my brakes...

[rh71]

are vibrating when I use them. The brake pedal and the steering wheel vibrate at any-speed braking. Is this an alignment issue? Brake pads? Axle? Tire?

'90 Honda Accord (my fiance's car actually)

 

[Mutilator]

Probably warped rotors. If you can take them off yourself you can have them turned for about $10/each.

- Phone rang - As I was saying you can have them turned if there is enough metal left to be turned... the place you take it to should know if it's safe to turn them or not. If you don't want to do it yourself you can either buy new rotors yourself and have them installed... or just take it somewhere and have a brake job done for you. Probably looking at a couple hundred $$ that way though.

 

[ohtwell]

Check the pressure in the tires first. Uneven pressure can cause uneven driving.
If the pressure is fine then check the pads. They are pretty easy to have replaced and worn pads can cause vibration when you decelerate.
Alignment can be an issue but you notice it more when you are going above 60 miles an hour, assuming that it's not really misaligned. An easy way to check your alignment is to drive straight and then let the steering wheel go for a second. If the car starts veering in one direction then your car's alignment could be off.

Always check the easy thing first and work your way up. More than likely it's the pads though.


: ) Amanda

 

[Thegonagle]

Your rotors are warped. You need to remove the axle nut on this car to change the rotors. Get a big breaker bar and a pipe that fits over the end of it. Don't forget to buy new cotter pins.

Good luck.

 

[NutBucket]

Yep, the ones on my 91 are warped to and I have the same symptoms.

 

[rh71]

At this rate, how long could we go without changing the rotors? So we understand the rotors could be warped... is this life-threatening or is it just a warning sign like the squeal for brake pads?

I'm just watching her car while she's on vaca. She drives it about once a week, if that... but about 100 miles each time. I'm driving it 5 miles per day for the next few days.

 

The rotors warp from over heating the brakes.
You should take care of it as soon as possible,It is not life threatening but it can cause an inexperianced driver to have an accident.

 

[Thegonagle]

It's really not good. The brakes will lock up a lot more easily, the tires will wear unevenly (even under normal braking), and the car will be shaking itself apart. You can go on indefinitely, if you feel like letting the car deteriorate to the point of having no useful and negligible monetary value, but if you need to make the car last, and want it to be safe to drive, take care of it.

 

[Mutilator]

Like I told somebody the other day... brakes are probably the most important thing on a car... make sure they're in good condition. I know when I got my car the rotors warped after a couple months... once I replaced the pads & rotors up front my braking distance decreased dramatically. You may think it's just a bad vibration but chances are you're taking longer to brake than you should. That wouldn't be good if a kid jumped out infront of you chasing a ball or something. If you don't have the money save up until you do... that's what I had to do. If you do have the money then go ahead and get it done. Better safe then sorry.

 

[jemcam]

Originally posted by: ohtwell
Check the pressure in the tires first. Uneven pressure can cause uneven driving.
If the pressure is fine then check the pads. They are pretty easy to have replaced and worn pads can cause vibration when you decelerate.
Alignment can be an issue but you notice it more when you are going above 60 miles an hour, assuming that it's not really misaligned. An easy way to check your alignment is to drive straight and then let the steering wheel go for a second. If the car starts veering in one direction then your car's alignment could be off.

Always check the easy thing first and work your way up. More than likely it's the pads though.


: ) Amanda

If it was tires it wouldn't do it only when decelerating. Alignment has nothing to do with braking. Checking your alignment (edit: like you suggested) will only show that you have a caster problem, it won't address toe in or camber, but it can also show tire pressure problems or different makes or models of tires from one side to the other.

It's the rotors, trust me.

 

[jemcam]

Originally posted by: Garfang
Your rotors are warped. You need to remove the axle nut on this car to change the rotors. Get a big breaker bar and a pipe that fits over the end of it. Don't forget to buy new cotter pins.

Good luck.

Nope. All you have to do is remove the calipers and the little metal clips on the studs if they're still there, then the rotor will slip right off. Have them machined or replace them. Check the pads while you've got the rotor off. The axle nut will allow the spindle to be removed from the half shaft, not the rotor.

 

[roncarter]

Originally posted by: rh71
are vibrating when I use them. The brake pedal and the steering wheel vibrate at any-speed braking. Is this an alignment issue? Brake pads? Axle? Tire?

'90 Honda Accord (my fiance's car actually)

i had this same problem.. ur brakes need to be turned.. plain and simple

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Mutilator
... once I replaced the pads & rotors up front my braking distance decreased dramatically. You may think it's just a bad vibration but chances are you're taking longer to brake than you should. That wouldn't be good if a kid jumped out infront of you chasing a ball or something. If you don't have the money save up until you do... that's what I had to do. If you do have the money then go ahead and get it done. Better safe then sorry.

The car is DEFINITELY taking longer to brake (distance). It's been the case for many months now (I hardly drive it myself) and I just thought all cars' braking styles were different. So... we will get it fixed as soon as money allows. As always, appreciate the advice.