HELP Brakes pulsate and shake....gen 1

Before you suggest to me its the front rotors ..I have replaced them ....twice (new pads and upgraded to TUNDRA front hardware)....plenty of stopping capacity. The rears got new drums and shoes and it still pulsates when slowing down. You can feel it in whole truck and higher speeds really shake it up.

IF I pull the E brake at about 40 miles per hour (easing it out) I get the same exact sensation so I know it is in the rear but not "fluid brake based issues". I took the old drums and had them turned just to confirm that the new ones were not bad and put them back on this weekend and same problem.

I am struggling to understand what could be the cause of the problem?????

Anyone ???

 

Heh, my rear brakes pulsate a little bit too, especially if I drive with the e-brake on. Not sure what it is may be warped in a lateral direction or a shitty pad seat. Couldn't tell ya for sure.

 

If a shop did the work (rear brakes), take it back.
If you did it, and are new at it, you may have messed up something. Lots of little parts that have to go back exactly right.
I have a '99 and some things may have changed by 2004

Does yours look like this? :



I have some better photos that I could dig up, including the bottom portion, if you want.

 

If your wheels are torqued uneven as one nut really loose or tight compared to the rest it will cause a shaking just like warped rotors or drums

Worn suspension parts can cause this as well.

 

End of axle shaft bent??? That night you had a bit too much and
were out doing donuts and hit that curb??? Remember?? J/k
But seriously, maybe end of axle shaft bent. Jack the rear
and spin the wheels and see if they wobble. Just a thought

 

Maybe air in the Master cylinder you might have to bench bleed it!!!!

 

Thanks I'll put it up on stands and see if I can narrow it down to one side.
Doubt it is air in line as it occurs with ebrake which is completely cable driven so we are talking mechanical parts.
Yes mine looks like your 99 but I have been over it and everything is place and operational.

 

Get some new Brembo brake drums, around $120 for the pair, mine shook terrible, completely smooth & nice now. Also installed Wagner shoes with the drums. Check the runout on yours with a dial indicator, mine were .025", way too much.

 

The way mass produced parts are anymore it is possible you got a bad drum, who
knows. There isn't a chance that you have some rust buildup on one spot of the
axle flange not allowing the drum to sit right?? Good luck on your quest for the fix.

 

I had a similar situation with brake pulsation. I replaced the front rotors and pads twice. I believe that bleeding the brake lines (including at the proportioning valve) and torquing the lug nuts to spec helped. But, what ultimately took care of the issue was changing the rear drums, shoes and hardware about a month ago. Now the brakes are smooth as glass.

BTW, I like the handbrake test. Makes good sense.

 

Wheel or tire could be out of round

 

I had same problem. New pads and drums/rotors all the way around. I went and had my new rotors and drums turned..... fixed the problem. The drums were warped off the shelf. .

 

Which rear drums did you go with? I bought Napa versions once and they were warped right out of the box.

Also it could be that your auto adjusters were not installed properly.

RJM

 

these:http://www.ebay.com/itm/361225184503?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

If your truck has ABS it can cause similar issues to what you are describing.

 

To all: thanks for notes and insights. I hit the wall and literally turned it over to Toyota. The replaced all rear brakes components with FACTORY parts and now I smile when I brake.
Yep 510 dollars later smooth as it gets. I did take the recently purchased parts back to autozone and they gave me full refund. Pretty decent of them overall.
Hope this helps the next guy.

 

Yeah don't ever buy autozone brake anything .....unless it's brake cleaner lol