the wax along with the gum residue. WD40 will work too. Again, wash off the residue immediately and rewax the area.

As for the brake, I have a feeling that if you take it to the dealer, they'll just spray it with white or silicone grease or some similar product. WD40 might be good for pinpointing the noise. It won't last, though. The stuff evaporates sooner or later.

If it were me, I'd live with it until the truck goes in for servicing or other repairs.

Have you tried adjusting the pedals up or down a bit?

 

Hey CoachP, Try driving that SCrew to a state that has a lower humidity, that might cut out some of the squeaks.

 

My Grand Marquis brake pedal was doing the same thing. I just thought it needed some kind of lubrication. Since it had a month to go on the warranty I decided to let Ford deal with it. They ordered new hardware for the pedal, kept the vehicle overnight and replaced the hardware the next day. Right after we drove home the creaking started again. We took it back to the Ford dealer. They were stumped and called the "engineers" at Ford who told them that the master cylinder needed to be replaced. I thought that sounded crazy, but hey, they were paying the bill. They ordered a new master cylinder, kept the vehicle overnight again and put it on the next day. That was about 10 months ago and no more creaking.

I'm thankful they found the problem before my warranty expired.

 

Goo gone or alcohol will do the trick. Either or. The alcohol and, I suspect the goo gone, will remove any wax thus, once you have removed the gum, be sure to go back over it with wax.

RP

 

to Dennis


I hadnt even THOUGHT about moving the pedals because Im 6'5 so I have to keep them all the way back...but I went ahead and moved the pedals up..and then put them all the way back again and surprise...no more creaking. good call D.


as for the alcohol/goof off...havent tried it yet because Im gonna wash/wax saturday. Ill let you know how it goes.


thanks for the tips

 

Everybody had good tips. Just glad one of them worked for you.

When you get a bunch of minds together that come up with all kinds of tips, one is bound to work.