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Subject:Re: Shuddering Brakes
From:Jim Felder
Date:Thu, 3 Mar 2016 16:41:53 +0000

Never trust anyone to tighten lugs nuts correctly, including yourself. Ask
me how I know : (

The shudder could be a wobble. Do you have alloys or steels? I have had my
friendly local tire store refuse to pay for a Carat alloy that drove in
fine but pulsed going out. Their slack-jawed goons warped it somehow,
probably with the tire machine or a 250 ft pound air wrench. Management
trained to deny, and they did. Cost me a wheel. It happens.

Jim

On Thu, Mar 3, 2016 at 10:32 AM kenneth wilford (Van-Again) <
kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:

> Richard, since it wasn't there before he did the bearing work then I would
> suspect something he did.  It could be as simple as something that he
> thought was tight that isn't.  Jack up the front of the van and check the
> wheels for play.  If you grab them and rock side to side that is checking
> the tie rod end.  If there is no play there then try up and down that is
> for wheel bearings and or ball joints.  Also be sure the lug bolts are
> tight.  If all of these things are fine, remove the wheel and check to see
> if the two bolts holding the brake caliper in place are tight all the way.
> The 85 and earlier had two different caliper bolts, one that is threaded
> all the way and the other that has about and inch of no threads.  I believe
> the lower one is fully threaded and the upper one has the space with no
> threads.  Maybe he put it back together wrong or the calipers bolts are
> just loose.
>
> Let us know you what you find.  Ken
>
> On Thu, Mar 3, 2016 at 10:52 AM, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
> wrote:
>
> > I took my 85 Vanagon with 220,000 miles in to have Front Wheel Bearings
> > repacked, Rear Wheel Bearings repacked (inspection revealed all bearings
> in
> > good shape, no replacement), brake fluid flushed.  Mechanic did those; he
> > also noticed about 1/8" play on the left Tie Rod bushing, the right side
> > had no play, so got the left Tie Rod bushing replaced.
> > As I drove off, I sensed a slight "shudder" when lightly applying brakes
> > at low speed, maybe 20 MPH.  The sensation was like driving over
> washboard
> > road surface, in fact that's what I thought it was.  But as I drove
> further
> > and started testing different brake pressure at different speeds, the
> > shudder was reproducible.  Again...always with a light touch on the
> brakes
> > and at low speed like coming to stop.
> > Took it back to mechanic.  He thought at first warped rotors.  But the
> > problem wasn't there before the bearing re-packing.  He drove it....and
> was
> > dumbfounded.....said he'd never seen anything like this before.  And the
> > shuddering appears to be getting worse.
> >
> > We are stumped.  Any ideas?
> >
> > RichSan Diego
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Thanks,
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
>