MisterE22 Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Hey all, Put new rotors, pads, and passenger front wheel bearing last November, bedded the pads, and everything was hunky dory. No problems. Got tires and alignment in February and shortly after that started getting subtle vibrations which got progressively worse. So I took it back to the alignment shop for check-up, they realigned it, and resurfaced the front rotors. Problem went away for maybe a few weeks but is now back and worse than ever. Steering wheel shakes left to right under braking. Do I need new rotors and pads? Is this a sign of a bigger problem? No noises while turning so I'm thinking it is definitely brake related. They are CENTRIC rotors and pads fyi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dishwasher Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Try rebedding them again. Bedding centric rotors and pads is a pain. Brought to you by Pfizer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Try Hawk pads and be more aggressive with your normal braking. Don't baby the brakes. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightmonkeygt Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Is it your calipers? I had a similar issue couple years back where the steering wheel would shake pretty bad at times. Turns out the caliper was seized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted July 28, 2017 Author Share Posted July 28, 2017 Try rebedding them again. Bedding centric rotors and pads is a pain. I would but at this point I'm almost afraid it will be more detrimental, that is how violent the steering wheel shake is. Nightmonkeygt might be onto something with a caliper being seized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Also check tie rod ends. If there is play in them, the second you start to have any kind of brake vibration, the tie rod ends (both inner and outer) will amplify it exponentially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted July 29, 2017 Author Share Posted July 29, 2017 Sounds like I should just bring it to the dealer for diagnosis and tackle it on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 No, not the dealer, that will cost you and arm and a leg. Any good repair shop can fix your problem. FWIW, I just replaced all four calipers on both my cars. It's pretty easy if your have the tools and a helper to bleed the brakes. I used NAPA calipers. Most of the old calipers had issues. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John J Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I had the violent shaking even when not braking and couldn't believe it was caused by the front calipers, but it was. My local shop replaced pads, rotors and calipers with NAPA parts. They have since replaced both front rotors under warranty when the problem returned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 If you have a frozen slide pin in the front calipers, it can cause issues like this. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLBostonLegacy Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Have you checked the lower ball joints and the lower rear control arm bushings in the front? If it's as bad as what you say it is, it sounds like you may have more then 1 issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted August 2, 2017 Author Share Posted August 2, 2017 Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I'll be replacing the calipers next free weekend I have and check out the bushings. How hard is it to identify if the bushings/ball joints are bad? I only know of the wheel fore/aft and up/down movement method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJuan Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Wouldn't say you need new calipers yet, the most common problems on the front calipers are the lower slide pins. There is a rubber sleeve on the pin and after so many years the rubber expands inside the housing of the caliper causing it to seize the lower part of the caliper. In return causing vibrations and uneven wear on the pads. The easiest fix is to pull the pin out and remove the rubber sleeve, removing the sleeve will have no effect on braking. Bushings - look at LCA (lower control arm) bushing, it's the large donut looking bushing. These normally tear after so many years, causing a clunking sounds under braking and vibration. If most of these check out fine, then I would just replace the rotors. For some reason, these cars don't like the rotors turned, they just don't last long. I've had the same issue before where I turned the rotors and it was good for a month, then the vibrations came right back. New rotors fix it. My wife's balls are delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LegacyGTGa Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 If you have a frozen slide pin in the front calipers, it can cause issues like this. I agree. I had a frozen pin on each caliper. Replaced those and its been great ever since! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amm203 Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Have this issue when braking hard - get some shake. Calipers have 98K on them so I picked up Brakleen & Syl-Glyde and ordered OEM caliper seal kits for the front and rears. Gonna tackle it this weekend and report back if the shaking goes away. I initially used the green Permatex lube on the caliper pins but have since read they can cause the rubber bushings to swell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted August 3, 2017 Author Share Posted August 3, 2017 Thanks for the suggestions, however the slide pins look good/slide without any binding. Trust me, I've learned in my 5 years of LGT ownership to always tackle the cheap stuff first when diagnosing issues. Amm203, please report back! I'm not going to be able to tackle mine til next weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amm203 Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 Bushings definitely swelled somewhat but I think the old caked grease was a contributing factor as well. The front passenger pin with bushing was not moving too easily while the rear passenger pin with bushing was stuck. After cleaning thoroughly I ended up using the supplied Niglube RX-2. Took a spirited drive and braked hard to test for shaking - much better. Picture attached showing the rear pin bushing - old on right and new on left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 Just saying, over the past few years, I've replaced slide pin, I've replace brackets, I've lubed the slide pins once a year. Best thing I've done in years was to replace all calipers on both cars a few month's back. Both had frozen slide pins. No more shaking of the steering wheel under braking. The rear brake pads contact the entire surface on the rotors. They were pretty sad on the Spec B. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 It took me a few weekends to find the time but I managed to get the driver's front caliper replaced and this has since fixed my problem. Immediately after replacing the caliper and doing a bleed, there was still some steering wheel shake but minor compared to before. Did a few bed ins and regular driving and the shake was gone. Don't know why shop didn't replace it when I asked and instead kept telling me to get new rotors but it's fixed now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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