Burb shakes when braking - INTERMITTENT

[lyncht1967]

Change the tie rods. that's what it is. just did mine after nearly going INSANE. dont fool yourself into thinking they feel tight,... they may, but they aint. Do both and then begin to de-accelerate like youre on a cloud. Like I do now.

 

[CMoore711]

This symptom is driving me nuts! I'm getting frustrated not being able to pin point the cause of the problem.

Everything in my front end is tight.
Ball Joints
Tie Rods
Control Arms

The "brake shake" or pulsing sensation is NOT all the time. Sometimes it's present and sometimes it brakes very smooth as it should.

My front CV Boots are leaking a little grease; I'm not sure if the CV Joint is actually bad or failing, but the boots are leaking a tad. Could failing CV joints be causing this issue? If so why is it not happening all the time?

 

[fozzi58]

This symptom is driving me nuts! I'm getting frustrated not being able to pin point the cause of the problem.

Everything in my front end is tight.
Ball Joints
Tie Rods
Control Arms

The "brake shake" or pulsing sensation is NOT all the time. Sometimes it's present and sometimes it brakes very smooth as it should.

My front CV Boots are leaking a little grease; I'm not sure if the CV Joint is actually bad or failing, but the boots are leaking a tad. Could failing CV joints be causing this issue? If so why is it not happening all the time?

Inner and outer tie rods are scheduled for install for Tuesday. I will post if that cures the problem. My Burb is 2wd with the same issue so doubtful that the CVs are the issue since my truck doesn't have any

 

[CMoore711]

Inner and outer tie rods are scheduled for install for Tuesday. I will post if that cures the problem. My Burb is 2wd with the same issue so doubtful that the CVs are the issue since my truck doesn't have any

Let us know if tie rods cure you're issue. Mine are not that old; I'm at 136K miles, but I just replaced my tie rods at about 110K, so they don't even have 30K miles on them.

 

[dpollak81]

Just found this and our 15 Denali 8 speed does this too intermittently. We notice it when I go to decelerate from 80 like for an off-ramp example or if we drive over the pass to Reno and are on a downhill slope. Super random and it will happen the first time I apply the brakes and then not again. I thought I might have a really slight warp to one of the rotors that only shows up at high speed or a sticking caliper but again its super random. I've noticed that I get a pretty good low groaning noise if i'm on the brakes hard to slow down from high speed (traffic comes to a sudden stop) like when you have cross drilled rotors or something. Ours is bone stock except I just swapped in the Arnott shocks and struts.

I did just have the tires rebalanced and rotated and I'll test later this week when we head to the bay area. I can stop from 65-70 no problem but if i'm up towards 80-85 I'll get the shake.

 

[CMoore711]

@fozzi58 If new tie rods doesn’t solve the issue for you I’ll be directing my efforts to further inspect the Steering Intermediate Shaft and/or Steering Gear Assembly.

When I go over bumps my front end has play and it feels more horizontal, left to right. This is without applying any brakes.

 

[Geotrash]

My front CV Boots are leaking a little grease; I'm not sure if the CV Joint is actually bad or failing, but the boots are leaking a tad. Could failing CV joints be causing this issue? If so why is it not happening all the time?

This is very common in other makes. On Hondas, it's the inner drivers-side CV joint that leaks grease out and the joint starts binding up intermittently, shaking the steering wheel like an unbalanced tire. I had an Acura Legend that I put 2 rebuilt CV axles on the driver's side before finally buying a newly manufactured part from raxles.com. The original axle developed the shake after leaking out some of the grease, and the rebuilt shafts were no good either. It drove me crazy until I finally figured out what it was. The raxles shaft was perfect and solved the problem. That said, mine was most pronounced under acceleration, but could be felt while coasting and braking as well.

 

[fozzi58]

New tie rods - inner and outer installed. Same issue with the shaking so this did NOT resolve my problem.

My mechanic wants the whole kit replaced. Not just having the calipers rebuilt like Wilwood has offered, because he is concerned there may be a possible issue with the rotors or bearings that can't be seen while the truck is in the air on a lift. He suggested I go back to OEM front brakes if Wilwood doesn't do something.

I sent a long winded email to Wilwood pleading with them to send me a replacement kit, I would pay for shipping both directions, and even put the kit on my CC until getting credited back when I send back the old kit. My mechanics been over everything in the suspension, front and rear, did another brake flush, mic'd the rear brake rotors again, checked to make sure there was no issue with rear brakes. The truck is mint as can be for 80k miles. Either that or order another kit and then dispute the charges. Not sure I want to go either of these routes.

That being said, if Wilwood doesn't do something for me other than offering to rebuild the calipers, I will be relentless in leaving negative posts about this experience. I went with Wilwood because so many hot rodders have said positive things about their brakes and their customer service. I guess there is something to be said about 90% of OEM BBKs being Brembo.

 

[CMoore711]

I'm just not convinced that it's the Wilwood brakes... I do not experience the front end vibration/shaking every time I apply the brakes, it's intermittent, it comes and goes. Some times I come to a complete stop as smooth as can be, like it should. Other times it shakes/vibrates pretty bad.

@fozzi58 you had mentioned similar operation in your OP. If it were in fact the brakes wouldn't you think that the vibration/shaking would happen every time you applied the brakes? How's come sometimes when you (we) come to a stop it's smooth and operating at it should? Which is the same for me to BTW.

Now what I have been noticing more and more lately is that I have some shaking from the front end when going over sharp bumps; Sharp as in sewer or drainage lids and immediate change in road height. It's more left to right horizontal movement. I don't notice it in just more smoother humps or gradual incline decline changes in the road. Additionally, after the bump there's almost a sort of "after-math" vibration/shaking of the front end. Almost as if my front end has to "recover" from the sudden bump/change in road height.

 

[fozzi58]

I don't disagree - I would think that if it was a braking issue it should be every single time I apply the brakes. That's my logic kicking in. But my mechanic explained it that since you have 6 pistons, lets says the center one has a seal that has jumped the gap, or the cylinder is scored, its going to be an intermittent issue. The piston may not be getting stuck in the open position because there's enough travel or force that pops the piston back into the sleeve without it keeping the piston engaged. But because the seal is possibly ruptured or some other issue, it doesn't engage smoothly all the time. He's guessing based on his 30 years of experience but he's reluctant to open up the calipers himself and he still things Wilwood should be responsible since this started happening 3 months after installation. And yes I had him check the torque on the bolts between the rotor and the hat.

In my case it doesn't matter the speed or the amount of pressure on the pedal I apply, I will get that pulsating feedback intermittently. Sometimes - its smooth as glass, even a hard stop at 60mpg and other times my big fat ass is getting shaken front to back from a mild stop at 30mph.

I had a dealership do a brake diag just to get a 2nd set of eyes on the issue and immediately they said rear brakes are the problem 99% of the time with what they diagnosed. After I explained I'm on my 2nd set of calipers and 3rd set of rotors and pads they kind of relinquished that its probably not the rear brakes, especially after inspecting the OEM calipers which I still have. I highly doubt that my oem calipers and then a 2nd set of aftermarket rear calipers would both be bad along with stop tech rotors and pads and then a whole powerstop kit. Then again, if it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

This sucks cause I have been wanting to hit the autocross with this thing since the season opened but its annoying to drive as a daily...I can't imagine how bad this would be trying to do stop-go-stop on a track.