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pulsating brakes 700 1990

I started noticing that the brake pedal began pulsating at slow speeds a few months ago. I don't notice anything unsual with steering or car vibrating. It must be subtle because my wife says that she can't tell. Before I dive into this, I thought I would check to get as much troubleshooting information on possible causes. I've been reading FAQs and archives on Brickboard and other sources. For background, the front rotors, ATE Power discs, are about 4.5 years old with about 40,000 miles on them and no unusually hard driving. Front calipers are original Girling for 10.25 inch rotors. Pads (PBR Deluxe) and caliper hardware, pins,springs and so forth, were changed about a year ago. The front end bushings and ball joints were replaced about 5 years ago. Is it all about rotors in the case of pulsating brakes or are front end components or something else possibly involved? I know about runout, but don't have experience or tools for this, so would have to take the car to the shop to have this done. As much information before I move forward much appreciated. We've had this car since almost new in 1990 with no previous brake problems, just parts replacements. Thanks for any help.








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    pulsating brakes 700 1990

    If the pedal is all that's pulsing, then it is likely the rotors. If the wheel is shuttering then it's likely strut rod bushings.

    That having been said, if it's the rotors, then something caused the high spots in them. My guess would be the pads that were installed a year ago. Were they "seated" properly? (a series of 5-6 cycles of hard braking from 45mph to 5 mph) Also look closely for sticky calipers that could cause overheating.

    jeff Pierce
    --
    '93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece -- sold to a loving home), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow








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      pulsating brakes 700 1990

      How do I check for sticky calipers? Brickboard FAQs state to remove wheel and observe piston movement while a second person presses down and releases pressure on brake pedal. Sticky if pistons don't retract slightly when pressure released? Anything else to look for? Thanks.








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        pulsating brakes 700 1990

        An easy way to check if the calipers are hanging up is to do the following:
        - Jack the front of the car up, and leavevthe wheels on the car.
        - Spin one of them by hand -- the wheel should spin freely. Then have an assistant apply the brakes firmly and release them. The wheel should turn freely again once again.

        Do this for both sides.

        Jeff Pierce
        --
        '93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece -- sold to a loving home), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow








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          pulsating brakes 700 1990

          Geez... sorry about all the typos in the previous message. For some reason I'm not getting an "edit" option -- so I can't correct them.

          Jeff Pierce
          --
          '93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece -- sold to a loving home), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow








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    pulsating brakes 700 1990

    No, it's not all about rotors; it's often about strut rod "cone" bushings.
    I'm a big fan of urethane.
    Records show one of our local indy shops beating on our '90 765(for the P.O.) for pulsating brakes for years(new rotors, new pads, turn the rotors, repeat).
    ipd urethane bushings cured the problem instantly.







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