Brake? Disc? Shudder.

[9690phil]

Hi all. Ls430 2001, has anybody had this it doesn't seem to do it all the time but when i brake there seems to be a slight judder, not a wobble any idea's seem to be frowing lots of money at this car now so when i sell it will be like wheeler dealer have had it.lol

[Bluesman]

Hi all. Ls430 2001, has anybody had this it doesn't seem to do it all the time but when i brake there seems to be a slight judder, not a wobble any idea's seem to be frowing lots of money at this car now so when i sell it will be like wheeler dealer have had it.lol

Ever noticed how they never include Labour charges for poor old Edd. If I knew where he hung out I would book my cars in there. Parts only, rather appealing. Mike

[9690phil]

His labour would double the price of the car. Wish they would knock on my door

[Maduggo]

First thing to check, does the wheel look damaged, or loose.

Maybe it is muck built up around the caliper and brake pistons, you can take the pads out and check for signs of crud, but please don't get hasty with an airline and try to blow the muck out, damage could ensue. Couple of tins of brake disc cleaner and some cotton buds may help, brake dust can compact very well.

brake pads could be worn or damaged. Easy to replace.

Could also be a damaged disc, which means replacement obviously, if you do then do both sides to make it even. Not too difficult to do.

[Titch LS]

Most probably a sticking caliper. Surprisingly, sometimes some really hard braking can actually help get rid of the judder. I tried this on my mk4 and there was a definite improvement in brake feel after a few high speed 'emergency stops'.

[9690phil]

Ill ask my local brake and tyre company have a look see if it looks like it needs a bit of a clean and grease?

[9690phil]

If it was a warped disc would it be a wobble on steering wheel when braking?

[plexus914]

The "Warped" Brake Disc and Other Myths of the Braking System

by Carroll Smith

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths

[plastic orange]

Discs seem to last about 20k. Symptoms start off as light wobble on gentle braking and worsen with miles to the point that driving pleasure diminishes. Discs and pads are easy to replace though, and Lexus discs don't seem any better than decent aftermarket.

Pete

[Mybikes a cx500]

From plexus914's link :-

"never leave your foot on the brake pedal after you have used the brakes hard"

Which in an automatic left in "D" when we stop, we do all the time!

I now give myself an extra metre of stopping distance and let the car creep a bit at lights, so the pads aren't clamped on the same bit of disk all the time

[steve2006]

In addition to all the above possible causes there is also the possibility of worn suspension joints (upper control arm balljoints and lower balljoints) any play in these is greatly amplified when braking.

[Foulsbane]

Strange you should raise that Phil.

I have exactly the same problem, and your right Brian, some hard braking solves the problem temporarily.

The fact that it's intermittent is the puzzling factor.

Almost as if oil drips onto the disk at times and the hard braking wears it off.

NOT the reason I know , but that's how it feels.

[9690phil]

Know where your coming from steve but would it be intermitent? While i was having my back box fitted i asked them to check discs and pads, they said back was fine, front were ok ish but look like they could go a couple more months.he said there is rust around the top edge so particals of this could be falling behind pads? Sounds logical but i feel its not that. It looks to me the ls's go through pads and disc's pretty often compared to other car's but if you think about it they have a lot of work to do stopping these big lumps of a car. And often look at mine when its parked next to other cars and then you realise how bloody big they are.

[The-Acre]

Know where your coming from steve but would it be intermitent? While i was having my back box fitted i asked them to check discs and pads, they said back was fine, front were ok ish but look like they could go a couple more months.he said there is rust around the top edge so particals of this could be falling behind pads? Sounds logical but i feel its not that. It looks to me the ls's go through pads and disc's pretty often compared to other car's but if you think about it they have a lot of work to do stopping these big lumps of a car. And often look at mine when its parked next to other cars and then you realise how bloody big they are.

As has been mentioned, it could be a number of things. I had the wobble on a previous LS and it got progressively worse. I replaced the discs, which was easy, and the problem went away. It only happened on speeds above 40mph.

[steve2006]

Mine must be the exception to the rule although I do a very low annual mileage but all the discs on it are original from new and there are still no noticeable wear lips at 88,000 miles.

I did suffer from brake judder once and this was caused by the nearside UCA ball joint with excessive play.

[9690phil]

There's only one way of finding out, ill get my disc's changed there's some on eBay £65 free delivery so if these eliminate it great and then next time put better ones on.

[9690phil]

Would you get a avisory on mot it there was play in ball joints?

[Malc]

Probably only if it was sufficiently noticeable to warrant one and a possibility that the ball joint(s) might need attention before the next MOT.

However Advisories are just that and many members have had advisories for rust where the look of dark oxidised, otherwise steel bright metal, is showing ............ where there's absolutely zero likelihood of structural rust al all !! ....... ever

Malc

[Gorodish]

LS's seem very sensitive to front brake discs - I kept replacing and still getting the >40mph judder - was only fixed by skimming the discs whilst on the hub - there must have been some wear or build up on the hub/s. Now back to wonderful!

[Titch LS]

I occasionally brake deliberately hard (when no one's around) and this has definitely helped to keep any 'wobble' to a minimum. If I'm gentle on the brakes all the time it seems to encourage the calipers to stick a bit, resulting in a slight 'wobble' when braking from higher speeds...the occasional hard braking is a handy little trick. Also, I don't 'sit' on the brakes at traffic lights. Funnily enough, my pads seem to have lasted a lot longer than I have been LED to believe for this car. I don't find it particularly heavy on pads, not as much as people are saying anyway. I do average yearly mileage (12,000 per year) and use Mintex pads all round.