Front brakes dragging after steering wheel wobble

[BoomerBob]

I agree 100%. I've been hearing reman calipers are a waste of money. They don't need to be OEM but they should be new from a reputable company. I'm looking at the Callahan's.

I replaced the rotors and pads on the front of my 01 and now I have the dreaded pulsing that indicates a warped rotor or two. I just got back from a 1200 mile trip and it didn't get worse but at times I didn't get the steering wheel shake (without hitting the brakes) which tells me the pistons sometimes retracted more than others.

I'll be checking for rotor warp with a dial indicator and if my new rotors are warped I'll replace them or it and the caliper(s).

What I'm wondering is if the ABS system can be causing any of this...

Follow up to this. I checked both rotors and they were fine. Within 1/1000th of runnout. On a whim I rotated the tires front to back and voila; the shimmy went away plus the pulsing was a little lessened. I believe the rear drums are out of round so I ordered some good quality Brembo drums. Spendy but not as spendy as the OEM from Toyota. I think the PO left the parking brake on because when I changed out the shoes the old ones were "cooked" looking with cracks going down the center (longways).

I took the rig back to the tire shop and explained the situation saying the (now) rear tires/wheels were either incorrectly balanced or maybe one of them has a bent wheel. The owner of the shop balanced them himself. I test drove it up to 80 mph and it was smooth all the way up to that speed.

I think I'm finally close to finishing the mechanical restoration on the 01. Should be good to go for the next 20+ years. Probably longer than I will be around. Spent over $10k but I think it was worth it to have a near new 2001 4Runner to drive as a daily driver. My go to rig so I can play with everything else and know I have this one set up to be reliable. Feels good to get to this point. I'll mess with some minor cosmetic issues next year and see what I can do to improve the 98.

On another note: I spotted a 1996 Land Cruiser with 167k miles locally for $6,800. Sure wish I had the cash. It could use a little love but what a keeper it would be!