I changed my front rotors and pads in Sept and all has been fine but this morning I was taking my son to school and at a low speed I can feel a vibration. It stops when almost stopped and can't feel it at higher speeds. Can't tell if its in the front or back so I don't even know where to start on this. Any knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Given that you have recently replaced the rotors and pads , lets start there. You may have an issue with the run-out in the rotors. This vibration can be caused by disc thickness variation caused by excessive disc run out when fitting it to the hub. Did you clean the mating surface between the hub and rotor prior to installation? A small piece of debris or sand caught between the mating surfaces will throw the run-out off big time.

This run-out or imbalance causes the rotor surface to be worn thinner in one area than others, so it goes out of balance and it is the thinned disc that causes the vibration. The thinning process takes approx 3000 miles to happen, which is why discs with incorrect run-out usually start to vibrate at around the same mileage use.

 

Im not sure because I had a mechanic do it but it wouldn't suprise me. So if I pull it all off and clean the mating surface would that correct it if that was the problem or would the rotor need to be replaced?

 

Did you feel the vibration from the steering wheel or from the brake pedal? If it was from your steering wheel and it happened at certain speed check for tire pressure, balance of tires or bad tire/s. If it was from your brake pedal check your brakes.

 

I would clean up the brake rotor mating surfaces then clean and apply silicone brake parts lubricant to the slides and bushings. Make sure to torque the lug nuts evenly and do not over torque them. This is worth a try; however, it usually does not resolve the condition. If you have an issue with debris between the rotor mating surfaces then yes, it would require replacement or turning on a brake lathe.

Keep in mind, front brake vibration can be felt through the steering wheel and rear brake vibration is felt in the seat, the brake pedal and the bodywork.

If you nudged a curb or hit a pothole on the road it may have thrown out the alignment and/ or damaged a belt in a tire which will also cause a vibration and may be your issue. However; this also could eventually lead to a brake rotor run out issue. Keep us updated with your findings.

 

Just went through this. If vibration is there when not braking, then its likely u joints and/or carrier bearing. With quad cab its a 2 piece rear shaft supported by a carrier bearing. Unfortunately u joints can be dry/bad and you can't see it. What is mileage? 3 u joints on the front shaft, 3 on the rear shaft, and one at each wheel. Total of 8 u joints plus the carrier bearing. Could be any one or more of them. At 150k miles I just replaced them all plus the carrier bearing.

 

Thanks for all your help. Diving yesterday and today im feeling it in the seat more than anything. Tire pressure is good. I do know that I need new rear brakes so that can be the problem but how can I check the u joints? My truck has 107000 miles on it. I can also clean the front rotor/mating and if they need replacement I have a lifetime warranty on the rotors so will look into that.

 

If you are on your original u-joints then I'd say 100% it's them... I went thru the originals, then replacements, then another set in just 90,000 miles. And last time I thought it couldn't be the joints because they only had 15,000 or so miles on them... and it was them...

 

Ok its been raining all weekend so I haven't had a chance to look into it any further. This afternoon I hit a pothole on my left front tire and now the vibration is gone. Maybe something in that wheel was loose or binding.??

 

I recommend you at least remove the front wheels and have them rebalanced, then torque them down properly. One of the wheels may have loose or over-torqued lugs.

 

Ok im due for new tires anyway so gonna get some this week. Today I noticed a groove (that wasn't there before) on my left fron rotor. Like a said before I hit a pothole on that tire and it stopped vibrating. Could something have gotten between the pad and rotor?

 

Deer,

Do one thing at a time brother. lol Dizzle's suggestions is where I would start also. Better to pull the wheels and check the brakes and prevent further complications if it is indeed the brakes that started the whole problem to begin with. Be a great safety check time also. Good luck!

 

Ok sorry for the delay. The holidays slowed things down a bit. Since my last post I have had the front brakes pulled back off, inspected, cleaned and re-assembled. Got new tires. Had rear pads and rotors replaced but vibration was still there and getting worst. All these things I did were needed already anyways so went ahead and did them. Oh also added rims with the tires. Lol!! Found the problem was just as some of you said. Carrier/center support bearing and u-joints. I decided not to replace them and instead order a whole new drive shaft. I researched and decided to get a one piece aluminum one instead of fixing/keeping the two piece that came from the factory. Installed today and after that it rides smoother than when I first bought the truck. Thank you for all your help. Here's a pic of the drive shaft.

 

Thats great news!

 

Glad ya found it... and I gotta say it, so, TOLD YA SO.... haha