BAD vibration

[thewishkah]

I was on my way home tonight and i was up around 80mph and when I got on the brakes I got a horrible vibration I thought my wheel was about to come off.
I know my rotors are warped but this felt worse then usual. It stayed that way till about 25 mph, then i went up to 45 and back down and i didnt feel anything out of the norm, any ideas? thoughts, suggestions, im all ears. Thanks, Jon

 

[inh]

maybe balljoints?

 

[thewishkah]

Would ball joints cause that only while braking? and only at high speeds?

 

[PTBishop]

at higher speeds the shaking is going to be worse from the rotors. it could be a combination of warped rotors and out of round drums.

 

[ExporeRanger]

i had the same thing..replaced the rotors..havnt had it since..i get a bad rear end shake around 60...anybody kno what that is haha?..but yeah i went ahead and got new rotors..and fixed the vibration while braking..and it was violent..also like the guys are sayin..sometime balljoints can do that too..i kno i got a bad right upper..but i havnt gone about duin that yet..its killing my alighment and camber..ima hav to fix it when i get my tires..

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the caliper pins. They are hammered in, and look like 2 pieces of metal with a rubber inside (like a long sandwich).

 

[trucku]

Warpage.... I had the same problem. Got my rotors machined and since then stops like a champ and no vibration at any speed when on brakes

 

[BrooklynBay]

I've just found a link that could back up my theory: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145694&highlight=brake+diary. It always pays to do a search!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Here is a link to Glacier's brake diary: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122696&highlight=front+brake+diary Here is a picture of that pin:

 

[thewishkah]

Im pretty sure my slide pins are good, I just replaced them when I did my brakes in october/november, I replaced them with new ones and I greased them properly, but thanks for the info,I am going to be changing my rotors soon with some drilled/slotted rotors and performance pads. Im good with changing pads and brake stuff like that , but I never did rotors before, so im kind of weary of doing it myself.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I'm sure that if you follow the instructions in Glacier's brake diary, you wouldn't have any problems. It's pretty thorough, and well illustrated like his other diaries.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The 2 kinds of brake pads that I would recommend are either Wagner's SX series (severe duty police, and taxi grade), or the Performance Friction carbon metallic severe duty pads from Autozone. They had a lifetime warranty at one time, but now only have a year I think. Maybe a little more. Any AutoZone should have them. The Wagner semi metallic pads are sold in Automotive City on Coney Island Ave. I don't know if they have those in stock, but they could order them if you need them. I've heard stories about the cross drilled rotors developing weak spots from the cross drilled holes, and cracking. The only time that I've ever has rotors split into 2 parts were on Bendix rotors. If they are still made the same way, I would never use them again.

 

[JStrider]

I had a really bad front end vibration when on the brakes during spring break when I was in the mountains... but now that I'm back in flat land, it seems to have completely disapeared... so I havnt worried about it... but now that i'm going to moab i've kinda been worrying about it... anyone have any ideas?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you pull off the front wheels, and inspect the brakes, and suspension components?

 

[Creager]

They aint hard to replace the rotors at all! So dont worry...

If you have manual hubs this is a no brainer! Ill give you the quicky version of the rotor replacement. If you have auto-hubs it can be kind of shaky the first time. To be honest, its hard to mess this stuff up. Just remember to buy new bearings with the new rotors, and dont get bearing greese on the rotors! You might want to get a couple cans of brake cleaner incase you need to touch up a few spots! New bearing races usually come already pressed-in with new rotors, so there is no point in reusing your old bearings. Use TIMKEN or BCA/National Brand for the bearings. You will need new grease seals for the back of the rotors, make sure to put the rear bearing in first! Both the front and rear bearing are the same size on this model. Pack up them bearings with quality bearing greese, reinstall spindle nut (30ftlbs, backoff 90degrees, retorque to 18inlbs, reinstall key)

thats the quicky version! Glaciers write up will get you all the way home.

 

[JStrider]

Did you pull off the front wheels, and inspect the brakes, and suspension components?

i did pull the wheels off and checked the pads and rotors, they looked fine nice and smooth

dont really know what to look at as far as the suspension is concerned...

i'm thinkin i might just send it to a mechanic since its really getting down to crunch time this semester and I dont know if i'll have time to work on it myself much before moab...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check your bushings, links, tie rod ends, and ball joints.

 

[thewishkah]

yeah I have manual hubs, but I dont have a tq wrench, I guess I will have to pick one up soon, what sizes do I need?

 

[BrooklynBay]

It is a good idea to have torque wrenches in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch sizes. If you are using it just for this job, then you would need the 1/2" size, since that front nut is pretty big. You could also use it for the lug nuts, which would be 100 ft. lbs. Check Glacier's diary for the proper torque to make that spindle nut.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Heavy duty truck work requires a 3/4, or 1 inch torque wrench, but I doubt that you will be doing that sort of stuff. I saw a cheap 3/4" one in AutoZone made by Great Neck. You might be able to get a torque wrench from AutoZone as a loaner if you don't want to buy one.