1998 Dodge Ram-- put new pads and turned rotor on drivers side. Now truck is shaking and it feels like it's coming from driver's side. Can anyone tell me why? thanks

 

It's possible that whoever machined the rotor actually did not machine them correctly, causing, in effect, a warped rotor.

A question to you though;
From your post, it seems that you only repaired the drivers side, why?

Another thing to check is the temp of the rotors, comparing one to the other.. I have experienced crud in the caliper that binds the caliper when it is pushed back into it's bore. This would act like the brakes are partially applied all the time. It can everheat and warp a rotor or just overheat the pads and cause some strange sensations.

 

Does it only do this when you brake, Also is this a rotor that has a bearing in it that may have been under tightened or improperly packed.

You torqued the lug nuts to right, because that is the first most important step to not warping rotors.

 

Thanks Nap and Hotrodder

I changed both sets of brakes but only the drivers side rotor needed to be turned. I use the truck to pull a trailer for my tractor and the electric brakes on that weren't working so my truck had to do all of the stopping. The inside rotor face was grooved -- so I had it turned.

I am a newbie at this stuff but I like doing it. I'm just not sure if I've done things properly. This is only the third set of brakes that I've changed myself.

I've never worried about tightening lug nuts. I just snugged them up tight with my tire changing tool.

How do I know if I warped the rotors and what do I do about it if I have?

Thanks again for the replies

 

You can go out and buy a couple hundred dollar dial indicator and appropriate mounting gear and check the rotor for run out or:

jack up that whell and turn the wheel by hand. If it gets tight, then loose and back and forth, the rotor is warped or machined wrong.

If there is enough material to machine the rotor again, you could have it machined again. If not, it's time for a new rotor.

The folks that machined it should have the dial indicator and be able to chuck up the rotor again and check it for run out.

How differently were the pads worn side for side and were they worn more on the inside or outside pad or similar in wear inside to outside?

 

well you can check for rotor run out as described above.

But since we don't need to be that precise, does the steering and car shake some when you brake.

Does this happen all the time or only when you brake.
Does the rotor have a wheel bearing in it.

Also if you are towing a trailer I would recommend carbon brakes from companies such as ebc or hawk, these are high performance pads that can take the extra heat from the load, they are known as race pads (Also good for people who tow).

 

Thanks -- only one rotor face was worn -- along with the pad. The inside face and pad.
I changed my brake pads in September and everything was great until I had the problem with my trailer. I didn't pass motor vehicle inspection because of brakes. That's why I changed them again. Only one pad was bad.

 

The inner pad wore because the caliper was not sliding right. You needed to break the sliding pins loose and lube them when you did the brake job or just get new rotors.

 

hotrodder - the car doesn't shake when I brake. Only when I'm driving -- and seems to increase at higher speed. I just did this change today and noticed the shaking soon after. No bearings -- that I know of -- the newbie in me is showing now.

The shaking isn't horrible -- it just wasn't there before.

 

Also for uneven brake wear you should replace both front brake hoses and calipers, Then I can gurantee that you will get even wear.

 

There is a few things I would look into since it doesn't do this when braking is done its not warped rotors. I would make sure all the lugnuts are tight, and get the front end in the air and try to wiggle the wheel up and down and left to right. everything should feel tight no slop. Could be a wheel bearing going bad, you could have knocked a wheel weight off the tire.

 

I thought about the wheel weight -- but didn't see one on the ground. I could have lost it while I was driving. I'll check these things. Thanks for your help -- it's appreciated.

 

One other thing I have seen happen.

When some people put wheels on they tighten one side of the wheel enough so that it cocks the wheel. You can actually **** some wheels and have the lugnuts tight. The wheel is not flat against the hub and will do what you are experiencing.

Jack the truck up, take the wheel off and put it back on being sure to tighen the nuts evenly and not all at once. You should go areound the pattern 2 or 3 times. Make sure the wheel is totally off the ground as well. If it isn;t, this will all be for naught.

 

I'll spend the morning taking the wheel off and looking at everything again. Thanks.

 

If wheel balance is questionable, swap the wheel with one on the rear and see if there is any difference.

 

I second Nap's suggestion. It sounds as if something didn't get put back together right. You might also take the rotor off and check the face of the hub for a large buildup of corrosion. This might not be allowing the rotor to sit flush and true against the hub. Then when you bolt the wheel down on the rotors...the effect is exaggerated and you get a vibration/wobbling.

As a side note...you might just consider replacing rotors in the future. A new rotor for your vehicle (assuming you have a 1500 4x4) is only 30-55 dollars. I don't know what you spent to have your rotor turned but it had to be at least 15-20 I imagine. The cost of a new rotor is nominal. PLUS, you have to remember why rotors end up needing to be turned...the usual cause is they are warped. How did they get warped? Too much heat build up. So, now you are turning that rotor and making it thinner...thinner/less metal equals less ability to dissapate heat. The end result is that the rotor will now warp FASTER. For just a little bit more money you wouldn't have to worry about that. Just something to consider...