97 Q45 Braking Vibration

[Don Keyballs]

Please excuse me for posting this as some one has probably posted something close to it.

My woes started with a brake squeal from the front brakes. I replaced the pads and inspected the rotors. There was a shimmy from the steering wheel at the time, so I had the rotors turned. The brakes quit shaking for a couple of days, but soon came back. The bad thing here on my part is that I used aftermarket pads. From what I have read here, that was a bad decision. So.... I went and bought real pads from Infinity. Still shaking, but took about a week to start squealing. I then bought aftermarket rear pads and front rotors (the rear pads were getting close to the wear indicator). I have replaced those and now my left rear wheel gets brake dust on it.

Here is my thinking (be afraid). The shimmy is coming though the gear shift handle and not the steering wheel. Is there a chance of the read rotors being warped? Should I go back with all new Infinity pads and rotors?

I have found 4 rotors on ebay from R1 Concepts for $169.00. Should I stay away? It doesn't give the brand name.

Another thing that I have not told you is that I broke the speed sensor on the right front wheel, so the ABS is not working. I need to find the harness if anyone can point me in the right direction.

P.S. I have contributed troubleshooting tips in the past on the pathfinder, so I am not one of those people who just take advantage of the advice here.

[Q45tech]

Don't assume that brand new rotors are perfectly in spec by the time they go thru many hands and travel on ships, trains, and trucks.

The usual solution is to use an on the car lathe [won't work with drilled or slotted units] to true then against the hubs OR index them/shim them with a 0.0005" dial indicator!

[Don Keyballs]

I think that I can get a .0005 indicator and base. I also have .0005 shim stock that I can make shims from. Should I go ahead and replace the rear pads with Infinity pads instead of Auto Zone? Could the aftermarket pads be causing my wheel to turn black with brake dust while the others are relatively clean, and explain the squealing as well?

[DAEDALUS]

Have you checked the play on the caliper to ensure it's not sticking across its full range of motion? That's often the cause of faster brake wear on 1 wheel.

[Don Keyballs]

I haven't checked that yet. Is there a way that you can disable on brake at a time to see if you can make the vibration go away (not permanently).

[DAEDALUS]

No way that I know of. Sounds inherently unsafe IMO.

[Don Keyballs]

I wouldn't drive it like that for more than around my neighborhood and possibly through school zone or two. (Just kidding)

[DougQ45]

I had the same problem you suffer from on my 91, and after turnng the rotors, and indexing them (for minimum run out) with the dial indicator--it solved the problem. It was slow going as there are 5 or so diffirent combinations on the hub, but the result was worth it. Make sure you tightern the rotor to the hub with 2 or 3 lug nuts, then turn the rotor 4 or 5 times. Good luck.

[Q45tech]

May people install brand new or newly turned rotors on warped hubs, immediately forcing the rotors to warp to conform!

[maxnix]

May people install brand new or newly turned rotors on warped hubs, immediately forcing the rotors to warp to conform!

Amen. Indexing the rotors does no good after a few thousand miles if the hubs are not within specifications.