RESOLVED: Brakes Cause Steering Wheel Vibrations - 2002 Tundra

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Solace in Solitude

Solace in Solitude

10 Year
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Threads
125
Messages
7,185
Location
Las Vegas
Hi All,

I have a 2002 Tundra, that I bought new, that just clocked 100k miles.

We just returned from a three week trip to Colorado... Pulling our travel trailer, with a brake controller.

I noticed, under "some" conditions, that when I press the brake pedal the steering wheel vibrates significantly, as it would if the front end was out of alignment.

It occurs with and without the trailer hooked up... And "seems" to only occur when braking, going downhill, on a fairly steep grade... And "seems" to be related to certain road surfaces... Like rougher, older pavement.

I initially suspected warped disc brake rotor(s) on the front discs... But, it seems to me that, that would present the vibrations all the time...

I have good braking power, with and without the trailer brake controller, but when the vibration occurs, it feels like "whoop", "whoop", "whoop"... Sorry, to get technical here :cool:

Does anyone have any idea where I should start?

Thanks!!
 
Rotors my friend. My tundra did the same thing. Replaced the rotors and vibrations went bye bye. The wife's Seqouia did the same thing. She got new slotted rotors and the thing stops on a quarter. I'd say dime, but thing is so damn big. Anyway, easy repair.
 
Shawn Trojahn said:
Rotors my friend. My tundra did the same thing. Replaced the rotors and vibrations went bye bye. The wife's Seqouia did the same thing. She got new slotted rotors and the thing stops on a quarter. I'd say dime, but thing is so damn big. Anyway, easy repair.
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Thanks! That's what I suspected, but it doesn't occur all the time, so I doubted my diagnosis.
 
Warped rotors, it will get worse as they heat up and expand more so on short trips it will seem OK.
Also as the front wheels will travel slightly different distances sometimes the left and right vibration will cancel each other out and others it will add up.
 
Thanks everyone!!

Beno is hooking me up with new rotors and pads...

113* today...Now, if it would only cool down long enough to replace the rotors and pads and get some things finished on my FJ40...

... And fix a couple of things in my Casita travel trailer... When I went to dump the black tank in Chama, NM, all sorts of interesting stuff came out on the ground and on my boots... The Valterra blade valve broke off.

I cleaned up the mess and got back on the road before the EPA showed up :cool:
 
So, my new rotors and pads arrived, I jacked up my Tundra, pulled the wheels, the calipers and the rotors and went to install the new rotors and they were 5-hole rotors...

Toyota parts pulled the wrong rotors... I contacted @beno and he's straightened it out... the correct rotors and pads should be here tomorrow and I should have my 2002 Tundra working toward 100,500 actual miles by this weekend!!
 
While you have it apart you might check on the CV shafts. I have had vibrations that I thought were rotors turn into a grenade CV shaft after I ignored them. Couldn't hurt to give them a quick wiggle to check for play.
 
Hey Danny, curious as to what brand brake controller you're running on your 02? I had similar issues with Ol' Red, my 01 Tundra except I was always able to turn my rotors, replace the pads, and alleviate my shimmy issues. All of us who own or owned the GEN 1 Tundra know how under braked they are. What are you doing to "44" now?

Lee
 
highground said:
Hey Danny, curious as to what brand brake controller you're running on your 02? I had similar issues with Ol' Red, my 01 Tundra except I was always able to turn my rotors, replace the pads, and alleviate my shimmy issues. All of us who own or owned the GEN 1 Tundra know how under braked they are. What are you doing to "44" now?

Lee
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Hey Lee,

I have a DrawTite Activator III brake controller on my Tundra... installed in 2009. I'm very pleased with it.

I won't need a brake controller on 44.
 
My new rotors and pads arrived... again... correct parts this time!!

I'll be doing this sometime this weekend or early next week... I have to finish testing out 44's repaired wiring harness and reconnecting a couple of accessories (tach and oil pressure safety switch, with relays) first...

Lee (@highground), I just realized I misread your question above... I am almost finished repairing, rehanging and testing 44's wiring harness... I also have parts to use in installing my Viair compressor under the hood (where I removed the heater blower motor)... but, that's after I replace the rotors and pads on my Tundra.

After all this is done, I have to remove the black (think sewage) dump valve on my trailer and replace it --- yuck!!

Then, have spine surgery on August 30th... sounds "yuck", but I'm anxious to get this done... I can do without all this pain!!

Down the road, I'm going to build something where 44's front heater was... not sure what... probably more storage...
 
Solace in Solitude said:
Replaced my rotors and pads today... Also replaced two lug studs that Discount Tires has stripped over the years.

The CV shafts were fine... No wiggle.

Thanks to all who helped!!
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Good job on your Tundra Danny, now onto the Black dump valve, better you than me. :flush: Good luck with the wiring harness on "44" and with your surgery on the 30th. Let all of us on the "Highway" know how it all goes.
 
highground said:
Good job on your Tundra Danny, now onto the Black dump valve, better you than me. :flush: Good luck with the wiring harness on "44" and with your surgery on the 30th. Let all of us on the "Highway" know how it all goes.
Click to expand...

Thanks Lee!!

44's wiring harness is fixed... She's running again!!

Yep, now the black dump valve... I'm trying to get it all done before my down time... I think I'll make it...
 
Solace in Solitude said:
Thanks Lee!!

44's wiring harness is fixed... She's running again!!

Yep, now the black dump valve... I'm trying to get it all done before my down time... I think I'll make it...
Click to expand...

You'll get it done, no problems Danny, easy fix, I hope for you anyway! :hmm: My 40 is my baby and what I tend to spend my time and $$$ on first, our Tundra's are rock solid and only need occasional attention to keep em in top shape, thank goodness, glad you got "44" back in running shape, like you with Gunner and Chester, my Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix Trooper, gets upset if he can't ride with me in my 40, he does love riding in the Tundra, but the 40 is his favorite!! :) :lol:
 
highground said:
You'll get it done, no problems Danny, easy fix, I hope for you anyway! :hmm: My 40 is my baby and what I tend to spend my time and $$$ on first, our Tundra's are rock solid and only need occasional attention to keep em in top shape, thank goodness, glad you got "44" back in running shape, like you with Gunner and Chester, my Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix Trooper, gets upset if he can't ride with me in my 40, he does love riding in the Tundra, but the 40 is his favorite!! :) :lol:
Click to expand...

My Tundra is their dog house - the back seat (access cab) - I made a bed that fits it - it makes a nice flat bed, with a coupe of inches of foam. They ride there, sleep there (when we're camping with our trailer) and lounge there (when we're home and I'm working on 44)... except when it's too hot out.

44 is our adventure truck - we explore in it and sleep in it most of the time.
 
Danny, How did the surgery go? You've been pretty quiet lately. Did you get the dump valve replaced before you went into surgery?
Lee
 
Sorry Lee!! I posed a crap reply... too many drugs.

Here's my real response...

Well, I couldn't physically do the dump valve swap job. So, I hired a retired plumber for the dump valve... the Tundra and Trailer are ready to go.

I repaired and reinstalled 44's harness and checked everything out... 44 is ready to roll.

I also added a circuit breaker and fusebox for accessories... and wired all my offroad lights to their own dedicated circuit. Down the road, I'll add on-board-air via one of the unused circuits and a 12vdc charging station via another unused circuit.

Regarding my surgery... it's documents in my My '78 FJ40 "44" thread... basically, I had a laminectomy, with fusion on Aug 30th, came home, feeling great and high as a kite, on Aug 31st. I even walked a couple hundred yards... no problem.

The next day, I found it VERY painful getting out of bed... but not at the surgical site... (sciatica) in my left buttock and hamstring (more drugs prescribed)... each day, the pain was worse... until it eventually was so bad I could no longer get up and walk very far 10-20'.

Today, we visited with the surgeon and confirmed he had pissed off my sciatic nerve... it needs to recover... he prescribed a regimen of steroids and changed me to percoset.

We came home and I found I could now, more easily, stand up, but the pain, while trying to walk was so severe, I almost fell twice.

So, Dianna and I have wiped the dust off my male urinal and activated the 'stay in recliner' protocol for the next three days... no activity that triggers the pain... and we'll see how it is at that point.

The surgery, itself, appears to be a complete success... of course the fusion will not be complete for three months.

So, to synopsize... Tundra, Trailer and 44... ready to roll... Danny... not so much...
 
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Solace in Solitude said:
Sorry Lee!! I posed a crap reply... too many drugs.

Here's my real response...

Well, I couldn't physically do the dump valve swap job. So, I hired a retired plumber for the dump valve... the Tundra and Trailer are ready to go.

I repaired and reinstalled 44's harness and checked everything out... 44 is ready to roll.

I also added a circuit breaker and fusebox for accessories... and wired all my offroad lights to their own dedicated circuit. Down the road, I'll add on-board-air via one of the unused circuits and a 12vdc charging station via another unused circuit.

Regarding my surgery... it's documents in my My '78 FJ40 "44" thread... basically, I had a laminectomy, with fusion on Aug 30th, came home, feeling great and high as a kite, on Aug 31st. I even walked a couple hundred yards... no problem.

The next day, I found it VERY painful getting out of bed... but not at the surgical site... (sciatica) in my left buttock and hamstring (more drugs prescribed)... each day, the pain was worse... until it eventually was so bad I could no longer get up and walk very far 10-20'.

Today, we visited with the surgeon and confirmed he had pissed off my sciatic nerve... it needs to recover... he prescribed a regimen of steroids and changed me to percoset.

We came home and I found I could now, more easily, stand up, but the pain, while trying to walk was so severe, I almost fell twice.

So, Dianna and I have wiped the dust off my male urinal and activated the 'stay in recliner' protocol for the next three days... no activity that triggers the pain... and we'll see how it is at that point.

The surgery, itself, appears to be a complete success... of course the fusion will not be complete for three months.

So, to synopsize... Tundra, Trailer and 44... ready to roll... Danny... not so much...
Click to expand...

Yeah Danny, you kind of freaked me a little bit with the initial reply, but I figured you were knee deep in the pain meds and probably almost drooling on yourself! ;) All you got to do now is recover enough to enjoy all the toys you fixed before surgery. Hang out and plan your OBA project till you feel better. :cheers:

Lee
 
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