Alright, now that I've had the truck for a week and gotten to know it a little, there are 2 pressing issues that need to be resolved. The first one should be simple.. I get a BAD throbbing when on the brakes. Worse when on them hard... probably just warped a little. What replacements have people used with good success, where'd ya get them and how much $$?? I can afford anything but would like to keep the whole thing under $250~300 with the lower the better (I've been unemployed for 10 months).

AND, I've got a Really bad vibration when idling. At first it would be rough on and off at idle but now it's rough all the time. And today my fiance came home with the truck and said it was rough even when driving (which is a first). It shakes the rear-view enough that you can't make anything out... I'd think motor mounts if a shop hadn't Just checked them and said they were fine. Any other common problems.. I didn't see anything when searching (noone seemed to have the same problem.. lots of rough idles for 30~50 seconds after starting, but nothing consistant).

Thanks in Advance ~ I need to get this thing all settled in the next couple of months for a big drive... 6000~7000 road trip.

the braking is defnitly warped rotors . oem are going to be expensive from the dealer . after market does offer either slotted or drilled and slotted rotors , i have had no problems with my slotted rotors from power slot.

the idle issue sounds to me like a throttle body issue , dirty or other wise. could also be a missing or cracked hose for the emissions . bad spark plug or wire , theres a number of problems it could be . may need ot put a scope on it to find out more info .

airrikk17

Uh...you don't necessarily have to buy new rotors, I don't know what they are like on the T-100, but if the hub is a sealed non-serviceable unit, just yank them off and take them to a local Kragen's/Schuck's/Checker's and they will resurface the rotors for a mere $10 a pop.



That's exactly right, you must put it on a scope and based on that you can narrow down possibilities. You could go through all the hassle of yanking out all the spark plugs, checking gaps and putting them back in, testing resistances on each end of the spark plug wires (although I thought the 3.4L utilizes distributless system...not to say it can't happen, but you could have a bad coil pack on one of the plug wires), cleaning TB, doing a complete upper head or intake clean job (sucking in Seafoam through a vaccum line, and going through the steps to clean out any built up carbon), inspecting or replacing air filter, adding a good fuel injector cleaner, etc, etc, etc...but you see what I mean about putting it on a scope? Much easier, and faster I think. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

It was just a sticky TV (Throttle Valve).. I pulled the air cleaner to TV hose and cleaned up the valve with a bit of contact cleaner. Then I doused it well with some 3M 5-way penatrant/lube and went for a short drive without issue. That's simple enough, the Explorer has a sticky TV aswell, but it manifests in a completely different fashion.

Onto the brakes... I know the rotors might be able to be turned, but I'm not a fan of that process for disk brakes. If needed, I'll buy some slotted/cross-drilled rotors. I've read all the arguments over both on here in the past, but my extensive sportike/motorcycle experience (where cross-drilled are the norm) leads me to believe that there really isn't a problem running them. Of course, trucks are different so they might have different results.

Thanks...

larger tires , more water or mud , definitly go with the cross drilled/slotted .

the main reason i suggested buying all new rotors , is because it seems that car companies decided to shed weight they started using thinner rotors , i had mine turned , and that lasted less then a month , and they were still within specs , the owner of a local parts store , and friend, told me they are also using a lower quality metal ( especcially on newer hondas ) and turning them is worthless, in fact , the replacement rotors for my roomates honda were only $10 a piece . seems they figure it was cheaper to replace them then it was to bother making them turnable .
airrikk17

That's weird. I just checked the rotors/pads and they were within the runout spec (by a ways), within measurement/thickness spec and definatally Not glazed. Shoot, it looks like they're fairly new because there aren't even any of the shallow grooves you'd normally expect to find on a 115k mile truck. So, I washed everything down with brake cleaner, adjusted the rear brakes (this was something they suggested on the PPI) and took it for a Quick spin.... no vibration. now, I didn't get over 35~40mph so I'm going to run a package to the post office here in a second and see what it does from higher speeds. I'm wondering if maybe the rear pads (also in good shape, a good 9~10mm worth of pad) being not exactly flush with the drums were catching and releasing causing the surging issue.

*scratching head* This feels WAY to easy ~ maybe I'm just used to working on my last car (Porsche turbo 944) where nothing was ever simple. It's beautiful being able to crawl arround under the truck with it on the ground though.. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Just a note about the rear brakes. The Firestone dealer did a brake check and put my drum back on incorrectly (the rubber garment in the drum was not lined up with the hole in the axle) which caused a terrible shimmy when I applied the brakes. All it needed was to be properly aligned and the brakes were smooth as silk. Not to say that was your problem but just FYI.

something else that was mentionedot me by the mechanic who replaced my ball joint ( toyota only mechanic) he said to make sure you pack your front wheel bearings often and the correct way . i noticed after doing my new rotors that not only did they stop better wit hno vibration that it seemed smoother riding , whch i think a lot has to do with the wheel bearing repack .

airrikk17

Thanks... I've got Aisin hubs on the way so that was something that got done this next week. The PO said he was unaware of the front wheel bearings ever being touched and the shop that did the PPI mentioned they could use a little adjustment.