Vibrations under braking...

Our son tells me he feels vibrations through the brake pedal at a variety of vehicle speeds and braking pressure. This suggests to me that the rotors are not quality parts. The dealer I purchased it from 2 years ago installed economy Toyota pads and non-OEM rotors as they prepared the vehicle or sale.

If vibrations were experienced under aggressive braking I would suspect CV joints.

Additionally, both front dust shields are crumbling so it appears I have a considerable amount of front end work to do on the truck. It currently has ~116k miles on it. What do you suggest for wheel bearings? NSK, SKF or, Timken? AC DELCO is crazy expensive at ~ $200/each.

However, I am new to the Tacoma world.

 

Vibrations covers a lot of ground. Could be warped rotors. Lug nuts could be loose. When was the last front end alignment? Tires balanced? Are the tires cupped?

 

Cheap pads and rotors do not mix on these truck.
The "self adjusters" on the drums don't work well at all.
Unless you adjust them every 10k-15k miles, they don't brake effectively.
Which means you rely the front brakes to take up more of the braking.
Which means more heat and pad material transfer to the rotor. Not good.

I'd suggest going with a quality pad and rotor.

As for the bearings. NSK or SKF ONLY.
Do NOT buy from eBay or Amazon. There are COUNTERFIET bearings in production.

I'd go with the ones sold here on TacomaWorld by @05Taco4x4
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-oe-nsk.537080/

If you don't feel comfortable buying from an individual, I've heard NAPA sells hubs with SKF.

BTW, The dust shields are "expensive". Like $80+ each.
Maybe more now.

Also, don't forget the hub seals.
Part numbers are in the link above.

 

Rotor quality matters but if they have hot spots or pad embedding they will cause pulsations.

Personally I'd just put new rotors and pads on and leave the backing plates and bearings unless they are really shot.

Also make sure the rear drums are serviced. They are commonly neglected and do not self adjust.

 

I have no issues buying from an individual. Thanks for the reference. We replaced the rear drums last fall w/Power Stop. I have heard good things about this company but we do not have adequate time on these parts to evaluate them definitively. So far, they seem excellent. I did not know we needed to manually adjust so thanks for that tip as well.

Yes, NAPA sells wheel bearing/hub assemblies w/SKF bearings:
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BRGBR930978

Unfortunately, the dust shields are shot and must be changed. If I'm disassembling this much of the front end...but I digress.

The front end only vibrates under braking but it is not real bad. This is why I suspect brake hardware. Tires were new at the time of vehicle purchase but I purchased a second set of rims (TRD) and a set of Cooper 4S tires for winter use. I am approaching time for my second 6k O/F change. Last fall my Mobil 1 was still transparent...ridiculous oil change interval!

 

I had a pulsing vibration when braking from 50 to 35mph on my factory OEM front brakes. I put these PowerStop rotors and pads on 18K miles ago and very happy with them and no more vibration.

$202 Power Stop Brake Kit For 2007-2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2005-2022 Toyota Tacoma 6 Lug, 2003-2009 4Runner 12.56" Rotors - Front Carbon-Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads & Drilled Slotted Rotors Replacement, K137

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FKS28C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 

TA2016 - I purchased the same kit and it is here. Waiting to identify axle shafts, seals, and hub bearings. Rebuilding the OEM CVs appears to be the best option but many here speak well of NAPA CV axles and their Gen2 axles are stated as having capability to operate at larger angles. Apparently, the aftermarket offers lifetime replacement for these regardless of the brand. The RCV brand is not in my budget.

 

CVJ sells high quality CVs rebuilt from Toyota parts, and they have higher angle options if you have a lift. Or @trail.taco is selling used CVs pulled from wrecked Tacomas with low miles. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oem-cv-axles-for-sale.837595/

Why are you changing the CVs? If they aren't leaking they are probably fine. I pulled apart one with 150k miles that was as rusty as a boat anchor on the outside, and the grease inside was pristine (not sure if it was original or if it had been rebooted at one point, but the boots looked OEM). If they are so bad that they are causing vibrations, then they are probably beyond the point of being able to rebuild yourself with confidence that it will last.

 

I communicated with @trail.taco Sunday. He does not have stock currently but stated he might have more mid-week.

Who is 'CVJ'? I thought this was NTN/SNR but I do not see the Tacoma in their product offerings.

Edit - Found CVJ here - https://www.cvjreman.com/product-tag/9808/

I'm going to change them because the outer boots are the hard plastic clip lock style boot and these have degraded and are severely cracked with much plastic missing. I recognized this last year and was unable to act to replace them. The plastic has dried and is falling off the outer outside the band but the cracks extend under the band so I need to deal with this before salted roads arrive. I intend to look into the Toyota rebuild kit too. Additionally, I decided it was best to give the truck to our son. He started college and it should provide him with 30 years of reliable service if he takes care of it.

 

CVJ is located in Denver and has been rebuilding Toyota axles for decades. I haven't bought from them yet, but they are well regarded.

Is this a 3rd gen (2016-2023)? Is it lifted? I am surprised to hear the outer plastic boots are failing. Are they OEM axles? I just pulled CVs out of a 2007 4Runner with 140k miles (stock ride height), and the outer plastic boots look perfect. The inner (rubber) boots are leaking where they clamp to the center shaft, but that's a common problem with 4Runners from that generation. I think they have updated the inner boot design over the years.

The most comprehensive CV tutorial I've seen is on the 4Runner forum. Some of the part numbers will be different for the Tacoma. But it helps show you all the seals so you can decide what to replace. Notably missing is the outer seal attached to the CV itself. I believe that's 90304-A0001 (for the 4Runner at least) which interfaces with the knuckle seal 90316-A0001 (4Runner). You might as well replace the oil seals in the diff while you're in there. If you do the wheel bearings you'll replace the knuckle seal at the same time, and a new or reman CV should come with a new outer seal.

 

There's also this detailed video showing the reboot process as well as CV replacement. But if you find wear/damage/rust while rebooting I don't know what you're supposed to do. I didn't get that far with the research, but gave up when I found internal rust due to a failed boot, and I decided to replace the axle instead of rebooting.
https://youtu.be/vcCT4UgFUTw

 

M85 - Thanks for all your assistance with this. I have installed new boots on CV joints before so I know how this is done. As time passes the timing of this repair is looking like it will be scheduled in the near future because getting the parts will take time. This delay may help me get OEM axles from @trail.taco because it will give him more time as well.

Our Tacoma is a 2016 and it is not lifted. Mileage is ~116k. I have been pursuing used lifts on Craigslist but most do not want to ship these in view of the time/labor to do so. I'm also trying to sort what is good when new but cost becomes astronomical quickly. I have experience with OME and like their ride quality but it seems the TRD Pro kit might be useful if I could find one on the used market.

I do not know if these are OEM axles. I purchased it from a dealer in NY state nearly 2 years ago and the vehicle seems to be equipped with OEM parts. The battery was Toyota but a purchased a NAPA AGM as soon as I got home because these are manufactured by East Penn.

 

More good news. Forum member @trail.taco was able to identify a pair of lower mileage axle shafts for me so now I need only the hub bearing assembly, front dust shields, and all seals involved. Perhaps I need to re-evaluate this thought...tie rod ends, etc. If you're doing front end work you have to do it all.

 

question:
How many times can you use a slotted rotor without turning it? Nobody wants to re surface my powerstop rotors. So i purchased a set of OEM at the dealer and since I'm driving down from 7000 ft to 500Ft a least twice a week my brakes stated to vibrate like crazy again.
Thinking about installing power stop again but I don't want to replace rotors every time i need pads..

 

Agreed. Have you been told why the repair facilities do not want to turn slotted rotors? I wish I knew this before buying my Power Stop kit because you can certainly get excellent rotors and pads in other brands. I purchased the K137 Z23 kit because of the reputation Power Stop has gained in the market. Generally, compatibility between rotor and pad material is important. Ceramic pads always produce more brake dust. Have you discussed this with the business that you purchased the rotors/pads from? They should have some useful information for you.

 

Got them online! They are great, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t afford new rotors every year. Also pads seems to last less with slotted rotors.

 

Me too. Online returns can be more challenging. I'll have to ask around to find out what the shops say near me about turning slotted rotors. If their answer is no it will likely be the last set I buy. Vehicle ownership is expensive enough... I am not surprised to learn the pads wear more with slotted rotors.

 

I decided to return my Powerstop K137 kit in view of your experience. I should not need slotted rotors and I purchased Powerstop based on their excellent reputation. I do think CarQuest and NAPA have excellent rotors that should meet my needs. Maybe take a look at these. Purchasing brakes from the 'brick and mortar' may be best because they allow returns 'easier' if you can apply that term to this issue... The vibrations we have been feeling have dissipated so this was welcome but I cannot state that we have put this issue behind us. It's too early for that claim.

Last I knew I had to drive nearly and hour to have rotors turned for less than $20/each. This does not help this situation.

Good luck

 

Cheapo knockoff rotors do this every time. Suggest high quality parts, it’s worth it especially here where you can cut them a few times. They’ll last a while

other thing is to encourage the driver to take it easy on the brakes, and to creep at stoplights after a long, hard stop. That’s where they warp if you clamp down on just one spot while they’re hot

 

I found these two threads here on TW extremely useful:

General brake info & upgrade - The @crashnburn80 thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/brake-upgrade-stoptech-rotors-trd-performance-pads.523829/

However current pricing for the StopTech cryo rotors exceeds $200 so I can't pursue these. The TRD Peformance ceramic pads are also over $100.

Second, the thread by @508Tacoma was also useful.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oem-vs-aftermarket-brake-rotors-and-calipers.784203/

The best option I've identified so far is the Brembo OE rotor w/Hawk LTS compound pad mentioned by @O2TRDXTRA in post #23.