What can induce brake vibration other than rotors?

"davefr" wrote

Does this happen even right after you have replaced the rotors? Or does it take a few miles or hundreds/thousands of miles to start occuring?

Ian

"davefr"

Any front end part.

Doesn't sound like it to me.

- Nate

davefr wrote in news:1n63kv80hslseqqur94mu8u0vtbn1o5fp9@

Tires? Suspension bushings? Worn steering linkage?

But if it were any of these components wouldn't they create vibration under non-braking situations??

Not necessarily, no. If you have the original wheel bearings replacing those would be the first suggestion.

It would also help to know whether the vibration begins immediately after pad/rotor replacement or only after some period of wear. If only after wear, it could be as simple as a sticking piston causing hot spots.

If it was my car, I'd trashcan the original calipers and rotors and replace them with good aftermarket ones, and new wheel bearings.

Approximately 8/19/03 09:40, davefr uttered for posterity:

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (davefr) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

Possible, yes...detectible while driving..maybe not. Do you notice whether the vehicle slightly pulls to one side when you brake?

Thanks for all the suggestions. I can take brand new rotors out of the box and the vibration is there. I even returned the rotors within the warranty period and the replacements exhibit the same characteristic right out of the box. I even had the new replacements machined and the same condition exists.

I guess it could be bearings, tie rod ends, or calipers.

Is there any reliable way to pinpoint the problem to these specific components. Rebuilt calipers after the core refund aren't too expensive but hub assemblies run about $300/pair. Is the "shake the wheel" method effective in detecting a worn hub bearing assembly??

I hate to swap parts without diagnosing the root cause.

Even torque sticks aren't very accurate. A torque wrench is the most fool proof way to know your tires are torqued properly. I, by no means, don't mean a fool couldn't over torque a lug with a torque wrench. If you don't realize what the click means, you can still over torque the lug)

On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 19:39:53 -0700, davefr wrote:

Dave, about a month ago I spent too much time talking to a workmate about a vibration in his '98 Bravada. It was about to go out of extended warranty. He had recently had some warranty trans work done (AWD) at the dealer, a bit later a master cylinder and a caliper replaced at an independent shop as part of a brake job, then shortly after that ran over an aluminum ladder on the tollway. A few months later the vibration started happening at 65mph on his way to and from work. Wouldn't happen until after ten minutes or so at that speed. He bounced from dealer to brake shop to tire store multiple times. New tires, rims, and brakes rechecked multiple times by the dealer. Same vibration. My guess was the driveline - maybe a u-joint or an out of balance/bent shaft. I went for a ride with him at lunch thinking I could at least pin the vibration down to a corner by using my stethoscope. The tollway got jammed before it happened, so we pulled off and came back to work on slower roads. The vibration occurred once, for 4 or 5 seconds at 45mph, but I couldn't get a read on it. He really likes the Bravada, but was thinking of dumping it because of the vibration and the possibility of uncovered trans work. I told him to keep pushing the dealer, and he did, leaving the car with them for a few days. I figured they would do the driveline work or screw him. Nope. They replaced the brake booster. Problem solved. Shows how much I know about modern braking systems, even if I can torque down a caliper bolt.

--Vic

Are you ignoring the rear brakes in all this? Don't! Warped rear rotors can cause a vibration too, although it feels a bit different from the "sawing the steering wheel back-and-forth" feel that warped fronts cause.