Steering Wheel Vibration after Replacing Brakes

[Jarred767]

Hey guys, so I did my first brake pad replacement this afternoon and for it being the most involved thing I've done so far on my truck (first time ever jacking a vehicle up and using jack stands even), it went really well. I just did the pads as the rotors looked quite good still; the braking is the best I've ever felt in this truck (bought it about 10k ago).

However, during the test drive I found out something went wrong as I have a terrible vibration in the steering wheel that starts once I get up to 65mph or if I hit a pothole or anything similar going over 45. I took the tires off and double checked everything (although only two bolts were removed from each side as I only took the caliper off) and then put the tires back on being careful to make sure everything was aligned and secure -tightened to 105 ft/lbs just to be sure. Test drove it and still the same issue...grrr

What could I have done that is causing this? The one hiccup that did occur was after completing both brakes I started turning the wheels back to straight (still jacked up) to put the tires back on, and power steering fluid squirted out the top of the reservoir. Wasn't sure why, or if it caused the steering vibration issue, but I thought I'd let you guys know in case it helps diagnose the problem.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice that anyone has.

 

[Jarred767]

Oh, one other quick thing; I have felt this exact vibration in this car a couple other times when I "ran out of gas." The truck has a weird quirk where if I park downhill with anything less than a 1/4 left, it won't start (fuel pickup issue); I just let it roll to even ground and it started right up, but I learned my lesson.

Anyway, both times it did that, I got the vibration once getting up to 65ish. After stopping the car and trying to figure it out (unsuccessfully), the vibration magically disappeared - maybe something reset - and hasn't returned until this afternoon. I don't know if that helps at all, but i figured there's a chance the two could be related, so I figured I'd add the info. Thanks again!

 

[Winniethepooh]

this is surely from air in the servo, caused by moving the front wheels left/right w/o motor running. Move the steering wheel left/right end to end 3 or 4 times with running engine, that will solve the problem. Check the level of steering fluid.

 

[Jarred767]

Thanks for that info. I hope that's the case and it's that easy if a fix. I'll do that when I go to work today and report back if it solved my problem.

 

[J_C]

If getting the air out of the steering system doesn't resolve this, I'd suspect one or more of your brake rotors are warped unless some fluke thing happened like a wheel balance weight fell off during the brake job.

 

[Jarred767]

Both wheels still have their weights on, I checked that. Could it be the rotors if there is absolutely no vibration when braking, only when getting up to a certain speed? And if the rotors are warped, would you be able to tell from looking at them (there are no grooves at all, or any discoloration).

 

[J_C]

There wouldn't necessarily be more vibration when braking, but there could be sort of a pulsating sensation once for every wheel revolution. They may not be warped enough to see visually (if warped at all) but you could take them to a place that turns (resurfaces) rotors and they should be able to tell you for free or only a trivial amount of money.

Then again it could just be a coincidence that it happens after you did the brakes since you later mentioned that it happened before you did the brakes too. It might be some other suspension issue.

 

[rb142]

Definitely air in the power steering. Classic symptoms. Winniethepooh got it. Turning the wheels by hand is known to cause this. Check the fluid level first. Run the steering back and forth until the vibration stops (pushes the air out) and check the fluid level again. It should be fine after that.

 

[J_C]

What I'm wondering is that if air got in turning the wheel with the engine off, then why was the problem present before the brake job. If the problem was due to air getting in before the brake job, then there may be some other problem causing air to get into the system, possibly it leaked until it was very low then was refilled?

 

[Jarred767]

So I took it out and cranked the wheel all the way both ways while inching along in a parking lot, and I think it got most of the air out. I took it out on the freeway and didn't feel any vibration until I was going almost 75 AND the road got a little rough. Maybe, it's slowly working the air out.... I'll do the same thing again tomorrow and hopefully the vibration will be completely gone.

The sway bar links are completely shot on this truck and a few weeks ago, the drivers one must have snapped in two as the top is gone. There wasn't really too much of a noticeable difference since they were in such bad shape before, but maybe the air in the ps system problem is accentuated by the broken sway bar link now. It was my next project anyways...

 

[Jarred767]

What I'm wondering is that if air got in turning the wheel with the engine off, then why was the problem present before the brake job. If the problem was due to air getting in before the brake job, then there may be some other problem causing air to get into the system, possibly it leaked until it was very low then was refilled?

The problem wasn't persistent, or even random before though. It only happened twice and both times were after the truck thought it was empty on gas, but after shutting it off and restarting, both times the vibration left and never returned. I haven't had to refill the PS at all and it's still full, so I'd be surprised if there was a PS leak. An oil leak, well yes, but that's a whole nother issue though....

 

[jremington59]

It can sometimes take a little time to get all the air out. The first time I did a wheel bearing I cranked the wheel all over the place with it not running. It took a couple days to get it back to normal.

 

[Jarred767]

What I'm wondering is that if air got in turning the wheel with the engine off, then why was the problem present before the brake job. If the problem was due to air getting in before the brake job, then there may be some other problem causing air to get into the system, possibly it leaked until it was very low then was refilled?

My guess on the connection between the two previous instances and this new one: I can't confirm, but I'm guessing when I "ran out of gas" I must have turned at some point before getting on level ground and restarting. Therefore, I was turning the steering wheel without the engine running and probably got air in the system then. Just a guess, but it sounds logical now.

 

[Jarred767]

Just reporting back after driving it for a few days. No more signs of the vibration, so it must have just been air in the system. New lesson learned: don't turn the wheels a bunch without the truck running. Thanks to everyone for your help!

 

[Winniethepooh]

you can of course turn the wheels w/o running engine, e.g. to get better access to brakes or s.th., you only have to keep in mind to get the air out...... ;-)

thanks for giving a feedback