hey y'all, i've had a problem with my brakes lately and i think i should figure out whats wrong before it gets problematic. when i apply pressure to my brakes, i get a weird shimmy from side to side, just enough to shake the truck. it happens no matter what pressure i apply, but it does happen worse when i brake at higher speeds or with more pressure. i think my brake pads may be worn, or i have warped rotors. my dad thinks i have an abs problem, like it isn't syncing up at the same time or it's engaging funny. i don't know if abs is supposed to engage anytime the brake is applied normally or not, but it doesn't seem like an abs thing to me. it seems like it happens more at the rear of the truck rather than the front, but that could be because of weight. what do you think?

 

I think if your rotors were warped you'd see and feel the shimmy in the steering wheel and the front of the truck (mine's like that right now). If you feel it in the back you might just want to pull the wheels and do a quick inspection to make sure everything at least looks ok; I had a cracked pad one time that caused a whole host of problems before I actually discovered it.

 

typically, warped rotors will often give you a pulsation in the brake pedal if you brake lightly, and if severly warped, pulsation even under heavy braking. It is possible you have a buildup of old brake material on the rotors and/or pads. Either way, it is a good idea to pull the wheels and calipers and do a good inspection of that area of your brakes. If you feel it may be rotor warping, put a dail indicator along a smooth area of the disc approx 1" in from outer edge and slowly rotate the disc through 360 deg, find the highest or lowest reading, set the disc there and re-zero the dial, then re-rotate the disc through 360 deg. the total runout shouldn't exceed .002" max according to FSM, if its more, they're bad.

Its also possible you need to rotate your tires
another possibility is a bad steering stabilizer shock--mounted on tie rod.

 

sounds warped to me too.

 

yeah, i am feeling pulsation in my steering wheel and brake pedal.

 

Sounds like the front rotors...