Please help me with my BE

[02legacygt]

FIRST OFF IM GETTING REALLY SICK OF MY CAR QUICK!!!

alright so a while back my steering wheel started shaking while braking, so I took it and had it aligned, the rear camber was way out, so I got a camber kit, and had my mechanic installed them. Didnt help, so he said that my rotors are probally warped. Also he check all my steering bits up front, said everything was fine. SO I Changed all my brakes, with new hawk pads, and all new rotors, made sure the sliders on the calipers where good and made sure to bleed the line. HELPED a little, now its vibrating only while stopping from about 50-40 HOWEVER, now im getting a vibration in the steering wheel just while driving anything over 40 and it shakes, not horrible, but engough that its pissing me off. (Not to mention when i did my front brakes the caliper braket bolt snaped off and i had to get a new one of those!) Also I did a tire rotation when I did my breaks.

SO WHAT THE F* ELSE should I bee checking!

PLEASE help becuase i want to drive my car off a cliff and watch it go BOOM

[Mikey97D]

Without spending more money, rotate your tires back and take it for a spin. Shaking between 40-50 usually isn't a wheel balance problem, but one can never tell, maybe a rim is bent. You been curb jumping lately? j/k
Also, did you cut the rotors before putting them on? Some new rotors require it. Did you break the brakes in correctly or did you just stomp on them?
-Mike

[02legacygt]

that is going to be my next step, becuase i had the car aligned and had the tires spun(spin) balanced before i rotated them, im sure that will take care of the vibration while driving however, the vibration while stopping is what is really bothering me.

yeah i broke them (the brakes) in nice and easy, and the slotted rotors i got had a little spec package inside and said they where ready to installed, no milling necessary, so ... anyone else

[Mikey97D]

If everything is correct on the brakes (you may want to double check), how are the front struts? Does it feel like your stopping down a set of stairs or does it feel more like a wobble? Again, if it feels more like a wobble, it could be the tire / rim? Rotate the tires first and test. Make one change at a time so you can diagnose it.

[Huffer]

Your brake pads might be too snug. File down the edges so they slot in nicely, you shouldn't have to force them.

[Mikey97D]

Your brake pads might be too snug. File down the edges so they slot in nicely, you shouldn't have to force them.

If this was happening, would it produce more heat on one side than the other? Just thinking of an easy way to check.

[Huffer]

^^ yep - same thing as a seized caliper - except with a seized caliper you generate more heat on the seized side.

On the stuck pad situation, the non-working pad generates LESS heat. because it's not contacting the rotor.

[02legacygt]

yeah on the rear, i had the really shove the pads into the housing braket, but only on the one side, however this seems to be coming from the front end.


i was really hoping no one would bring up the strut thing , becuase the mechanic said it might need new struts, however i was hoping he was just trying to get me to pay money for something i didnt need. It feels like im driving over 100's of little speed bumps!, HOWEVER like i said it only happends now from about 50 all the way to 40, then after that its fine

is there a way to check the struts or not

im on my way home now to rotate the tires back i will post back when im done!

[Huffer]

yeah on the rear, i had the really shove the pads into the housing braket, but only on the one side

That's still an issue - get it fixed.

[02legacygt]

ok so unrotate the tires and fix that rear pad, got it !!!

[DLC]

The sticking rear pads are an issue that more people are having. I'm not having braking problems, but I'm definitely going to file down mine before it gets too cold.

[blackgtbeauty]

The sticking rear pads are an issue that more people are having. I'm not having braking problems, but I'm definitely going to file down mine before it gets too cold.

Mine stick as people from the last NE meet already know.


eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...............

[02legacygt]

alright, filed it down and unrotated the tire....


and the verdict is .... nothing changed!

[BE-Fresh]

Muffler bearings?

In all seriousness, I'm thinking it's probably front struts if it aint the brakes. If it was a bent rim, you'd feel vibration all the time.

[Grafton]

Muffler bearings?

In all seriousness, I'm thinking it's probably front struts if it aint the brakes. If it was a bent rim, you'd feel vibration all the time.

not true i've had 3 bent wheels on one car and they only reared there heads at certain speeds like below 10 and between 50-85

[02legacygt]

, um what would be the best way to check for a bent rim, would they have said somethign when they spun balanced my wheels like..." hey sir you know all 4 of your rims are bent, where gonna have to put giant counter weights so you car is semi drivable, but it shoudl be fine!"

or am i being over hoping???

[Mikey97D]

alright, filed it down and unrotated the tire....


and the verdict is .... nothing changed!

Dam, I was hoping you wouldn't have to spend more money. I would like to think you would have felt a change if one rim was bent and you moved to the back again. I would like to think your mechanic would say something.

Testing struts: there's always the bouncy test. Push up and down on your front bumper until the car starts to "bounce". Let go and the car shouldn't bounce more than 1 & 1/2 times before stopping back at the neutral ride position.
Or from what you described earlier: Have someone follow you and watch your tires & suspension work while moving. It sounds like you can probably see your tires hopping down the road like a basketball. The suspension should keep the tires on the ground and also work smoothly, not jerk up and down while hugging the road. BTW - nothing will ruin a car faster than having bad shocks / struts.
What shape are your tires? Are they scalloped? That would also be a quick sign of bad struts.

[rougeben83]

For the struts, also lift the little boots up and see if there's a lot of oil weeping or leftover residue from the shaft...that's usually one of the big signs the strut is dead.

Also, for the shaking, check your alignment first. It's not the camber you should be worried about, its the toe; the latter can lead to some noises.

[02legacygt]

alright well i checked the "bounce test" everything was fine there, as soon as i stopped bouncing the car it came to a dead stop, also i had the woman drive the car down the road for a couple of passes and everything looked fine!


damnit!

[02legacygt]

ok well found my problem!!!!!

one of my front calipers, wasnt sticking however it wasnt fully retracting... not broken but semi stuck

and the rims that i originally had in the front but moved them to the back, are bent ... ALOT!

so new back rims and a freer moving caliper and

its alll better!!!!!

[Ryan]

Good to see you found all your issues! Which part of the brake wasn't moving properly? The guide pins or the piston?

[jg09]

Congrats on figuring it out!