The whole truck shakes when i hit the brakes!!!

[bignick33]

Well, just got new brakes about 2 months ago. Now when i drive my truck and go to hit the brakes, the brakes fell like they work then skip, work then skip. And when this happens the whole truck shakes and it is hard to control. I'm afraid it is going to cost me to wreck my truck. Anyone got any ideas what this is from. And what could be wrong. Thanks for the help, NIck.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

My guess is your rear brake drums are now out-of-round. They probably turned them when they did your brakes. Its a very common problem. My truck does it too. Its worse when the brakes are hot or the outside temps are hot.



Take your truck out for a drive. at 25 mph of so, push in your parking brake. Don't touch the service brakes. If the truck still vibrates, and shakes as its slowing, you've eliminated the front rotors/brakes as the problem.



Make sure you dont see rear axle lube dripping from the inside of your drums. If the axle seal is leaking, it could cause the rear brakes to lock up easily, and your ABS is trying to compensate.

 

[DieselDoghouse]

Shake n' Brake

Its Deja Vue all over again!! I just tried to address this same problem this weekend. Tore the rears down , didn't find lube leaks but alot of dust and grit. I found that my shake got worse if I overcompensated the adjuster. A mechanic friend suggested that if the drums weren't out of round, perhaps the shoes had developed high 'lobes' and would chatter. Anyway, with readjust, the shake is gone, but the rear braking isn't. Also, yes, it gets worse with repeated 'Baja braking' in heat, etc.

 

[cbconway]

Me, too

I just picked my truck up from the dealer I bought it from last week. When I first test drove the beast it braked fine, but that was before they "certified" it & did a brake job. I didn't think to drive it again when I bought it. On the way home the rear started shaking whenever I braked from about 45 mph. I figured they hadn't turned the drums properly & took it back. They were helpful, gave me a loaner, & did the job right, but I didn't ask what they did 'cause it was after closing. Smooth as silk, now. Hope it stays that way.

I had a VW beetle years ago that required careful torquing of the lug nuts or else the drums would warp & do the same dance, but I didn't think that kind of problem would be possible with the big drums on the 2500. Now I feel like I ought to go back to the dealer & ask what they did.

 

[R Anestis]

Try this

It may sound stupid, but unless I'm stuck on the side of the road changing a flat, I ALWAYS torque the lugs. I put them up to around 110 ft. lbs. Don't do it all at once either, start at around 50 and go up in 20-25 lb. increments, then make the last increase 10. Never had any problems doing it this way. When you take your truck to get new tires, ask them to torque the lugs (they probably won't, but it doesn't hurt to ask, or DEMAND!) I also re-torque mine after bringing it home. I didn't once, and had to get the drums AND rotors turned as a result.

 

[illflem]

R Anestis, torqueing the lugs correctly is extremely important, going round the rim in a circle with an impact is a good way to warp the rotors, BUT the torque value for my 2500 is 145 ft/lbs, your's should be the same.

 

[Thomas]

R Anestis,



As Bill points out, you're a little light on the torque. The model year 2000 service manual shows 135 foot-pounds on Ram 2500 eight stud wheels.

 

[R Anestis]

thanks

I didn't get a service manual for my truck yet. When I got it (the truck), I didn't even get an owner's manual with it. It was six months old and the first owner took the manual, the spare tire, and even the button that goes in the little compartment for a garage door opener! Anyway, 110 ft lbs was a semi-educated guess. I didn't want to go too high without knowing what it should be. Guess I could have called the dealer to ask or posted a question on these forums. Thanks illflem and Thomas for that bit of information, I'll be re-torquing my lugs tomorrow.

Also, I forgot to mention in my earlier post that torque sequence is equally, if not more important than torquing the lugs correctly. Most truck owners who do their own maintenance already know this, but for those who don't:

-----on six and eight bolt patterns: start with one, then go to the opposite. Now go to the next one beside the one you started with, then to its opposite... and so on, and so on.

-----on five bolt patterns: start with one, then go in a star shape around the lugs.

-----*ALSO*an alternate pattern for eight bolt: start with one then go to its opposite, now go to one 90 degrees either way, then go to its opposite, next go 45 degrees either way and then to its opposite, and finally 90 degrees again and to its opposite.



An important thing to remember is to go in steps while using a torque wrench. As I said in my earlier post, I usually go in 20-25 lb increments and then 10lbs for the last one.



Hope this helps someone.



-Ron