steering wheel shakes when braking
#1
06-20-2006, 12:21 AM
steering wheel shakes when braking
About 2 weeks ago i replace my front brakes. At low speeds (25-40mph) it shakes little bit, but when at highway speeds (55-70mph) it shakes alot more. I have replaces alot of brakes & i never had this problem. What gives? The tie rods are good, ball joints look good. I didn't replace the rotors because they look almost new.i bought the truck in feb. this is when i put push the pedal in, so you know.
#3
06-20-2006, 12:48 AM
RE: steering wheel shakes when braking
I agree. Most likely warped rotors. One thing to try first is to remove your wheels and make sure that there is no corrosion on the mounting surface of the rim. Also, make sure that your lugs are evenly torqued to 90-100ftlbs. You will need to recheck the lug nut torque after driving for a bit.
Be careful when turning rotors when the rotor is warped or deeply grooved. True, you may get by for a bit without them being a problem, but the more thin the rotor, the more susceptable it is to warping. Now if you started with a high quality rotor to begin with and the rotor isn't too bad out of plane (warp), then you may do very well with having it turned. If rotors are not replaced when doing a brake job, they should atleast be roughened up to give the pad a clean and slightly rough surface to bed in the pads properly. A smoothed over rotor may lead to a glazed pad which will just not work properly.
If you end up getting new rotors, do not go with the cheapest one you can find. I have never had luck with the cheaper castings as they don't have the meat on them that the more expensive ones have. I have used the top of the line Raybestos and Bendix rotors with great success and would recommend them to anyone. They are well worth the extra cost!
Also, with new or old rotors, brake parts cleaner is your friend. It is very important to keep the braking surface free of any oil/grease. New rotors need to be cleaned properly before assembly.
Be careful when turning rotors when the rotor is warped or deeply grooved. True, you may get by for a bit without them being a problem, but the more thin the rotor, the more susceptable it is to warping. Now if you started with a high quality rotor to begin with and the rotor isn't too bad out of plane (warp), then you may do very well with having it turned. If rotors are not replaced when doing a brake job, they should atleast be roughened up to give the pad a clean and slightly rough surface to bed in the pads properly. A smoothed over rotor may lead to a glazed pad which will just not work properly.
If you end up getting new rotors, do not go with the cheapest one you can find. I have never had luck with the cheaper castings as they don't have the meat on them that the more expensive ones have. I have used the top of the line Raybestos and Bendix rotors with great success and would recommend them to anyone. They are well worth the extra cost!
Also, with new or old rotors, brake parts cleaner is your friend. It is very important to keep the braking surface free of any oil/grease. New rotors need to be cleaned properly before assembly.
#4
06-20-2006, 01:20 AM
RE: steering wheel shakes when braking
Agree also. Front rotors are warped, have had the exact symptoms youre describing. Luckily, the front rotors for the 4wd Blazer are not very expensive, I got generic ones from the parts store for about $20 each 3 years ago, havent had any problems, did inspect them before purchasing, matched stock. I think the cheap generic ones vary in quality with parts store. Having Pep Boys turn them was going to be about the same price, so I just picked up new ones. As Kyle said, use lots of brake cleaner, they are shipped with a lot of anti-rust material on them (WD-40).
#5
06-20-2006, 02:16 AM
RE: steering wheel shakes when braking
ORIGINAL: swartlkk
I agree. Most likely warped rotors. One thing to try first is to remove your wheels and make sure that there is no corrosion on the mounting surface of the rim. Also, make sure that your lugs are evenly torqued to 90-100ftlbs. You will need to recheck the lug nut torque after driving for a bit.
Be careful when turning rotors when the rotor is warped or deeply grooved. True, you may get by for a bit without them being a problem, but the more thin the rotor, the more susceptable it is to warping. Now if you started with a high quality rotor to begin with and the rotor isn't too bad out of plane (warp), then you may do very well with having it turned. If rotors are not replaced when doing a brake job, they should atleast be roughened up to give the pad a clean and slightly rough surface to bed in the pads properly. A smoothed over rotor may lead to a glazed pad which will just not work properly.
If you end up getting new rotors, do not go with the cheapest one you can find. I have never had luck with the cheaper castings as they don't have the meat on them that the more expensive ones have. I have used the top of the line Raybestos and Bendix rotors with great success and would recommend them to anyone. They are well worth the extra cost!
Also, with new or old rotors, brake parts cleaner is your friend. It is very important to keep the braking surface free of any oil/grease. New rotors need to be cleaned properly before assembly.
I agree. Most likely warped rotors. One thing to try first is to remove your wheels and make sure that there is no corrosion on the mounting surface of the rim. Also, make sure that your lugs are evenly torqued to 90-100ftlbs. You will need to recheck the lug nut torque after driving for a bit.
Be careful when turning rotors when the rotor is warped or deeply grooved. True, you may get by for a bit without them being a problem, but the more thin the rotor, the more susceptable it is to warping. Now if you started with a high quality rotor to begin with and the rotor isn't too bad out of plane (warp), then you may do very well with having it turned. If rotors are not replaced when doing a brake job, they should atleast be roughened up to give the pad a clean and slightly rough surface to bed in the pads properly. A smoothed over rotor may lead to a glazed pad which will just not work properly.
If you end up getting new rotors, do not go with the cheapest one you can find. I have never had luck with the cheaper castings as they don't have the meat on them that the more expensive ones have. I have used the top of the line Raybestos and Bendix rotors with great success and would recommend them to anyone. They are well worth the extra cost!
Also, with new or old rotors, brake parts cleaner is your friend. It is very important to keep the braking surface free of any oil/grease. New rotors need to be cleaned properly before assembly.
THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY USED TO BE.
So talk to your parts man to find out where the rotors are coming from, then checkout Satisfied they I know come from Canada...
#6
06-20-2006, 03:14 AM
RE: steering wheel shakes when braking
One more thing to check, if it's a newer blazer with rotors that just slide on to the hubs, is to check the inside of the rotor and the hub surface for rust. Clean if nessessary.
#7
06-20-2006, 08:28 AM
RE: steering wheel shakes when braking
One thing with Raybestos is that they have 3 different types of rotors for all applications. The lower quality ones are no different than the run of the mill cheapese (is that a word - LOL). But their most expensive line is the only one that I would recommend. I have a set of Raybestos rotors on the front of my bonneville that have been on for the past 30k miles and they still look new and that is with ceramic pads and more than their fair share of high speed stops (I blame fire calls). They are still going great although when I changed my tires back to my summer rubber, I picked up a slight vibration under braking. I've gotta pull the wheels off and clean things up.
#9
06-20-2006, 10:40 PM
RE: steering wheel shakes when braking
that starter sure is lots of fun....lol Is yours 4wd or 2wd? My Haynes manual was of course wrong about removing the starter.... it listed the way to do it for a 2wd as 4wd, so it ended up taking 4 hours. Never did get the little heat shield back on, just not enough room, ended up using some stick on racing heat shielding my dad had sitting around.
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