94 Camry shudders when braking, unless it's in Neutral

[DL47130]

I have a 1994 Camry V6 XLE. 133,000 miles. Purchased used in '96. No major problems or complaints to date. (new front axles installed about 10,000 miles ago)

I am now having my car worked on. My experienced mechanic is stumped. (and this computer guy does not have a clue). (I did spend well over an hour searching this site for clues.)

I took my car in for brake work, to an old friend, since it started shuddering when braking. The shuddering does not always occur, but when it does it is from 25 mph or so down to zero.

The brake-light-needs-replacing indicator is on. (right bulb recently replaced, and it went off, for awhile) Now, when the brakes are applied, the R / reverse indicator comes on. (?)

After the front rotors were replaced, the mechanic took it for a test drive and discovered that ... the shuddering still occurs! But, it does not occur when braking after putting it into Neutral. (?!)

He checked the engine mounts visually, and by "brake torquing".

(Brake pedal is not soft. Emergency brake works OK.)

Any ideas on what is causing the shuddering when it's in Drive and brakes applied about 20 mph??

[toyomoho]

Can you feel the shudder through the steering wheel or brake pedal? Warped rotors can cause shudder or suspension component wear.

The brake light power might be back feeding into the reverse lamp system. Check for damaged wires in the truck where the harness jumps from the chassis to the trunk lid.

[DL47130]

thanks for the prompt reply -- I'll try to answer your question, and add some more details.

Shudder felt thru steering wheel? Definitely. Thru brake pedal, and floor, and seat, I think. Shuddering does not stop immediately upon releasing the brake pedal. (delay = 1 to 2+ seconds?)

Good idea for checking the wiring by the hinge in the trunk. I may have added to the problem(s) by loading and unloading my bike.

For the shudder, the other problems/solutions that I've found don't seem to jive with the problem "going away" if put in Neutral.

[Kep]

You don't mention any shudder when you coast to a stop so I believe that exonerates the tires. You have just had the rotors replaced and it doesn't shudder when braking in neutral. I believe that exonerates the brake system.

The next logical thing to check would seem to me to be the suspension system. Look closely at the bushings and ball joints for slop.

However, you mentioned that the axles were recently replaced. When they do this there are several components (including suspension parts) that need to be undone and then tightened again. If they forgot to tighten something down or reused a part that should have been replaced (bearing lock bolt comes to mind) and the item has finally loosened up enough after 10,000 miles I could envision you having this kind of symptom. 1990s used to have a suspension point about half way along the axle on the long (right hand?) side that could come loose. Familiarize yourself with the axle replacement process and inspect the fasteners. If you used rebuilt axles instead of new, maybe you got a bad axle.

If the on line manual was still available I would recommend familiarizing yourself with the axle replacement job there. However, Toyota’s lawyers seem to think our “enthusiast group” infringes upon their rights too much. Garrett Biggs (garrett_biggs@toyota.com) seems to be the heavy in Toyota’s efforts. Anyone reading this feel free to drop him a note expressing your dissatisfaction with their policies. If enough of us from enough countries around the globe encourage them to change, maybe they will. We certainly do enough for their reputation to warrant being able to use their materials! If anyone has the CEO’s or other higher ups’ email addresses post them up and we can write to them. I digress…

Kep

[DL47130]

Thanks. (and, the availability of the factory manuals is a whole other issue, like Napster; back to the topic

After double-checking the suspension system/components, and based on ideas from others, it seems it is a drivetrain/transmission problem. (ouch!?, says my wallet)

We're going to be checking what happens during engine-braking with overdrive off, in 2nd gear, in 1st gear. ...

and I will reply back with the/a solution. Thanks. --Dave

p.s. Experts, please add your 2 cents. (There are many of these Georgetown "American Edition" (Gen 3) Camrys out there.)