Vibrating brakes once again

Hello Tacoma family... Back in January 2021 I replaced my rotors with OEM rotors and Wagner Ceramic disc brake pads. I mainly did the replacement of the rotors because they were vibrating at around 40k miles. I actually had a post about the issue on the link below. Well 20k miles later the vibration while braking at speeds above 55mph is happening once again. In the last year I have been hauling a boat during summer months (not as often as I would want to). Could there be another underlying issue causing rotors to warp so quickly? I checked the pads this week and they still have plenty of life in them. Any feedback appreciated. Thank you



https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/brake-pads-recommended.671818/

 

You mentioned you were towing a boat so rotors will warp when hot and driven through cold water.

 

Agreed, but at the boat ramp front wheels never are submerged in water. Also if you are referring to rain water, I wouldn't be towing the boat if it would be raining.

 

I've had a similar issue, I tow a small camper in summer in the Sierra. Had a full inspection/flush, and what I learned was that at least one of the rear wheel drum adjusters was seized up and filthy, so not doing its share of the braking work, so fronts compensating.

 

And this (boat ramp) would help your rear adjusters sieze up.

 

BTW, the mechanic advised Akebono (Lexus) pads on front, and he advised staying with OEM in the rear. This is from a Rubicon Jeeper who works at a Toyota/Lexus private shop. He's the man, dude.

 

Thanks for the info. Will check rear drums as I have never checked them...

 

Two questions:
1. How were you/mechanic able to tell that the rear adjusters were seized up? Is it a matter of spinning the adjuster to see if it moves?
2. In such case, did you replace them or use anti-seize lube to break them free?


Thanks

 

Wagner Pads?

 

Yes

 

1. I beleive so. He had it up on the rack for a full inspection. I also told them about my issue, like yours, so he was just being thorough to make sure all was operational, I imagine.

2. In my case he just cleaned and lubed them. The dust buildup was bad, so I imagine that was the biggest culprit.

 

I removed the drum yesterday and checked the rear adjusters. They did not seem seized up. I was able to adjust them both sides spinning them. I also checked the brake shoes and they still have life in them. So makes me wonder what else could be the cause of the brakes warping so fast. Any other suggestions to look into?

 

Here is a link to rear brake replacement and the lower pivots that usually freeze/rust and do not move so putting your parking brake on will do nothing as the levers need to pivot/move to work the adjuster.
Rear Brake Replacement Tips | Tacoma World
A caliper hanging up can also cause your vibration if it does not backoff after using the brakes - sticks pushed out slightly.
Look at the pads and make sure they slide/clear freely where they fit on the caliper as some come slightly too big and hang there (not on the slide pin side but other).
I did not see the year or mileage of your Tacoma so....

 

2015, 61k miles.
So if I put my parking brake on and try to drive the car would be a good test for the rears?

 

Not so much. Even if your shoes are not adjusted up properly, the parking brake will still be able to hold the truck in position. I just adjusted my rears and they were definitely out of adjustment, but the parking brake function didn’t change at all.

Broad consensus here on TW is that the self-adjusters don’t keep the shoes in the optimal position, so they don’t contribute much to braking unless manually adjusted from time to time. This is pretty clearly true as most people report their shoes last over 100K miles and that’s really not possible if the rears are doing their fair share.

But your problem may not be related to this, many people tow and don’t muck with their rears much and aren’t reporting what sounds like warped rotors. Some vehicles are prone to this when the lug nuts get over-torqued and stress gets transferred to the rotor, which leads to warpage pretty quickly as they heat up (even under normal driving conditions). This isn’t something I’ve seen reported here on TW so I don’t think it’s a likely cause. Given how flat the back of the wheel is and how much contact area it has with the rotor/hub, I don’t consider it likely, but if someone is really overdoing it with the air impact gun, maybe it’s a factor.

I like the caliper issue @scocar mentioned, I think you could check that with an infrared thermometer by driving for a good little while normally (15 minutes at freeway speed perhaps) then quickly check both rotors temperature. If one is noticeably hotter than the other, that would be a decent indication of a dragging caliper piston. But you’d probably notice the truck drifting (seeming to be out of alignment) if that was happening.

 

When you come to a hard stop with hot brakes, personally I try to then keep the lightest brake pressure on the pedal at the stop light, and creep forward slowly. This keeps the hot pad from affecting the rotor unevenly in one spot. Perhaps it does nothing but I think it helps.