 Shaking Problems: My Car Shakes When Braking
Posted by carsandtrucks on Tuesday, December 11 @ 05:45:55 PST
If you are feeling a pulsation in the brake pedal and a vibration in the steering wheel during normal stopping, the most likely cause is a warped brake rotor. The warped brake rotor kicks the brake pad back during the slowing process. You will feel the kick back in the brake pedal and steering. The faster you are traveling the more severe the pulsation and vibration will be felt. If your vehicle is equipped with anti lock brakes, the pulsation felt when the anti lock brake system is activated is normal. Rotor warpage can be caused by heat, but is generally caused by over torquing the wheel lug nuts. The over torquing occurs when
a pneumatic impact wrench is used to put on the lug nuts. It is recommended that wheel lug nuts be hand tightened. If an air wrench is used, a torque stick should be used. A torque stick limits the amount of torque the wrench can put on the lug nuts. To correct a brake pulsation you will need to have the rotors trued or replaced. A repair shop will use a dial indicator to measure the run out of the rotor. If the runout is less the .0005 the rotor usually can be machined using a brake lathe. The lathe will remove the high spots from the brake rotor. If the rotor has excessive runout it will require replacement rather then resurfacing. If the brake rotor is warped due to heat, hot spots will be seen on the rotor surface. A repair shop might be able to machine these hot spots out of the rotor, but usually the heat has gone deep into the rotor and a replacement rotor is required. Brake rotors should be replaced or machined in pairs. Brake pulsation over time can cause damage to other brake components, such as the calipers and pads. The major concern about brake pulsation is the safety aspect. I would not consider a slight to moderate pulsation a safety issue, but a severe pulsation that effects control over the steering is dangerous. It is recommended to have the pulsation concern inspected early on to avoid potential problems with other components and safety issues. Brake rotors vary in price. The price will be consistent with the quality of the product. On average a quality brake rotor will run around eighty dollars. The labor to replace a brake rotor is not complicated. If you possess basic hand tools, and have access to a shop manual you should be able to handle this repair on your own.
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