Hello all! I've got a 95 Civic DX coupe that I just finished painting and restoring... after setting for a few months in the garage getting painted, I noticed that most of the brakes were bad. I had brand new drums and shoes put on the rear, and resurfaced the front rotars and changed the front pads. When driving it afterwards I noticed that when I'd press the brake pedal any more than lightly, the pedal and steering wheel would shake a great bit, accompanied by a loud noise. Naturally, I assumed the front rotar resurfacing didn't do the trick, so I had those replaced with new ones. Took it for a drive, same problem. I assumed the pads must have been damaged by the bad rotars... changed them, still, same problem. What's going on here??? I'm completely stumped!! Thanks in advance for your advice!!!

 

maybe the handbrake has seized?

 

Check that the brakes don't drag and overheat. Drive without using the brakes much then check if either front wheel is abnormally hot. Dragging will warp your rotor and cause the problem you have. Usually it is caused by a caliper sticking though there can be other reasons.

Another possibility is that the rotor is not properly square with the hub. Take the rotor off and check for rust or debris where it touches the hub.

Always install new pads at the same time after you resurface or replace a rotor.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. The hand brake works fine, and the shaking is definitely in the front end. I've checked to be sure the rotar is sitting on the hub squarely, and it is. The shaking only occurs when braking, so it's hard to imagine it being anything other than brake related, althoughI have heard that it could possibly be the ball joints...

No one else has had a similar issue?

 

Does the vibration occur at any certain speed that you've noticed?

I had a real bad front vibration at 25-40 mph; replaced axle and its fine. Axle can easily cause a vibration like that.