Possible brake vibration.............

[Guest GrandPrixlover1]

I made a trip to Oklahoma this past weekend and on the way back to Ohio there were times where we traveled at high speeds(80 mph or so), and when hitting the brakes to slow down, there would be a vibration in the front end. Is this normal with first gen brakes or is it somehing serious?

[93CutlassSupreme]

Did the brake pedal vibrate also?

 

 

 

First Gen brakes are shit. The rotors warp all the time.

 

Vibration in the brake pedal is a sure sign of warped rotors, but vibration in the front end could be many things.

[Guest GrandPrixlover1]

Yeah it was the brake pedal vibrating. Maybe that could narrow it down.

[93CutlassSupreme]

Yeah it was the brake pedal vibrating. Maybe that could narrow it down.

 

Yup. Warped front rotors for sure.

 

 

They're easy and cheap to replace. I can write it up if you need it.

[MonteCarloDude]

Yeah it was the brake pedal vibrating. Maybe that could narrow it down.

 

Yup. Warped front rotors for sure.

 

 

They're easy and cheap to replace. I can write it up if you need it.

x2 on the rotors, there are not hard at all to replace.

[93CutlassSupreme]

When you pull the rotors, make sure you didn't bend a wheel or lose a wheel weight, just to be sure.

[Guest GrandPrixlover1]

That's weird becuase when the brakes got done, the front rotors were changed. And that was done back in Feb.

[93CutlassSupreme]

It isn't that hard to warp a rotor.

[Schurkey]

That's weird becuase when the brakes got done, the front rotors were changed. And that was done back in Feb.

Not weird at all. Frightfully common, in fact.

 

My '92 would warp the rotors with ONE hard stop from highway speed. It did this with the original GM composite rotors, and with Mexican- (or Canadian--I forget) made full cast rotors. I eventually switched to a premium slotted rotor from NAPA and they haven't warped since--but--I also don't drive the car much anymore. The premium rotors seem to have fixed the warping problem. Be aware that in the ~15 years I've owned this car, I've installed pads numerous times; front rotors were cut or replaced numerous times (I bought a used brake lathe in part because of the troubles I had with this car!) and I rebuilt--then later replaced--the rear calipers. Eventually I replaced the power booster. About all that's original is the steel brake tubing, the master cylinder, and the ABS. (The ABS is now giving me some trouble...) Pretty much every component of the brake system has been replaced; I'm very disappointed in the engineering of the brake system of the first-gen W bodies.

 

MOST shops will slap on the cheapest, white-box Communist Chinese garbage rotors; it's a very high-profit sales item for them. As you might expect, cheap-junk rotors may not be made from a good grade of cast iron; and they may have fewer cooling fins between the braking surfaces because additional fins make the part harder to cast--and therefore more expensive.

Warped rotors can show up as pedal pulsation; but that could be either the front or rear or both. When the front rotors warp, it's at least as often--maybe even MORE common--that the customer complaint is that the steering wheel shakes when braking.

 

When the brakes work RIGHT--the car will stop quickly and safely. But E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G has to be good, or the problems multiply.

[GP1138]

Is the steering wheel shimmying when you brake? If not, I'd wager dollars to donuts your rears are warped.

[Guest GrandPrixlover1]

Nope it's just the pedal that's vibrating. My struts are going bad to so when I get some money I'm just gonnay buy new struts and rotors. Does anyone have any idea of what brands make good durable and long lasting products?

[pontiacmaniac94]

That's weird becuase when the brakes got done, the front rotors were changed. And that was done back in Feb.

Not weird at all. Frightfully common, in fact.

 

My '92 would warp the rotors with ONE hard stop from highway speed. It did this with the original GM composite rotors, and with Mexican- (or Canadian--I forget) made full cast rotors. I eventually switched to a premium slotted rotor from NAPA and they haven't warped since--but--I also don't drive the car much anymore. The premium rotors seem to have fixed the warping problem. Be aware that in the ~15 years I've owned this car, I've installed pads numerous times; front rotors were cut or replaced numerous times (I bought a used brake lathe in part because of the troubles I had with this car!) and I rebuilt--then later replaced--the rear calipers. Eventually I replaced the power booster. About all that's original is the steel brake tubing, the master cylinder, and the ABS. (The ABS is now giving me some trouble...) Pretty much every component of the brake system has been replaced; I'm very disappointed in the engineering of the brake system of the first-gen W bodies.

 

MOST shops will slap on the cheapest, white-box Communist Chinese garbage rotors; it's a very high-profit sales item for them. As you might expect, cheap-junk rotors may not be made from a good grade of cast iron; and they may have fewer cooling fins between the braking surfaces because additional fins make the part harder to cast--and therefore more expensive.

Warped rotors can show up as pedal pulsation; but that could be either the front or rear or both. When the front rotors warp, it's at least as often--maybe even MORE common--that the customer complaint is that the steering wheel shakes when braking.

 

When the brakes work RIGHT--the car will stop quickly and safely. But E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G has to be good, or the problems multiply.

 

 

 

 

yah, my gp shaked for a while there, it was pain in the butt, you might be able to get the rotors turned, but you never know, that is frustrating though, i had it on mine for 4-5 months, and towards the end there, the car would shake rather violently, it was really nice when it actually got fixed....