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recurrent brake pulsation


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Guest
Anonymous Poster
chsmrmt@yahoo.com

Sep 23, 2007, 11:24 PM

Post #1 of 4 (2947 views)
recurrent brake pulsation Sign In

Any help with the following problem with be appreciated.

Three months ago my steering wheel was pulsating with braking. I was surprised since the front pads/rotors were only 15 months and 20,000 miles old. Nonetheless I had the rotors turned. I also noticed a sticky slide-pin on the caliper which I freed up.

Within a few weeks the steering wheel was pulsating again during braking. It got rapidly worse. Braking at high speed had moderate to severe shudder. So three months after turning the rotors I replaced them with new ones thinking they just weren't turned properly.

Now 2 weeks after putting new front rotors on, my problems of shuddering/pulsation during heavy braking is returning. I don't know what else could be going wrong? Should I try replacing the calipers next?

There is no doubt that turning the rotors and replacing them helped, but each time the problem returns and worsens quickly (over a few thousand miles). I have never had this problem with this car or any other car that I have done brake work on.

The car does not pull to one side, so I don't think a caliper is frozen, but I don't know why these rotors are warping so quickly.

Thanks,
Brandon


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Sep 24, 2007, 2:28 PM

Post #2 of 4 (2946 views)
Re: recurrent brake pulsation Sign In

Feel the wheel after a bit of a drive with some braking. Both should be the same temp. Many of the rotors for vehicles are just barely of legal thickness when new and can't tolerate any less. By nature these rotors when they get hot can warp. It would be VERY hot to cause the wrapage not just with things all normal. Caliper slides/pins must be free and lubed and it can be hard to tell sometimes if the caliper does have a sticky spot.

Usually when one gets substantially hotter than the other you will feel a pull when braking to one side. If at rear it doesn't pull so much but you would feel a warped rear rotor when braking. The flex lines from body to caliper can also degrade inside and not release the pressure well or at all in some cases. Just some ideas,

T



Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Sep 28, 2007, 3:15 PM

Post #3 of 4 (2938 views)
Re: recurrent brake pulsation Sign In

Oh yes - wheel lug torque counts. Most cars aren't that sensitive but some are. Also if rotor to hub is not clean as can be the slightest rust in there will cause pulsation. My not show up right away as when you have just been in there you probably lubed caliper slides and retracted piston(s) and they are freer than they are a bit later. Just some other possibilities,

T



Guest
Anonymous Poster

Sep 28, 2007, 3:18 PM

Post #4 of 4 (2939 views)
Re: recurrent brake pulsation Sign In

If you bought new rotors, then u shouldnt have any problems with runout or parallelism. But keep in mind, Improper tightning of wheel lug nuts can cause warpage among other things such as excessive heat. In fact, uneven lug nut torque can cause a pulsating brake pedal. Also be aware that pedal pulsation is normal on ABS equipped vehicles, WHEN the ABS system is working. Such as Braking at high speed.






 
 
 






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