Hey guys, This has been going on for a couple months now.

When i apply the brakes when slowing down from 30 mph and up it feels like there is skipping in the brakes, like its kinda hoping. The steering wheel also shakes slightly. It is amplified the higher the speed im braking from.

I took cleaned the front disc brakes, and also pulled the cap off the drums and cleaned them all out too. The drums were REALLY grimy, and it helped the problem slightly when they were cleaned.

Also this may be a unrelated problem but it looks like one half of my differential is always looking wet like i went through a puddle, maybe a leak? I don't know if this issue is related just thought it mite help pinpoint something.

The front disc brakes were brand new a year ago and i don't know if the drum brakes have been rebuilt and turned. Do you guys think the drums need a brake job? Or could this be a issue with the ball joints?

I'm not sure if they have been replaced, doesn't say so in the car fax.

Thanks for any help guys!

 

Rotors may be warped.....

 

i go through a set of rotors every 6-8 months( i bought cheap with a warranty!!) i drive alot of miles but i am gentle on the brakes and they still warp quickly. i would check the run out on the rotors 1st.

 

McNasy - I also have a 2001 and go through a set of rotors in about 12000 miles. Do you think using rotors that are drilled/slotted would help? Also, I'm thinking about installing the next set of rotors myself. Any tips or tricks to the job? Thanks.

 

Warped and/or rotors with a bad finish can cause the shaking your feeling in the steering wheel. The drums can also be resurfaced to help alleviate this issue.

The wet differential is a sign of a leak in the cover (i'm assuming you're talking about the view from the outside). DO NOT do what I did and let this go (I replaced my whole rear end a couple of months ago). Take the cover off and clean the differentials and use a gasket and black rtv sealant to seal up the cover. Put the appropriate fluid in afterwards. Advance Auto parts can give you the info you need. Really straight forward. Your haynes manual can also explain how easy it is to replace the fluid.

 

will the haynes tell me how to clean the rear end? if so i will need to buy one, they are just to handy to not have one haha

 

I had the same problem last year, got new rotors and it took the problem right away. by the sound of it from everyone i would guess thats your problem

 

stop buying cheap rotors!

 

cheap rotors or not look for cracked rubber on the out side of the rubber break hose going to the break caliber. if a break caliber hose is bad it will not let caliber release. causing breaks to heat up rotor. when rotot gets hot the you hit a puddle bam warp rotor. plus less gas mileage.

just a thought

KillerKilgore

 

Go to auto zone and get rotors with a warranty we had a set on our ford f150 everytime the warped took them back and got a brand new set for free we went like 5 years without buying rotors went threw about 8-10 sets