High speed wheel shake after brake job

[1996Z15]

Yesterday I had all 4 rotors, new brake pads and the front wheel hub assemblies replaced on my 1997 XLT.

On the way home I got the truck up to the 70-73 mph mark and all of a sudden the wheel started to shake horribly. (this did not happen prior to the work being done).

When I contacted the mechanic he said that the vehicle may need tires and a wheel alignment.

This morning on the way to work I got the car to that speed and, sure enough, the shake happened again. This time I wanted to see if I could drive through it (maybe not the smartest thing to do) and the shake smoothed out somewhat at around 80.

My wife has a friend who works on cars and he said a shake at that speed could mean that the rear needs an alignment.

Some background info that may be helpful is I have a local shop that told me the brakes were due to be replaced which is why I had the work done to begin with. I changed out the hub assemblies because the truck makes a wobble sound like the wheel bearings are bad so I assumed the hub assemblies needed replacement. Well, after being replaced, that wobble sound is still there. (I know that can sometimes be caused by tires)

Before buying new tires, having an alignment done and God knows what else, I thought I post here to get some feedback from this knowledgeable group.

Thanks

 

[avidmar1978]

Did they rotate your tires when they did the brake job? If you need new tires and the wear is uneven, that will certainly cause this wobble. It may or may not even out in time if this is the case.

 

[1996Z15]

I don't think the tires were rotated when the brakes were done; at least I didn't request that it be done.

 

[my98nnj]

Get your wheels balanced.

Don't ever go to your wife's friend, he's got no clue what he's talking about.

 

[1996Z15]

Get your wheels balanced.

Don't ever go to your wife's friend, he's got no clue what he's talking about.

LOL, thank God I am not the only one who thought it was strange to have a solid axle rear aligned.

I guess what I should do is try the inexpensive fixes first (wheel balance) before buying new tires or having the front end aligned.

 

[snoranger]

LOL, thank God I am not the only one who thought it was strange to have a solid axle rear aligned.

I guess what I should do is try the inexpensive fixes first (wheel balance) before buying new tires or having the front end aligned.

A solid rear axle can be out of alignment, that isnt strange. A bent tube, sagging spring, worn bushings, etc could throw it slightly off from straight.... But it would never cause the problem you're having.

 

[1996Z15]

My wife called and said she misunderstood what her friend told her. He said that if the shake happens below 45 mph it is usually the front tires out of balance; if the shake happens above 65-70 then the rear tires are out of balance.
He did not say anything about alignment like she had told me.

 

[sport97]

My wife called and said she misunderstood what her friend told her. He said that if the shake happens below 45 mph it is usually the front tires out of balance; if the shake happens above 65-70 then the rear tires are out of balance.
He did not say anything about alignment like she had told me.

Can't say that i've heard that one before.... I have a shake at about 65 or faster, and its the front. I lost a wheel weight in the mud when 4 wheeling. Check your rims for the wheel weights and see if you lost one.

Also check your lug nuts! Its possible they didn't tighten a few.

 

[Sedition]

Look closely at the edge of your wheels and you will find small weights attached, this is how wheels are balanced. One may be missing, there will be a dirty mark if a weight is missing. Sometimes they fall off when your tires are removed to have work done to your truck. If you do find that one of these weights are missing I'd say you need a balance done. Having wheels balanced is inexpensive, or free sometimes if you bought your tires from the same tire shop.

 

[my98nnj]

. He said that if the shake happens below 45 mph it is usually the front tires out of balance; if the shake happens above 65-70 then the rear tires are out of balance. .

Out of balance shakes / vibrations happen at highway speeds, not at less then 45 mph.
Please don't ever let him work or suggest repair procedures for your vehicle, it's obvious he's not qualified as a mechanic.

Take the truck to a local tire shop and have the wheels balanced.

 

[1996Z15]

Well it would appear as if I fixed the problem, at least temporarily anyway. When I left work last night I found the nearest station with an air pump and inflated all four tires to the recommended pressure (2 of the tires were very low)

On the drive home I got the truck up to the 75-80 mph range and no shake. I am going to make an appointment to have the tires high speed balanced just as a precaution.

I know I will need tires in the near future but, I am trying to space out my repair / maintenance expenses to make it more manageable.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and input.

 

[JAMES209]

If you are a Sam's Club member, my local club offers rotate and balance for $15.82. Cheap!

 

[deweyville65]

My98nnj, whoever told you that an out of balance tire doesn't shake/ vibrate at speeds below 45 MPH?

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Aside from low air in the tires, wouldn't surprised if it was simply air in the power steering. Especially given your tires weren't changed during the brake work. Any time the engine is turned off turning the steering can and often will allow air into the power steering system. If doesn't usually make noise, instead you get exactly what you described - lots of wheel shake. Sometimes to the point when hitting a small bump that the truck is almost uncontrollable. The procedure for getting the air out of the system involves turning the steering wheel lock to lock a few times. Do a search on power steering bleeding before you spend a lot of money needlessly.