I've got the shakes.

simple

Senior Member
Hey gents, ladies.

I replaced my brakes 2 yrs ago ish. They were squealing ever since. Well I decided I had enough and had a mechanic I trust replace all pads. He also turned rotors. Squealing is gone, but I had significant steering wheel shaking while driving and braking. I took it to costco because they do free balancing. That solved the issues while driving, but when I brake lightly, the wheel shakes between 40-30mph. Any ideas what may be causing it?

Thanks
 
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Hey gents, ladies.

I replaced my brakes 2 yrs ago ish. They were squealing ever since. Well I decided I had enough and had a mechanic I trust replace all pads. He also turned rotors. Squealing is gone, but I had significant steering wheel shaking while driving and braking. I took it to costco because they do free balancing. That solved the issues while driving, but when I brake lightly, the wheel shakes between 40-30mph. Any ideas what may be causing it?

Thanks

How many miles do you have on your Runner? It may be time to replace your rotors outright.
 
I actually had the exact same problem. I replaced the rotors and all the shaking went away.
 

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I also got the shakes after machining the rotors. I installed new rotors and pads which cured it. I'm thinking the kid who cut them probably cut too much too fast which warped them even worse. They looked like crap when I got them back. So hard to find good help these days.
 
Their machine could be out of calibration. I have been starting to suspect our brake lathe at work may be a bit out... :suspicious:

But it sounds like the rotor was turned improperly, though it is possibly if it was cut a bit too thin that it may be already "warped" again.

Out of curiosity, how many of you guys are asking if the rotors are measured and/or getting notes on what the thicknesses were BEFORE and AFTER the rotors are turned? I like to put those measurements down for my customers in the work order notes in case they ask.
 
I just replaced my warped front rotors..I have found once they are warped they never are the same even if they are turned.. as the heat changes the steel composition...
I went with what I use on some of my other cars EBC slotted...never had them warp even on my old 3rd gen which was terrible with front rotors no matter what brand rotor I bought..I tow a trailer without electric brakes so my front brakes get a good workout..I use stock pads..I should have had them measure my old ones...
Their machine could be out of calibration. I have been starting to suspect our brake lathe at work may be a bit out... :suspicious:

But it sounds like the rotor was turned improperly, though it is possibly if it was cut a bit too thin that it may be already "warped" again.

Out of curiosity, how many of you guys are asking if the rotors are measured and/or getting notes on what the thicknesses were BEFORE and AFTER the rotors are turned? I like to put those measurements down for my customers in the work order notes in case they ask.
 
Guys just an FYI here.. You probably are not actually warping the rotors.. they are pretty substantial pieces and if it is a quality rotor, would take a ton of heat to actually warp.

If the pads get worn, they cannot hold as much brake heat and may shimmy when they het hot. Or when hot the pad could be puting uneven deposits of pad material on the rotor, causing it to feel warped and put feedback into the pedal.

I had EBC pads, and when they are close to being worn out, I had pedal feedback under braking once the brakes warmed up. The first few stops were smooth however.

I just put in new pads in, did not touch the rotors and the brakes are smooth again. I have done this twice now.

If you have uneven deposits on the rotor they will need to be turned to fix the problem.
 
Guys just an FYI here.. You probably are not actually warping the rotors.. they are pretty substantial pieces and if it is a quality rotor, would take a ton of heat to actually warp.

If the pads get worn, they cannot hold as much brake heat and may shimmy when they het hot. Or when hot the pad could be puting uneven deposits of pad material on the rotor, causing it to feel warped and put feedback into the pedal.

I had EBC pads, and when they are close to being worn out, I had pedal feedback under braking once the brakes warmed up. The first few stops were smooth however.

I just put in new pads in, did not touch the rotors and the brakes are smooth again. I have done this twice now.

If you have uneven deposits on the rotor they will need to be turned to fix the problem.

I respectfully disagree. I had warped rotors. I replaced my pads but the rotors still caused vibration. New rotors = no vibration. Believe me, under the right circumstances, they can warp.
 
I respectfully disagree. I had warped rotors. I replaced my pads but the rotors still caused vibration. New rotors = no vibration. Believe me, under the right circumstances, they can warp.
Simple way to warp them. Heavy repeated breaking then go thru puddles of water and stop for a long traffic light with the brake pressed down. Wait that sounds like stop and go traffic in any major city. .. New York, LA, Washington DC, lol..... add in a set of rotors that have 50,000 miles on them. It should be real easy to do.

Or

Be like me, you need pads buy them from the dealer and then get new aftermarket rotors for $25 each. Complete front and rear rotors and oem Toyota red box pads and parking brake shoes cost $250ish total
 
I respectfully disagree. I had warped rotors. I replaced my pads but the rotors still caused vibration. New rotors = no vibration. Believe me, under the right circumstances, they can warp.

Im not arguing that new rotors fixed your issue. I'm just saying that not everyone's problem is warped rotors, instead I'd wager most are cooking the brake pads, which can feel just like warped rotors if the pads get hot enough and start to get soft. If this happens a very light pass on a rotor lathe, or even a sanding block with sandpaper will knock down the excess pad deposits on the rotors and you will be good again.

Rotors don't warp in stop and go traffic and going through puddles. You won't get enough heat in them to warp them in that scenario.. ever. Unless they are cheap chinese rotors.. then all bets are off.

A quality rotor like a Centric Premium, or something OEM quality would take a rediculous amount of abuse to warp.. if at all. I don't warp them on my race car, and the temps are probably close to double.
 
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Hey gents,

Just thought I'd give an update. I was able to pick up OEM rotors and pads for a great deal so I completely changed out the fronts. I was kinda disappointed in the place I took it to while I was doing the job. You know the little sensor that makes the brakes squeal when they get worn down too low? Both the pads with that sensor were installed on the same caliper, which may or may not be wrong. But the rotors also looked like shit. Just goes to show, sometimes its worth doing it yourself. Problem was totally fixed.
 

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