i just replaced the front rotors and pads on my 02 X and the pulsating was back immidiatly!! i only used mapa brand rotors that cost me $116 each and now im pissed.. the sliders are greased properly and the old pads were worn evenly.. the wheel bearings were a little loose when i took it apart and examined the bearings closely tighned them properly and npw i am wonderig if any one has had a pulsating pedal and shaking steering wheel from something other then a "warped rotor" i am tempted to take these back and make them turn them just to see if there not true brand new..
any advise would be welcomed!
thanks
'

 

So maybe it's the rear rotors that are causing the pulsating?

You have a 2WD?

 

I thought about it being the rears.. could the rear be causing the steeringwheel shake?.. it has a definate back and forth shake and a definate pulse to the pedal.?? could the rears really cause this?

 

It's unlikely but should be considered. How does the steering wheel shake? Side to side or up and down?

What bearings were you fiddlin' with? Do you own a 2WD? I'm gonna ASSume it is since you can't take the bearings out of a 4x4.

How did you go about re-torquing them? They're kinda finicky. I had a similar vibration/shimmy/pulsation that was a loose wheel bearing. I repacked them and retorqued them in the 3-part sequence and have not had any problems since.

 

I tightened the nut spun tbe wheel tightend so more spun the wheel, tightemed untill i could only get one revouluton out of it by hand and backed it off a quarter.. ?? so whats the 3 part prosses you used if u dont mind me asking?.

 

I went through a similar experience, get the 'new' rotors machined. Just 'cause they are new doesn't mean they are perfect. While you are at it, do the rears too.

Just my thoughts...

Archie

 

No that's pretty much it. Some folks just tighten it down only to have problems later.

 

I'd take'em back before I did that. Never had a new set of rotors shake right away, or even in first few hundred miles for that matter. Its been my experience that turning almost any late-model trucks rotors is a waste of time. There is often not enough metal to turn anyway, but even within 'spec' - they seem to warp again pretty quickly.

kj, Based on your description, I would also feel front brakes were the culprit. If you knew to check bearings and grease calipers, I think you'll figure this out!

FWIW, I run O'Rielly's lifetime rotors on both PSD's. The first set on F350 lasted probably 80k miles and when they got a little warped, I swapped'em for new ones - no questions asked. I've had current set for prolly 50k and using Performance Friction 'carbon-metallic' pads (autozone) - workin' great!! We're currently poor as hell so the Excursion just got a set of economy pads - they make wheels DIRTY fast, but wifey says they stop great. (she drives 'over the mountain' to school every day, ie she USES her brakes)

 

YES! I have a pulsating pedal problem, and I was just going on the site to post about it. Coming down the canyon yesterday and the pulsating was very bad when I applied the brake. The steering wheel rapidly turned back and forth, it was nuts. Strange thing is, it doesn't always do this, definitely not as bad as yesterday. I have an '02 Excursion 7.3 PSD with 95k miles. I haven't had the rotors checked but I just bot the thing from a dealer in December.

 

Generally, pulsation in the pedal/steering wheel is indicative of warped front rotors - if ya feel it in the pedal only, it may be just rear rotor(s). depending on temp and pedal pressure, a warped rotor can vary from mild to wild shaking. 'Turning' or resurfacing these rotors is a waste of time - they typically warp again in short order. (maybe what yer dealer did to get it off the lot!?)

Pull the front tires and turn the wheel so you can look down thru calipers and verify pads are evenly worn (not fat on one side of rotor and thin on the other). Observe rotor surface looking for discolored areas. If the pads are not all about the same size - you may have a caliper sticking. Either way, I would remove the 15mm bolts that attach to the slide pins (one at a time) and clean and lubricate slides w/caliper grease. If the rotors are being replaced, just remove the the other 2 large bolts for caliper bracket and rotor slides off lug nuts (4wd's). I always wipe a smear of hi-temp anti-sieze on the back of rotor to make sure it comes off easily next time.

If you are changing rotors or pads, you'll also need to compress the calipers. The best way is a caliper tool or about a 6" C-clamp, but I have used a screwdriver or pry bar while caliper is still attached many times. Make sure the brake master cyl reservoir has room for the 'extra' fluid you'll be squeezing back up there. (oh yeah, don't 'top off' your brake fluid for this very reason - if its low, the pads/shoes are worn or there is a leak! - its also a GREAT idea to flush/replace the brake fluid every couple years)

If you can rotate your tires, you can handle changing pads or rotors. Changing a caliper is a bit more involved due to bleeding the system afterward - but still not rocket science! Use the money you can save DIY to buy the best parts you can afford.

 

*****UPDATE*****
ok so i called the auto parts store and told them atleast one of there rotors was out of true and i couldnt tell which one... so they got me both new rotors free of charge and i replaced them for the second time..
re torqued the spindle nut and off i went.... SUCCESS!!!!
smooth as silk..
soo new rotors CAN come untrue.. never happened to me before but now i know..
and i did hear a rumor along time a go that if you dont use the cris cross pattern to tighten your lug nuts you can warp a rotor also.. never been stupid enough to just try it for fun..
thanks for all the help guys.. i was kinda worried the abs system was failing and cousing this at first..

 

Glad everything worked out. My personal experience was when the front rotors went bad I had a lot of vibration in the steering wheel when braking. Replaced front pads and rotors and the shaking in the steering wheel went away. I still had pulsating in the brake pedal however. I just replaced the rear rotors and pads (3 months later) and the pulsating in the pedal went away. Thus, my experience steering wheel vibrations = front rotors, brake pad pulsating = rear rotors. Not a mechanic by any means but those were the symptoms and results.

Also, if you remove the two bolts that remove the entire caliper and remove it as one unit then I did not lose compression on the caliper. On the front brakes I removed the outer portion on the calipers leaving the shoe in place with pads. Made loading the pads easier but I did have to compress the caliper with the c-clamp to reinstall. When I did the back I remove the entire assembly and loaded the pads underneath the vehicle. It was a little more difficult to get the pads loaded but I did not have to compress the pistons in the caliper. For me it was pick your poison. Again, not a mechanic by any means but it worked for me. Personally I would rather avoid recompressing the pistons, but that is just me.

 

Sorry, brake pedal pulsating = rear rotors

 

I'll be pulling the wheels off in the next few weeks, will take a look. Anybody have suggestions on where I can get a good deal on rotors and pads? Front and Rear...

THanks

 

I have always used Carquest and don't have any complaints. However I believe Carquest may be a bit more expensive than either Advance Auto or Autozone.