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For the last few months, my mom has been having a braking issue on her car. Every time she steps on the brakes, the whole car would shake including the steering wheel, and the brake pedal pulses. At first we thought rotors, because the problem got gradually worse as time went on. We replaced the rotors and the pads, but after about a week the problem came back again. We discovered a sticking caliper, so we replaced both front calipers as well as the rotors and pads once again. This was just last night, and we can still feel a slight pulse, which is worse the harder we press the brakes. At the same time we hear a pulsing squeaking noise which happens at the same time that the brakes pulse. (eg on each pulse we hear a squeak). All of these symptoms only apply when braking, and have gotten better with the replacements but haven’t completely gone away yet. I am at a loss as to what to do at this point. This seemed to start a while after we did the drum brakes a few months ago, but would that cause the steering wheel to shake? Plus is there any chance that it would significantly improve with replacement of the front rotors and pads and then come back again a week later? It’s all very confusing at this point and I have no idea where to go next.
We did bleed all the brakes in order (RP, RD, FP, FD (Master cylinder is on Driver’s Side)), and the pedal feels completely normal when the car is at a stop with the engine running. All new brake fluid (we leaked a lot), and lugnuts are evenly torqued. No ABS light, and even tried disconnecting ABS motor and still had same issues.
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First thing to mention is that even brand new drums/rotors may need to be resurfaced/finished before they are put on a car. Even though they are new, they are still prone to being slightly off especially some of the cheaper ones available from aftermarket suppliers.
Also, all ABS systems will cause the brake pedal to pulse when they are operating. It’s just how they work.
Now that those things are out of the way, In order for a brake pulsation to be felt in the steering wheel, there would have to be a vibration being carried to the rest of the steering system, that could mean worn ball joints or tie rod ends, maybe even wheel bearings.
Lastly, and not to bash the ladies or mothers in general, have you been able to recreate the issue or does it only happen when she drives? I know my mom has an obscenely heavy brake foot and doesn’t even bother to stop until I see a good 10 years of my life flashing before me when I’m in her car. What I mean is, could it just be the way she drives?
I would try to isolate the vibration, does it happen when you brake? at a specific speed? turning? You could have a tire out of balance, a bent rim. there are alot of things that could casue vibration. If you did replace the rotors and brakes then I would look else where. Also double check your work. Could be a caliper bolt. Check out this video.
In addition to the excellent advise given above, make sure mating surfaces are clean between rotor and hub and wheel and hub.
Also are you torqueing the lug nuts evenly and to spec?
I don’t remember what they were, they were given to us under warranty.
I have tried everything else listed above already, as I did state those in my original post
I am going to check and make sure the pads are installed correctly. I believe it is Wear Indicator towards the ground, but please correct me if I am wrong
[quote=”bendres97″ post=59954]I don’t remember what they were, they were given to us under warranty.
I have tried everything else listed above already, as I did state those in my original post
I am going to check and make sure the pads are installed correctly. I believe it is Wear Indicator towards the ground, but please correct me if I am wrong[/quote]
sounds right. bottom and to the inside.
I’d check that the mating surface is clean and rust free where the rotor seats against the hub, this can cause some lateral run out. I’d also check that the rear drums are adjusted up right. If they are not engaging full it puts more pressure on the front brakes which can cause them to warp. I have gotten warped rotors from the parts store before. You can check the l.r.o. on the rotors with a dial indicator.
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