I just replaced my left inner tie rod at the pitman arm and the longer right one. Front end ALOT better however when I'm going a good speed and I hit the brakes with moderate force I get front end vibration! I have brand new rotors pads and calipers! I know I need new struts but could they make a vibraton on braking???

 

You might need a alignment after changing those parts.

 

Yes if you didn't get it aligned or just used the tape measure method, it may not be dead on.

Is the vibration an oscillation in the wheel or something you feel in feet or butt? If your steering linkage isn't at the right angles, when you apply the brakes your warn out shocks allow the front end to compress and change the geometry of the steering linkage just enough to throw it out.

 

well the parts i changed only conect the pitman arm to the front end, if anything it would mess with the alignment of the steering wheel correct?? it did not disconect right wheel to left wheel, and the truck does not pull. the feeling is kind of just like a warped rotor, but i replaced all front brakes thinking thats what it was but it wasnt, feels like entire front end is loose, so if reax is saying shocks can do it i am thinking that has to be it, i know they are bad. guess thats my next repair before winter!!! my only other question is this, is it imperative to replace the shocks right away???

 

That doesn't happen on a solid axle.

I doubt it is worn shocks.

How did you bed in your brakes?

You really should get it aligned. Those parts you replaced can still have effect on the toe in/out.

 

what do you mean bed in my brakes???

 

The first few times you stop after the new brakes. Theres a couple methods out there that help seat the new pads to the rotors properly. Most common is slowly going faster each stop, with a minute or so to cool down between each stop. Starting at around 10 mph going up to about 40 or so. Each pad manufacturer has their own method.

Also when I worked at a parts store years ago it was somewhat common to have a rotor come off the shelf not perfectly flat. You cna have a shop take a paper thick layer off the rotors just to make sure they really are true.

 

well i originaly had my rotors cut and it was doing this so i got 2 new rotors, but i havent put many miles on it since so maybe they have to be broken in as you say, so i should do a 10 mph stop and then a 20 and so on, this should straighten them out pritty quickly? or over the course of a few days??

 

If it EXACTLY the same problem as before then I would probably rule out your brakes as the problem.

However, here's the preferred procedure for bedding in new pads & rotors.

Excerpt from StopTech : Balanced Brake Upgrades

Typically, a series of ten increasingly hard stops from 60mph to 5 mph with normal acceleration in between should get the job done for a high performance street pad.
During pad or disc break-in, do not come to a complete stop, so plan where and when you do this procedure with care and concern for yourself and the safety of others. If you come to a complete stop before the break-in process is completed there is the chance for non-uniform pad material transfer or pad imprinting to take place and the results will be what the whole process is trying to avoid. Game over.

In terms of stop severity, an ABS active stop would typically be around 0.9 G’s and above, depending on the vehicle. What you want to do is stop at a rate around 0.7G to 0.9 G's. That is a deceleration rate near but below lock up or ABS intervention.

You should begin to smell pads at the 5th to 7th stop and the smell should diminish before the last stop. A powdery gray area will become visible on the edge of the pad (actually the edge of the friction material in contact with the disc - not the backing plate) where the paint and resins of the pad are burning off.

When the gray area on the edges of the pads are about 1/8" deep, the pad is bedded.

 

The frame and axle don't get closer? We might have different definitions of compress, but when the frame gets closer the to the axle, if the rod that runs from the pitman isn't parallel to the axle, the angle adjust and sends the extra distance to opposite side. Effectively when the front end dives, the right tire gets pushed right. Depending on the linkage, the left could go left or stay straight.

 

While I love that stoptech article, you do need to pay attention to the pad manufacture. I don't if any other manufs do it, but Performance friction bakes their pads prior to selling them. Most all of the adhesive is cooked, so you shouldn't smell or see much smoke. High end pads may not smoke or smell as badly as cheaper pads, so don't get worried if your results vary.