Odd brake issue 2002 Tundra

[ODB]

Hear me out fellas... my 02 Tundra has started doing a strange thing with the brakes at VERY low speed...

First off, it's a non-ABS system - just plain old brakes... here's what happens...

when you apply the brakes at slow, and I mean turtle speed (like the last 3 feet at a stop sign) the brakes will all the sudden catch, and sometimes chatter. This catching sometimes pulses, other times stops the truck dead (Again, VERY slow, as in, it could not knock over a tea kettle slow).

There is NO sensation in the pedal, the pedal does not suddenly dive, or stiffen, just dead solid.

You can mitigate it by, before starting, pressing the brake very hard. And you cannot feel it when braking any other speed other than SLOW. It does not do it in reverse.

I took it into Les Schwab...guy thought the rear brakes were out of adjustment, which they were. He adjusted them and it all went away for about a week...until yesterday my kid calls me to say it's done it again. I took it for a test and sure enough, I can replicate it.

So... what do my mechanically inclined brethren think? The condition of the pads is fine all the way around. No leaks. When braking from regular speed the brakes are solid, no fading, no chatter.

It's got me confused. The only thing I can think is air in the system or a bad master cylinder (but why ONLY at slow speed?).

Lemme have it...

and if anyone thinks they have an idea and lives near Boise you can take it for a test drive. It's weird.

 

[matthewmt]

I'll have to see if mine does that,

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Fowl Play]

I'd bet the rotors are warped... at higher speeds you blow past it, at super low speeds your pads catch on the warped rotor

 

[TaperPin]

This is something you might check. In the picture you can see one shoe that has the brake lining centered and the other shoe has a gap at the top as if the lining was shifted down during construction. If the shifted pad is in the forward side of the axle, the shoe moves forward more than a shoe with normal lining would, and the top leading edge of the lining “grabs” the drum - essentially self applying.

May not match your setup, but was the issue with some.

 

[dieselchessy]

Your rig should be disk front and drum rear.

Warped fronts maybe.

Sounds like the rear brake shoes are catching. Maybe a warped or out of round drum, bad spring, sticky cylinder, or….

Adjusting the rears sounds like it helped for a bit. That would point to the rears being the leading suspects.

Did LesSchwab pull the drums and inspect the rear brakes, or just adjust them?

 

[ODB]

Your rig should be disk front and drum rear.

Warped fronts maybe.

Sounds like the rear brake shoes are catching. Maybe a warped or out of round drum, bad spring, sticky cylinder, or….

Adjusting the rears sounds like it helped for a bit. That would point to the rears being the leading suspects.

Did LesSchwab pull the drums and inspect the rear brakes, or just adjust them?

Correct - they did pull the drums and inspect - all looked good. I was there and watched him do it. All looked good to me, being the non-brake-guy-but-not-an-idiot I am.

The rears do seem to be the issue - and I wonder if another element (like the springs, etc) might be the culprit. on a few of the tests I did with the guys as passenger (it;s hard for someone else to replicate) the pads seemed to stick for a second or two before releasing.

It almost feels as though the rear brake is not moving evenly(?) through its travel or somehow gets cockeyed and 'stuck'.

I will pull the tires off this weekend myself just to get a better look.

I might even shoot a video to see if it will represent what's going on.

 

[dieselchessy]

You might could jack it up and spin the tire(s) by hand and then have someone apply the brakes to see if you can pinpoint it to a wheel.

Might also try your replication on gravel to see what if anything locks up. To pinpoint the offending wheel/axle.

Pretty hard to troubleshoot over the inter webs.

 

[ODB]

You might could jack it up and spin the tire(s) by hand and then have someone apply the brakes to see if you can pinpoint it to a wheel.

Might also try your replication on gravel to see what if anything locks up. To pinpoint the offending wheel/axle.

Pretty hard to troubleshoot over the inter webs.

It’s hard in real life as well. The looks on the dude’s faces tell me they’ve never seen it.

 

[summs]

When's the last time you have new brake fluid put in and the lines bled fully? Brake fluid is hydroscopic, which means it ABSORBS water. Brakes get hot, water boils off and leaves air in an 'hydraulic' line. Supposed to change very 3-5 years.

 

[lak2004]

Check the caliper pins on the front and make sure they have grease.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

 

[CorbLand]

When's the last time you have new brake fluid put in and the lines bled fully? Brake fluid is hydroscopic, which means it ABSORBS water. Brakes get hot, water boils off and leaves air in an 'hydraulic' line. Supposed to change very 3-5 years.

This fixed the issues I had with my brakes on my 01. It kept warping rotors and I finally bled the brakes and replaced most of the old fluid. Havent warped rotors since and that was two years ago.

ODB, you were in the thread for my issues with a 1st gen. Just do my method and replace everything and it will be the last thing you replace.

 

[SloppyJ]

I'd bleed the brakes and this is something you can do yourself with a hand vacuum pump. You want to pull new fluid through the system. I'd start there and then replace the drums, pads, and rotors. I bet it would solve the problem.

My 2018 Tundra brakes were awful. I don't think they have great brakes at all so you might look at some upgraded pads/rotors if budget allows.