probable cause for intense wobble during braking and turning?

[explorernoobie]

my 94 xlt will shake and wobble like crazy when you are braking from 60+ and if you turn the wheel to the left it wobbles worse then turning it to the right. i noticed a clunking sound as i was going down the drive. i went back home and jacked up the xlt. on the driver side whhen i spin the wheel forward it makes the clunk sound. but when i go backwards it doesnt. i crawled under the truck and spun the tire and while it was spinning the back side brake pad would pulse and make the sound. what is this from and how would i fix it? also could this be why it wobbles badly when braking and turning to the left?

 

[Tbars4]

...I wouldn't drive it in that condition as it is in unsafe condition...

..You could get a free inspection at a brake shop but my quick guess would be bad bearings , warped rotors, or possibly missing or damaged parts...

..Lot's of information on here about these items if you search..

 

[Tripod2]

Ya, I would say a warped rotor too. Definitely drive carefully if you are going to drive it at all.

 

[explorernoobie]

thanks guys. and i have no other ride so i have to drive it. it does fine sometimes like when goimg around corners. and if i have people in the explorer with me then the wobble is gone. dad felt the hub and said they shouldntbe warm? dont they get warm because they are right with the brakes? just my thought. but can an anti rattle clip cause this? well besides a rotor. and if it where a bearing wouldnt it be smoking and totally go out? because i had a friend with a bearing issue and when the bearing was bad it was bad not partly bad. but another thing is i have driven the explorer about 250 miles since i bought it and the wheel you cant shake or anything. it seems to be just fine with everything else all but that brake pad

 

[rustbucketMI]

I would also suspect bad ball joints and/or radius arm bushings.

Go get an inspection

 

[det107]

Son,
I hope you get it checked. It could be bad bearings, worn brake pads, etc. Don't compromise safety-

 

[explorernoobie]

well the nearest person i trust is 2 hours drive away. but im getting a tattoo tomorrow in the town that my brother-in-law lives there in that town and he owns a goodyear And said he will have the guys go through it for me

 

[Mudboy]

A bad wheel bearing doesn't always involve smoke. jack the front of teh vehicle up and support it safely, grab the wheel at the 6 oclock and 12 oclock position. push in and pull out vigorously. have a freind watch from behind. If there is movement it will be coming from one of 2 places, behind the rotor (wheel bearing) or ball joints. If either of these are bad and causing your vehicle to shake as bad as you claim you are putting yourself and other people on the road at danger as in your whole wheel/hub assembly can and will come off while you are driving. How would you feel if you killed a 2 year old child???? next grab the wheel at 9 oclock and 3 oclock and pushin and pull out, if you have play it's with in your steering. Crawl under your vehicle and look at the radius arm bushings and the crossmember they mount up to. Lock at all of your front suspension for any signs of cracks and fatigue. If it's grease covered clean it and reinspect. If everything on bothe driver and passenger side looks good. pull the wheel off and rotate the rotor. If it is warped you should be able to hear it make contact or even visually see it if looking at it dead on. Inspect where the caliper bolts on for cracks or fatigue. Look over your tires for unnormal wear, (feathering).

 

[explorernoobie]

i forgot to say i have done the tests like you told me to do. i had the hubs off and looked at all of it. its in good shape. no play when you pull and push on the wheels just a clunking sound from the back brake pad. but yea there isnt any play and i had a few off roading friends look at it and they dont see anything wrong with my bearings and all that good stuff. talked to my bro in law and he said it sounds like a bad rotor

 

[explorernoobie]

A bad wheel bearing doesn't always involve smoke. jack the front of the vehicle up and support it safely, grab the wheel at the 6 oclock and 12 oclock position. push in and pull out vigorously. have a freind watch from behind. If there is movement it will be coming from one of 2 places, behind the rotor (wheel bearing) or ball joints. If either of these are bad and causing your vehicle to shake as bad as you claim you are putting yourself and other people on the road at danger as in your whole wheel/hub assembly can and will come off while you are driving. How would you feel if you killed a 2 year old child???? next grab the wheel at 9 oclock and 3 oclock and pushin and pull out, if you have play it's with in your steering. Crawl under your vehicle and look at the radius arm bushings and the crossmember they mount up to. Lock at all of your front suspension for any signs of cracks and fatigue. If it's grease covered clean it and reinspect. If everything on bothe driver and passenger side looks good. pull the wheel off and rotate the rotor. If it is warped you should be able to hear it make contact or even visually see it if looking at it dead on. Inspect where the caliper bolts on for cracks or fatigue. Look over your tires for unnormal wear, (feathering).

that had alot of info man. but yes i can visually see the brake shoe pulsing and hear a sound from it. brakes feel good its just f your driving along and nearly miss your turn and and you press a little harder then normal

 

[jd92887]

i had this problem when braking too, it was the rotors.

 

[Mudboy]

that had alot of info man. but yes i can visually see the brake shoe pulsing and hear a sound from it. brakes feel good its just f your driving along and nearly miss your turn and and you press a little harder then normal

sounded a little worse in your first description, well thast a good thing. Rotors are pretty cheap.

 

[explorernoobie]

yea i guess it kinda did lol but i did check the rods and everything and they dont seem bad. the wobble is very bad but if i gradually give it brake its fine and city driving is fine just one of those annoying things ya know? how much are rotors?

 

[ExplorerDuece]

Check your upper and lower control arms... If they are loose it will cause stability problems. I had a similar problem that was getting dangerous then I discovered the left upper control arm bolt was loose and not keeping it secured.