5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
5 months ago I had my first car , used car , Camry 2004 XLi , its a nice car and clean, just need some paint job but I dont have cash or time for this. anyways , back to the problem , the steering wheel shakes or vibrate when apply brakes on high speed ( I dunno if 120 KM/H is really High speed or not .. ) . This thing happened 4 times on the last 2 month and happened today, only steering wheel shakes - rest of the car is just normal - and this shake happens when I really speed to 120 KM/H or maybe little higher , BUT in all of the cases I had , I did apply the brake gently and decelerate slowly (not hard brake ) , the shaking last for few seconds then disappear and drive normally , noting that this happens on straight line driving , which I suppose to have very normal braking with no shaking problems ..
so, what do u think guys ? I tried to solve the problem by doing simple maintenance , for example , I checked the POWER steering Oil and brake Oil level - both are OK and no leakage ; tires replaced July and balanced few weeks ago too ; the braking pads driving me crazy because I replaced the 2 infront but it does whistling loud when brake - which embarrassing me when people on sidewalk stair at my car when it does this - so I think this maybe another indicator to the main problem with steering shaking issue ...
Im not expert on cars but I do know some stuff about cars mechanic .. but I need to know whats going on before taking the car to mechanic and he starts filling up the bill recipe with non-related parts and waste money ..
The vibration sounds like the classic case of warped front brake rotors. If it is warped rotors, you will also feel a pulsation in your foot while it's on the brake pedal when braking from highway speeds. If that's the case, you need to either cut (also called turning the rotors) on a brake lathe, if there is enough meat (thickness) left on them, or install new rotors. While you are doing this you should also install the antisqueal shims and antisqueal compound on the backs of the brake pads, as semyonlibman suggested. This should eliminate the brake noise you described.
Did you install pad shims with anti squeal compound on your new brakes? This would reduce noise. What brands did you use? OEM is preffered.
I would check your rotors. They might be warped.
Good luck,
Sam
thanks a lot .. yes camry is really nice car .. ok , anti squeal compound for the noise , sounds easy thing altough Im not sure how does this compound look like and how much cost ..
rotors , hmm , should be replaced or it can be fixed ? is there away to check it ...
is there anymore choices to consider beside the compound and the rotors ?
thanks a lot .. yes camry is really nice car .. ok , anti squeal compound for the noise , sounds easy thing altough Im not sure how does this compound look like and how much cost ..
rotors , hmm , should be replaced or it can be fixed ? is there away to check it ...
is there anymore choices to consider beside the compound and the rotors ?
Compound is not very expencive: couple of dollars.
For the rotors: Harbor Freight has a tool for measuring it. *I do not remember what it is called and do not know how accurate it is.
You may go the way Mike Gerber recommended. *But turning rotors does not always work, so be prepaired for new rotors. *I once called Midas in my area about turning rotors and they priced me 90 dollars. *So it was cheaper to install new rotors then go to a professional.
Good luck,
Sam
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2004 Toyota Camry LE
1999 Honda Accord LX
1998 Plymouth Neon
1992 Subaru Loyale
" tires replaced July and balanced few weeks ago too ;"
Ok, where did you do that? That is the problem. You said the vibration starts at high speed. If the tire is not balanced correctly, at a high RPM the tire contour displacement causes the vibration. Go back to the same place ask them to test the tire balance again.
I bet that will solve your problem of vibration at high speed.
If the problem like rotor or other uneven things, the vibration should have shown up at lower speed too. So, I eliminate that as a cause.
What type of brake pads are you using. I highly recommend Akebono ProAct for this reason. www.akebonobrakes.com. You can get inexpensive Raybestos rotors ~$15-17+shipping from rockauto.com. They work fine.
Resurfacing the rotors can cost about $15. But you have to take them off to the shop. It's the cheapest and can give you a confirmation on the vibration if it goes away. Also check that the caliper anchor pins slide freely and the pads are wearing evenly.
You can find caliper lube pouches at many local auto parts stores. About $1.1 each.
But I think in your case it's probably cheap OEM rotors or pads. Toyota had many problems with these. The latest TSB (0169-09) is about changing out the cheap pads for later model years.
" tires replaced July and balanced few weeks ago too ;"
Ok, where did you do that? That is the problem. You said the vibration starts at high speed. If the tire is not balanced correctly, at a high RPM the tire contour displacement causes the vibration. Go back to the same place ask them to test the tire balance again.
I bet that will solve your problem of vibration at high speed.
If the problem like rotor or other uneven things, the vibration should have shown up at lower speed too. So, I eliminate that as a cause.
hmm .. vibration does NOT starts at high speed. its when apply brakes to decelerate , I didnt depress the brakes hard , just smoothly and easily no pressure ... and this doesn't happen after long driving hours , last time happened I was going back from college to home , it only take 15 min ...
today at morning I went to a highway and did a test .. I hit 160 KMH ( mehh speed is cool ) steering wheel was rock solid and stable .. but it happened again when decelerate , when the car was deacclrating (applying the brakes ) between 100 KMH to 80 KMH I felt the vibration again , its just happened for few seconds and only the wheel steering ... again tried 100 KMH and put some pressure on the brakes by stopping it hard ( full step on the brake ) but no vibration except the tires smell after the wild brake lol ..
now something a friend told me about , which is , if the tires where not balanced the car wont go in straight line .. it will diverge to left or right slowly which means I have the unbalanced front wheel , if they are balanced my car should stay on straight line for a long while .. I tested hat myself and I guess its balanced ... unless my friend is wrong then I will look for ur replies ..
for what braking pads did I use .. well, I dont know .. hmm but I went with my father to Toyota Service Center and bought the pads + rear bulb ..
Im sorry , must be bothering u guys , Im good driver in both games and real life lol , but when it comes to the mechanics Im a FAIL .. so Im trying to get all infos I can for the future ..
The problem could also be in the rear brakes, since you don't feel any vibration in the steering wheel.
Your friend is incorrect. Improper tire balancing would cause a vibration all the time at highway speeds and would not cause the car to pull. Improper alignment could cause the car to pull one way or the other. That may be what your friend was thinking about.
Just a thought here. Did anybody check to make sure that all the lugnuts were tightened properly after the wheel balancing?
The problem could also be in the rear brakes, since you don't feel any vibration in the steering wheel.
Your friend is incorrect. Improper tire balancing would cause a vibration all the time at highway speeds and would not cause the car to pull. Improper alignment could cause the car to pull one way or the other. That may be what your friend was thinking about.
Just a thought here. Did anybody check to make sure that all the lugnuts were tightened properly after the wheel balancing?
Mike
ah , the alignment ... I think thats what he meant ..
the lugnuts ?! hmm adding it to the check list .. well , I think I will have to visit the mechanic , I know its hard to diagnose the problem behind the computers , but I think I have a better idea about the problem , I guess Im ready to do the real work on mechanic shop ..
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Camry 04 - Steering wheel viberation.
, Camry 2004 XLi , its a nice car and clean, just need some paint job but I dont have cash or time for this. anyways , back to the problem , the steering wheel shakes or vibrate when apply brakes on high speed ( I dunno if 120 KM/H is really High speed or not .. 
) . This thing happened 4 times on the last 2 month and happened today, only steering wheel shakes - rest of the car is just normal - and this shake happens when I really speed to 120 KM/H or maybe little higher , BUT in all of the cases I had , I did apply the brake gently and decelerate slowly (not hard brake ) , the shaking last for few seconds then disappear and drive normally , noting that this happens on straight line driving , which I suppose to have very normal braking with no shaking problems ..
- so I think this maybe another indicator to the main problem with steering shaking issue ...
) steering wheel was rock solid and stable .. but it happened again when decelerate , when the car was deacclrating (applying the brakes ) between 100 KMH to 80 KMH I felt the vibration again , its just happened for few seconds and only the wheel steering ... again tried 100 KMH and put some pressure on the brakes by stopping it hard ( full step on the brake ) but no vibration except the tires smell after the wild brake lol ..
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