Brakes Shake Violently

My truck has had this problem for a while and it only happens under certain conditions.

After a day's worth of driving to work and back home i leave the truck outside, everything is fine from the morning and when i get home.

The problem occurs later at night when i want to pull the truck into my garage. The truck is cold by now and when i lightly step on the brakes to let the truck move slowly but not completely stopped, the truck shakes violently like a 7.0 earthquake!

I have to step on the brakes completely until the truck stops to end the shaking. If i let off the brakes completely, the shaking stops. So i'm pretty sure its the brakes.

I thought about it being because the brakes were cold, but it does not happen in the morning when i leave. So that makes me think it is because the brakes were hot and just began cooling or cooled down too fast.

I looked at the brake pads and they are still brand new. The only problem i know of on the truck is the driveshaft center support bearing is completely blown but has been for a long time and i have not replaced it, not sure if this could cause it.

Any help? Thanks!

 

you might need new rotors and brake pads. sounds like your rotors could be warped from being heated then cooled off very quickly i.e. driving through a puddle after heavy braking

 

Yep, sounds like rotors are warped & I would address that center bearing issue ASAP....

 

it doesnt sound like the brakes to me ,you sure that drive shaft isnt jumping up and down making it shake?

 

No it could be loose rotor or warped rotor. Does it only occur while braking?

 

Do you really think it is warped rotors?

I've driven a car with warped rotors and it was different from this. I would also think that if it had warped rotors then it would shake all the time during normal driving.

This only happens when i've driven the car for the day, let it sit for 4hours then drive it in.

I'll try and get video if i can.

 

I do not brake to the point where the suspension is compressed causing the driveshaft to move up and down. But i thought of that, so first thing i will do is replace the center support bearing, just having trouble getting the driveshaft bolts off.

 

Remember to mark original location of flang bolts before removing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOX-BGse0q0?version=3

 

Get under the truck and visibaly look everything over, then go from there.

 

Piston in you're calipers ? One could be getting stuck a little maybe flush rebleed front calipers.

 

I have the very same problem with my Tundra. Exact same problem! I have replaced the front rotors, calipers, pads and the rear cylinders. I think I've finally traced it down to the rear brakes being adjusted too tight. I pulled the drum today, inspected the springs, etc, and backed off the adjustment a bit, cleaned everything with brake parts cleaner and put it back together. As for the rotors, calipers and pads, I found hairline cracks in my Brembo rotors on the inside surface and it seemed time to replace the calipers (160k miles), just in case there was a rust pitting problem. Since the Tundra is an '02 I also replaced the cylinders and flushed the brake fluid. The problem went away, then came back after 2 weeks. I'll post more info as I determine if adjusting the brakes solved the serious shaking. So far it has, but I've been wrong before.

 

Does everyone have ABS ?? Could it be ?? just throwing it out there...

 

i bet this is the issue. i keep forgeting these trucks have rear drum brakes. i have had this happen on a 1934 ford coupe we built.

 

Two nights ago, the violent grabbing of the brakes started up again as I was pulling the Tundra into the garage for the evening. I inspected the driveway and thought I detected small black rubber patches on the driveway in an area which could have only been caused by the right rear tire. That is what lead me to inspect and re-adjust. So far, so good.

 

It's been a couple days now and the grabbyness is gone, so for me, it was having the rear brakes adjusted too tight which caused grabbyness at low speeds. It's good to have it fixed!

 

Thanks thombiz!

I'm gonna take a look at it this weekend. Anyone have a link to a good howto or diy?

 

Had similar issues. Truck would shake violently coming down from higher speeds when braking. Turned out my left caliper was sticking. Replaced both calipers, rotors, and pads.

 

Followup: It's been a week and no sign of any brake grabbyness at very low speeds like before. The rear brakes were adjusted too close, and backing them off has cured the problem.