Steering wheel wobble after new brake pads installed

Hey guys

A few weeks ago I installed 1" spacers (not hub centric) to go along with my 18" Monsters (+18mm offset). Surprisingly, I never had any issues with vibrations or the like. High speeds the steering wheel was smooth.

So last weekend I put in new brake pads. I discovered one piston on the driver side caliper was seized but was not fully outward. For the time being, I removed the caliper and using a clamp, I compressed it back into the caliper enough to get the new brake pad in. I put the wheels on as normal and torqued them as I usually do.

Now I get a wobble in the steering wheel over 60kph (40mph?). Later I jacked up each side, loosened the lug nuts and retorqued but still get the wobble. Each wheel was free to turn as well. I have no idea how replacing brake pads would cause a wobble.

Any ideas? Later I am going to remove the wheel all together and place it back on from scratch, not that I am expecting it to make a difference really.

 

Did you have the rotors resurfaced? I've encountered this problem quite a bit when I worked at the dealership. My old 4Runner also did the same thing until I machined them.

 

No wobble while braking? Or does the wobble STOP when you apply the brakes at 60?

How is the braking?

Time to rotate your tires and see if the 'wobble' changes position or frequency.

Did you remove your rotors during the brake job? Did you inspect your rotors?

Did you lubricate your pins when doing the brake job?

 

I didn't touch the rotors. But a good point to consider. They still look in good shape but that bad caliper may have messed up the inner side.

The pins are new and move freely.

No wobble during braking even above 60kph that I noticed. I'll have to try again later. The tires are new as of April.
I did find that the wobble would disappear at 100kph but it may have just smoothed out at that speed.

 

Rotate your tires and see if the wobble changes......

Inspect your wheels/tires for any lost wheel weights.

Since you found a caliper with a seized piston, are you absolutely certain its not seized? You mentioned you compressed it....but that doesn't explain (or cure) the fact that it may not be extending properly?

You might try and do some harder stops (up at speed). See if the truck goes straight or turns to one side or the other when braking.

I'm just guessing here based on my own experiences.

 

I compressed it just as a temporary fix to get the new pad in there until I either try and fix it or get new calipers. It is likely just seized in its compressed state now.

When I went out for lunch I got some speed and hit the brake but it still wobbled during braking. I also applied the brake lightly and still wobbled. It also seems inconsistent during high speeds, it may wobble more than other times.

I went home lunch and jacked up the driver side with the trouble caliper and spun the wheel. I could hear the pad lightly rubbing the rotor but for every rotation, there was a spot were I didn't hear it, and then would hear it. I jacked up the passenger side and spun the wheel and that light rubbing sound was constant.

I don't know how long that piston was seized, it wasn't fully extended to cause the issue with the old pads, but I'm guessing the rotor is warped or has uneven wear and the new pad is picking up the uneven surface and causing the wobble I feel.

 

You're on the right track....

You could try the Redneck Dial indicator

LOL On my jeep..... I actually used a bucket & a can of WD-40 (with little red straw) to check a bent wheel. Jack up the wheel enough to spin, place bucket upside down, WD-40 on bucket with little red straw just touching the outside wheel edge at the middle height area. Spin wheel & watch the straw/rim. Do it on the opposite wheel & compare. I never thought it would work but....it was confirmed by the shop that I had a bent wheel.

I doubt it would work for a bent rotor...but ....it sure was fun to experiment! LOL

 

Basically you got lucky the first time you put your spacers on. Non hub centric on a toyota will almost always yield a wobble. Switch to spidertrax hub centric and you will be fine.

 

I had a set of non hub centric the first time and was the same thing as you, they were perfect. I rotated my wheels a few months later and could never get it back to good again, even after I switched the wheels back to the original spots. Take your spacers out and see if the wobble goes away, if it does, then there's your problem.

 

Thanks for the replies. I took off the spacers and mounted the wheels right on the hub. The wobble was still there after a test drive. I jacked it up again and tried spinning the wheel and I get a half a turn of free movement and then I would have to force it for the complete rotation. I tried the other wheel and it was free spinning all the way around.

I put the old pads back in but not without having to remove the bad caliper to get the new pad out. The pad was stuck in there with the seized piston pressing against it. With the old pads in, I pumped the brake a few times until it was pressurized again and checked. The bad piston was extended given less pad taking up space but it won't retract. I spun the wheel and it again had to be forced to make a full rotation.

I test drove with the old pads hoping the wobble would not be there anymore but it is still there. I guess by compressing that seized piston in the first place disturbed everything.

Its too bad because the rotors have very little wear on them. But the calipers look like the originals and look to be in hard shape.

I'm hoping that is the cause of the wobble. I did read that a seized piston can wear a rotor unevenly and cause a wobble in the steering. I read it here actually: