I have a 97 malibu. a replaced the front rotors, pads, and one caliper, the back drums and wheel cylinders. they were all bad. the car was shaking when i braked at high speeds or with a lot of weight in the car. i figured changing the front rotors(warped) would resolve the problem but it is still happening. is it a balancing issue, alignment, any suggestions?

 

definitly check wheel ballance and tire's for broken belts ,also did you turn the new drums and rotor's they can be out of round depending on how they were stored ,or at least check them for run out with a dial caliper on the rotor's mounted .important to check new drom's they can go out of round if they are stored standing upright insted of laying down flat !

 

You got warped rotors. You should take them to the shop again to get them resurfaced. Or replace them along with the brake pads. Or the antilock coming on during normal braking could be because of the warped rotors, but it's probably just you feeling the warp through the pedal.
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Auto Parts

 

first off, I would replace the calipers in pairs!

did you clean the hubs before you mounted the new rotors?

if so, try another set of rotors!

if it still pulsates, do the same with the drums.

just make sure you thoroughly clean, remove rust/debris, & lubeslideswhen you install brake parts.

 

I'll also add that if you maching the rotors, also flat sand the pads with 100 grit sandpaper. You'll have to sand them at least half as much as the rotors were warped out. (i.e. take .007in off each side of the rotors .014 total, take .007 off the pads.) this will prevent the rotors from warping due to uneven pads. Even when you put the new pads on, its a good Idea to sand the contact surface of the pad evenly, because the are never perfect.

 

My rotors on my 02 Impala were constantly warped. I had new rotors put on and Ceramic brake pads. Haven't had a problem since and it's been about a year....and lots of mileage!!!!

 

What you should do is get an alignment and have you wheels balanced. It's inexpensive and its worth it.

 

If you drive hard you need to make sure that you do not buy the cheap import brake parts as they do not hold up under hard braking, they will quickly warp from the heat. In most cases a set of Bendix rotors and ceramic pads will eliminate the problem. If your a serious driver you should buy a good set of after market slotted and drilled rotors with ceramic pads. A decent set willonly cost a few dollars more than the stock parts.If you still get brake fading buy a set of good calipers. Cheap brake drums will get out of round the first time you lock up the brakes. Good brakes will save your car not to mention your life. Don't get cheap!