I’m stumped. Steering wheel shimmy under light breaking

Hello all, strange one here .. I’m stumped need some help..

My steering wheel shaking at minor breaking.. So I checked rotors they were not warped..? I was surprised

But got them turned them anyway.. new pads too.. problem almost solved less steering wheel shake..3 months later they were shaking a lot more and I was a bit concerned.. So I bought 2 front new high temp ceramic bullshit rotors and new pads too..

Now.. 2 months feb 21 .. shaking a lot.. but only when light breaking which I normally do... when under heard breaking it doesn’t happen or when I’m driving 70mph no shaking..

Bent rim.. out of balance.?? Wouldn’t it shake at all time and worsen as I speed up.. if that ..? Wheel bearing already changed one few years back going bad..? Ball joints bad ..? A arms bushings bad..?

I’ve jacked up truck checked everything they seem tight.. .. no play in steering.. at all..
Torsion bar bushings good..tight I’m at a loss...

Thanks in advance..

2007 taco..
2 wheel drive
V6.
6lug 1 1/2 wheel spacers
150k
Well taken care of..

 

I agree with your suspicions and would be jacking it up (like you did) and checking for play in the bearings/BJs, then getting the tires balanced.

 

I'd guess imbalanced tires as well, try swapping them around to see if anything changes if you haven't already.

You make sure the spacer nuts are tight? That would be another guess of mine.

 

Ah, I completely missed the spacers, yep good idea

 

a callaper that is sticking/not moving under light pressure but moves under heavy pressure?
maybe something in the ABS?

 

I’ll check tires balance and rotate them,
I do always red loctite the spacers but will double check all ..
I’ll check the caliper as well for sticking and grease the pistons too..
Abs is working fine.. no dash light or torn lines to calipers/sensors

 

From my experience as a mechanic, Toyota’s have a propensity to still shake when braking after turning the rotors or even when replacing them. The rotors have to be machined on a “on the car” brake lathe. Like a pro-cut. Just about every dealership and higher end shops will have and swear by them.

 

I agree with this. It’s got to be a brake issue of only during light braking. Especially since it went away the first time you turned the rotors. New parts doesn’t mean they are perfect. Rotors are commonly known to be warped or improperly manufactured when new.
Other worthy notes. Your calipers may be binding and causing the rotors to overheat and warp over time. Check and lube the guides. Make sure the piston isn’t seized up either. Best bet is determine if it’s front or rear brakes (steering wheel or seat vibration). Make sure the rotors are good brand or oem and they are within spec to resurface.

 

Gotcha, rotors were turned off truck.. then I replaced with high quality ceramic coated rotors..
I’ll check them again.. for warpage ..
and check calipers and grease the guides..

And balance/rotate tires too..

 

Go find a nice empty section of road where you can do some repeated heavy braking from 55mph down to 10mph 10 or so times to get some good heat into the rotors and clear any pad deposit before you spend any money getting the rotors turned.

 

Might have a sticky caliper getting the rotors too hot. Even fancy expensive rotors can develop a pulsation if they get (and stay) too hot

 

This ^^^. If they were turned off the truck then they weren’t turned properly.

 

Follow up:
checked all caliper pistons functioning/smooth...

checked new calipers .. no warpage...

Problem was the Wheel hub bearing..
replaced entire hub assembly...
Works perfect no shimmer whatsoever...At soft and heavy braking..!!

Just a question regarding break turning.. being if not “on the car" not be done properly ..? This new way easier not to take rotors off or calipers.. would this way find out if the hub was going bad with out a load on it..?
I definitely see it easier for the mechanic .. less labor.. but not done properly..? And for the last 70 plus years stumps my thinking.

Thanks everyone for your input...