Shaking, burning, hot rim, WTH?

[bjlasota]

Here's the symptoms I'm having.

Last night on the way home from hockey, about halfway home, I start slowing down because I’m coming up to a 35 mph zone in and the car starts shaking like crazy, almost like a tires out of balance, although I can’t pinpoint which tire it’s coming from. Then, I speed back up and I’m going about 55 and it’s shaking a lot faster. Once I cross 58mph, it stops shaking. I get home, do a walk around, and all the tires seem to be fine. While checking the last tire, front drivers, the tire looked fine, but I noticed a burning smell and it was really hot. I spit on my rim and it sizzled.

This morning, I drove it to work. Everything was fine. No shaking, no smell, no nothing. Then I get about 2 miles from getting off the highway and I smell the burning smell again. This time the smell is really strong and I can smell it in my car. Kind of smells like an electrical fire. I slow down to get off the highway and no shaking at all, just a bad smell. I get to work, get out and feel the rim and for the most part, it’s cool to the touch, nothing like last night, but the smell was a lot more obvious.

I don’t get any pull left or right so I’m assuming it’s not a seized up caliper. Just changed the tie rods so those should be good.

I found a couple forums with similar issues, but didn't have the burning smell or the shaking.

[danielsatur]

Bad wheel bearings, also see Similar threads at the bottom.

[Scrapper]

a locked up caliper will do that also you could have a colapsed rubber brake line running to caliper? try this take that wheel off open bleeder and see if piston go's in with c/clamp if it goes in easy i would think it is rubber brake line. piston go's in hard with bleeder open then i would suspect the caliper.

[HiFlow5 0]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

a locked up caliper will do that also you could have a colapsed rubber brake line running to caliper? try this take that wheel off open bleeder and see if piston go's in with c/clamp if it goes in easy i would think it is rubber brake line. piston go's in hard with bleeder open then i would suspect the caliper.

Wouldn't rule out frozen slides either. Best thing do do is pull both front tires off and inspect the inner and outer pads on both sides for for wear. Both inner and outer should be the same and matching on both sides. Also look at rubber lines and caliper slides.

What year and model is this happening too? If you apply the brakes hard when stopping, does the wheel want to pull in one direction of the other?

[dorfboy]

I agree. It does sound like a sticking caliper or rubber brake line. I have had the same issue and I just changed both calipers and rubber brake lines. Problem went away