When play finally got going, after the whole of yesterday and most of Wednesday was lost due to rain, Boyd Rankin took the last three wickets to give him a haul of 5-16 from 5.4 overs.
Rankin's haul had reduced Essex to 114 all out but that looked a difficult target for Warwickshire who had skipper Ian Westwood bowled by Masters with only four runs on the board.
Masters bowled Varun Chopra who had made 14 and then Palladino bowled Darren Maddy who had made seven. Palladino had Troughton out for five and when Masters bowled Ateeq Javid who had not scored, Warwickshire were 45-5.
Rikki Clarke and wicket keeper Richard Johnson moved the score on to 78 before Clarke was caught and bowled by ten Doeschate after making 24.
Chris Woakes was out in his second ball for the seventh wicket but Johnson and Neil Carter were howing some fight and took Warwickshire past the 100 mark.
They passed Essex's first innings score and in the 46th over were 132-8 when Carter was trapped lbw by Danish Kaneria after making 28.
In the final session, Imran Tahir was out for four and with the score on 155, Johnson, who had made 39, gave Foster a catch and Warwicks were all out.
When Essex batted for a second time, Mickleburgh was bowled by Chris Woakes in the second ball he face. Woakes also took the wicket of Ravi Bopara and with Godleman being trapped lbw by Maddy, Essex closed on 99-3, some 58 runs ahead.
In the Test Match, Jon Trott ended the day 149 not out with Stuart Broad 125 not out as England ended the day on 346-7.