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I’m just now posting the fix on this from a couple months ago: I put a runout gauge on each of the front rotors — driver side was > 0.004 inch, while the passenger side didn’t move the dial. I replaced the driver side rotor (with OE) and measured runout again, which was within 0.001. I just de-glazed the passenger side rotor, which was in good shape, changed and bedded in the pads, and the pulsating/vibrating disappeared.
Who’s to know what caused the runout, but my takeaway is to measure it before changing rotors.
Thanks flyr — thinking through these possibilities —
1) I can’t imagine my wife in hot pursuit 🙂
2) It’s unlikely the front brakes are having to compensate for inadequate rear braking — both rear brakes have fairly new OE calipers and I service them regularly.
3) I wire-wheel the hub faces when changing rotors, and use a torque wrench with star pattern on lug nuts (although I’m going to start using the Costco method of bringing the tire down to a few inches off the ground, then “chocking” and tightening before letting the full weight of the car down, to assure even tightening).
4) So any uneveness from then on would seem to have to result from uneven pad pressure (no evidence of uneven pad wear), unlikely overheating, or hub run-out.I’m thinking I’ll change one side at a time to find the offending rotor, check for uneven pad wear, then take the car with the new rotor to my mechanic to check for hub runout. I’ll let you know what I find.
I’ve replaced 2 rear calipers on my wife’s 2008 T&C (119k miles) that leaked at that same point at the end. The latest resulted in the caliper/pads freezing onto the rotor — I had to pry it off with a crowbar. While I haven’t tried rebuilding, I’ve had such bad luck with replacement/reman calipers for this car along the way (Carquest and Centric, respectively) that I sucked it up and spent the $$ on an OE caliper.
It is also possible that your rotor is making contact with the back plate, which can happen either from rust buildup on the back of the rotor, or from a deformed back plate (e.g. if hit by road debris). If your noise sounds like something grinding on sheet metal, and if it increases or decreases when you turn one direction or the other, this is a likely suspect. You can check for it by removing the tire, while chocked and in neutral on jack stands, and turning the rotor by hand. If you hear scraping on the back plate, you would need to remove the caliper to see where in back the rotor is making contact. If it is due to a rust ridge on the rotor, take the rotor off and grind the ridge down with a file. If it is instead caused by a deformed back plate, you need to push/pry it back until you have sufficient clearance.
Thanks for your advice and your concern — she’s fine, having worn her seat belt. Hopefully she’s also safer, having learned the lesson that taking your eyes off a wet road in heavy traffic to reach for your phone isn’t smart 😳
You’ll find the exact amounts in the FSM. These for example are for my 2002 Accord (PAG-46, oz) –
-when replacing evaporator: 1 1/3
– when replacing condenser: 5/6
– when replacing a line or hose: 1/3
– when replacing receiver/dryer: 1/3
– for leakage repair: 5/6
– compressor: depends on the amount of oil in the new one.To close this out, I replaced the IACV yesterday, which fixed the hunting idle. It had gone from intermittent to constant, and I was concerned the fluctuations were putting a strain on the transmission at lower speeds.
Not much room back there between the throttle body and firewall — I ended up disconnecting the other ends of the coolant hoses and vacuum line, then pulling them up and out with the part.
Thanks for the tips.
Thanks Shaun — I understand that — it’s just an odd coincidence that the idle problem disappeared when I erased the code. The two times this has happened the CEL & code showed up at the same time as the erratic idle. I’ll check the connector, keep an eye on it, and come back to everyone with a wrap-up. Hopefully.
Thanks Rob. I hesitate to take anything out yet, especially because of the weird “fix” of what is an intermittent problem. Obviously something’s causing the idle to misbehave before I clear the code, but then again the IACV isn’t so dirty, or otherwise faulty, that it doesn’t go back to normal. I’m wondering if the combination of the “circuit malfunction” code, and the fact that clearing the code also clears the condition, points to something electrical. Again, I’ll have a look at the connector/wiring this weekend.
What’s your mileage, and when were the sway bar bushings last replaced? If the brackets are accessible it’s an easy DIY job and lets you eliminate one source. (If you go this route I would recommend OE bushings — I bought a set from Advanced Auto for my 02 Accord, and not only was the rubber noticeably softer, the holes for one pair were slightly different sizes. Back they went. )
If you don’t have any up-down play (try grabbing the swaybar with both hands and jiggling it, or smacking it with a rubber mallet) then you’re fine. As the bushings wear the holes gets bigger, allowing the swaybar to bounce against the frame and amplify every bump or rut.
If you do need to replace them I would go OE — it sounds trivial, but the Advanced Auto replacements for my Accord were spongier, and one hole was noticeably larger than the other in the same pair (which are different front vs. back). Back they went.
Worn sway bar bushings can make a big difference front and back.
Warped rotors were the culprit – I changed them today and braking is as smooth as glass. Apparently these vans have a reputation for chewing up rotors and pads before their time. I’ll probably switch to slotted, which are recommended for for heavy loads/towing, if these don’t last any longer.
Thanks again for the advice.