Rear brake problems !

[kennyb3030]

hey guys, 99 4r 143k 2wd V6, had vibration in the rear end, finally figured out my parking break had locked up. so i take it to the shop, and they tell me all they had to do is adjust my rear brakes. it did help quite a bit but some of the vibration is still there. im thinking when my parking break was locked up, it warped my drums, and the shop didnt turn them, so that could be what is causing the rest of my vibration. does this sound possible ? thanks alot

 

[TheDurk]

hey guys, 99 4r 143k 2wd V6, had vibration in the rear end, finally figured out my parking break had locked up. so i take it to the shop, and they tell me all they had to do is adjust my rear brakes. it did help quite a bit but some of the vibration is still there. im thinking when my parking break was locked up, it warped my drums, and the shop didnt turn them, so that could be what is causing the rest of my vibration. does this sound possible ? thanks alot

Well, when Junior passed his driving test, he left the e-brake halfway on for 30 miles on the way home until I noticed it from the passenger seat. Burnt the shoes and 'warped' (quotes out of respect for Mom) the drums causing considerable vibration--I tried just the shoes first. My vibration was only when braking, though. Is yours?

 

[kennyb3030]

hey durk, my vibration doesnt happen when i get on the brakes, my 4r will vibrate just going down the road without even applying the brakes, and my steering wheel has no vibration in it at all, im thinking i probably need new shoes and drums ! did replacing just the shoes only fix your vibration ?

 

[TheDurk]

hey durk, my vibration doesnt happen when i get on the brakes, my 4r will vibrate just going down the road without even applying the brakes, and my steering wheel has no vibration in it at all, im thinking i probably need new shoes and drums ! did replacing just the shoes only fix your vibration ?

No, I had to do the drums. They were really fried. Car only had about 30k then, too.

There are, however, a lot of things that can cause vibration of the non-steering wheel type. Search around on here and you can find a lot of threads with a lot of different answers, such as drive-shaft issues, rear suspension bushings, wheel balance, etc.

I'd get my brakes in order. Then, if I still had vibration, rotate my tires and see if the vibration moved to the steering. Good luck...

 

[Jon]

Burnt the shoes and 'warped' (quotes out of respect for Mom) the drums causing considerable vibration

NICE!

Kenny, since there's no vibration in the pedal under braking then I'd rule out "warped" (HA!) drums. Try getting the wheels rebalanced during a tire rotation.
Check tires for bubbles and uneven wear. Perhaps a drive shaft but since adjusting the brakes had a large improvement I'd have them take another look at it, tell em it helped a lot but it's still not right.

 

[BTO]

Swap the wheels back to front first. Rule out a wheel balance problem. If the vibration goes to the steering wheel then it's not the brakes. If it stays back there then maybe. What happens when you jack up the back and spin the rear wheels?

 

[kennyb3030]

already swapped the tires from front to back, and still the same vibration, also got a new driveshaft, so we can rule those 2 out

 

[legokcen]

Did you get the drive shaft balanced? Toyota drive shafts require that if I remember correctly. I had a friend get new U-joints and it had to be rebalanced.

 

[kennyb3030]

yea, the driveshaft has been balanced, had a shop adjust the rear brakes bout a week ago and it took 90% of the vibes away, but in a week the vibe was back again

 

[TheDurk]

yea, the driveshaft has been balanced, had a shop adjust the rear brakes bout a week ago and it took 90% of the vibes away, but in a week the vibe was back again

It does sound like the auto-adjuster is taking up slack and shoes are hitting a high point on the drums in normal driving (no brakes applied). But then you would expect even more vibration when you brake, as Jon says. Long shot: maybe this IS happening, but your rear brakes are also not working (much).


In any case, I'd adjust the brakes again. If no vibe, bring it right back and turn or replace the drums. Take her for a brake test on a soft surface and see if rears do engage.

 

[kennyb3030]

yea, i think the rear brakes are not working, my brake pedal is very squishy

 

[TheDurk]

yea, i think the rear brakes are not working, my brake pedal is very squishy

That's it, then, the rears are the first to quit when there is air in the system. I think you need a new mechanic, or a friend to teach you to adjust and bleed this yourself.

 

[CO_FlyFisher]

Carefully drive about 25mph down a street, and as you are coasting (no gas) slowly pull your e-brake lever up while holding the button on the end in. See if you feel any pulsations in the e-brake handle, or if the truck is surging as the e-brake brake engages. Also, if you're not slowing down due to the e-brake engaging, that would be another clue that the rears are done. That would be the best way to see if it's the rear drums causing your trouble.

 

[TheDurk]

^^^^^^Good suggestion!

 

[kennyb3030]

hey durk, i did pull the ebrake handle up and i feel the same vibe that i feel at high speeds, so i guess that means the drums are toast, and probably the shoes too.