Vibration during braking????

Hello, I'm having a problem with my Tacoma's brakes or something?

History.
I got vibration on braking. I changed my pads and rotors with something I got from a parts house. Within a year same problem (probable within 6 months).

I went to Toyota and got genuine Tacoma parts. Within say 9 months same problem.

This time I took it to a machanic. He replace the rotors and disks, this time the problem didn't go away. Still vibrating on braking.

I went to Toyota and the service manager said to get on a safe hiway with no traffic and pull the parking brake to see if the vibration was there. It was.

I took it in and had the rear drums replaced. Still same problem. Any Ideas?

Frank

 

Maybe your wheels need to be balanced? not sure sorry :/

 

Frank,
I was an ASE certified brake specialist for many years. The only way you can get a vibration when braking is from a warped drum/rotor. Brakes work off of friction. Friction causes heat. Heat causes metal to warp. If you feel the vibration in the steering wheel it is usually from a warped rotor. If you feel it in your seat it is usually from a warped drum. Just because you replaced the drums does not mean they were machined right from the start or that it has not been dropped during shipping. Take the drums to a local shop and have them mount them on a brake lathe to check for runout and/or bent center where they mate to the axle.
Fred

 

I haven't thought of that, but from my experiance out of balance wheels bounce all the time not just when braking, but I'm going to check with a front end shop and see what they say.

Thanks

Frank

 

Thanks Fred, the shop that put the new drums on said the shoes were good and didn't replace them. Do you think the shoes could be the problem?

Frank

 

Welcome to TW.

Can you give more detail about the vibration? Is it the same if you brake from say 70 mph compared to 15 mph? Can you hear it also? Where do you feel it most? Brake pedal? Steering column? Seat of the pants?

What are the details about your Tacoma. Which model, year, engine, transmission? How many miles on the truck? Do you have a lift? What size tires? Are you running stock or aftermarket wheels?

 

Frank,
No. All the shoes do are just press out against the drums when you apply the brake pedal. The rubbing together causes the friction to stop the vehicle. This is exaggerated but think of it like this, the drum is turning at very fast speeds with a flat spot on the inside of it. Each time the flat spot passes the stationary shoe that is rubbing against it you will feel the bump that it makes. When the brakes are applied you should feel a faster vibration the faster you are going and it will almost be gone when you are going very slowly. lmk
Fred.

 

Can you give more detail about the vibration?

Is it the same if you brake from say 70 mph compared to 15 mph?
No it is more noticeable when I'm slowing when I exiting the free way. I do think it is stronger as I get slower, but that may be because I pressing harder closer to the stop sign.

Can you hear it also?
I don't recall any or much noise.

Where do you feel it most? Brake pedal? Steering column? Seat of the pants?
I think the brake pedal.



What are the details about your Tacoma.

Which model sr5 double cab

, year, 2002
engine, v6
transmission? Auto

How many miles on the truck? Just turned 80,000


Do you have a lift? What size tires? Are you running stock or aftermarket wheels?

Every think is stock. This is a comuter truck. I purchased it new. The only unusual thing is I added a trans disconnect and I have towed it behind my RV. I have about 10,000 miles towing with 4 wheels down.


___Frank_______________

 

Frank,
You will feel the pulsation in your brake pedal wether it is the front or rear causing the problem. The movement of the warped drum/rotor causes the pistons in the calipers/wheel cylinders to move and this will transmit back to the pedal. Again, take the drums to a shop to have them checked.
Fred

 

You're doing it to yourself by how you are braking.

You're on the brakes too long too often and there heating up everything and it's warping.

Want to make them last and prevent this expensive repair from showing up every 6 months ? When you're driving pretend the brakes don't even work and drive accordingly. If you do indead need the brakes use them but limit the time you are on the brake petal. Hard fast braking is more effective the riding the brakes.

The hills are so big here you can screw up your brakes on a single hill. Learn to drive or change brakes, rotors and drums. Lots.

If you constantly have brake dust all over you rims you are doing something wrong.

Maybe not you maybe you lend the truck out to the wife / girlfriend / somebody else.

 

Hi Trap,

I won't argue that bad driving habbits can caus the problem. This time the problems existed immediately after new rotors and pads. And still existed after new drums.

I have owned this for 8 1/2 years and the problem has come up only during the last year.

I may be a little harder on brakes then the average person, but after this last change I don't think driving is the issue.

Thanks for the ideas.

Hi Fred,

I will try to see if the new drums are bad. I do have a question. If the new drums are bad would the problem feel exactly as it did be for the new ones were installed?

Thank again to everyone for ideas and suggestions.

Frank

 

Frank,
Pretty much. You really can't feel the pulsation difference between a drum that is warped .050 and one that is warped .100 thousandths. You just feel the pulsation because they are warped. Anyway, this is a simple and easy check before you drop any more money on the problem. A good brake shop can tell you in a matter of minutes if your drums are warped by mounting them on their brake lathe.
Good luck, Fred.

 

Thing is the back brake drums where probably warped and you got the front done then that pulsating goofed up the front in short order and then you got the back done.

Get them to check all the rotors and drums for trueness. Doing one end is pointless. Get them all true then drive like I said, that problem will never come up again.

Like I said the hills here are so large that you can screw them up on a new set no problem at all on one single hill. If your on flat land drive like it is here and you'll never have a problem ever.

You can see who changes there brakes lots just by watching other drivers. I make it a challenge here for me personally. Try to get down the hills and not touch the brakes once. Remember you can shift down. Better to shift down than use the brakes. If your foot is not on the gas it's taking no more gas. You get super mileage doing this trick.

 

I don’t know about your particular Tacoma, but some older BMWs have thrust rods that stabilize the lower control arm under braking. At the end of those thrust rods are sleeved rubber bushings. When those bushings wear (and sometimes if they aren’t worn) the front wheel geometry toes out under hard braking causing a shimmy or vibration. This condition isn’t always detected during an alignment because the weight of the car is not pushing against the resistance of the front brakes. The solution in that case is new thrust rod bushings.
I’m on this forum specifically because my buddy’s ’08 Tacoma is shaking at the steering wheel, but not necessarily pulsing at the brake pedal, under hard braking. I was curious if something along these lines might be his probable.

 

It could be your ABS system. It is doing the same thing on our 2000 4 Runner Limited 4x4. One person said it was sensors, and another said the system was just going bad.

 

listen to the man your rotors are warped

 

Uh, yah, checked that. Not the problem. However didn't check rear drums as suggested above. We'll give that a shot too.

 

Frank I used to have the same exact problem for two years. I put new tires, Brakes and rotor and the vibration would always come back quick.

Solutions: Depending on how many mile you have DO NOT over look the front wheel barrings. I jacked one wheel in the air and grabbed the 12 and 6 O'clock of the tire position and I couldn't believe the play it had. The barrings were SHOT. Once I changed them out, the vibration has not come back at all when I hit the brakes. Hope this helps.

 

Hmmm. Sounds like the same geometry going toe out situation. Thanks Rico.

 

If your drums were warped and they replaced them w/ new then your brake shoes would wear unevenly as well.