2001 PA Ultra Brake Problem

[airboss20]

A friend of mine has a 2001 Park Ave. Ultra. Recently he has had an increasing amount of pulsation while braking. I have read through the other posts about braking on these cars, and they don't seem to match this quite right. Anyway, He enlisted me to try to diagnose the problem. We have changed the rotors and pads (and greased them). That cut down on the pulsating but did not eliminate it. The car stops very well. Even from a speed above 40, she will stop strait as an arrow without pulling one side or the other. We even exchanged the rotors again after a couple hundred miles, thinking that they were not quite up to spec. New pair of rotors did the same thing. We purchased the new rotors and pads from Advance Auto Parts. We went with the middle of the line with the rotors and pads. I even looked at the back brakes to see if they were uneven, and all appeared well. Still the pulsating is there, not as severe as it was before beginning this escapade, however still there. It feels like is is coming from the front. There are Michelins all the way around, with 8000-9000 miles, installed by a reputible tire shop. All look like they are wearing evenly, and rotated on schedule. Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful.

[maxwedge]

How do you know it is not the rear rotors? Does the steering wheel shimmy slightly during the event, if not the correct way to go about this is to check rear runout with a dial indicator, same as the front. A bad wheel bearing can also cause this in the front, check for hub/bearing play.

[HotZ28]

Originally Posted by airboss20

We purchased the new rotors and pads from Advance Auto Parts. We went with the middle of the line with the rotors and pads.

I think the above quote pretty well describes your problem! “Middle of the line rotors from Advance Auto Parts” are made in China POS junk. Get some quality rotors that are balanced and true, such as Raysbestos Advance Technology (PG Plus), or Bendix “Made in USA" and "Made in Canada"! Your local Advanced may have them in stock, but you can order them online & have them shipped to your door! As maxwedge mentioned, check the hubs first!

[airboss20]

The steering wheel does shimmy slightly while braking. Does that indicate that it is the front?

[maxwedge]

Yes. Make sure the mounting area of the hub, is rust free or the brake shudder will return even with new rotors and there is no play in the wheel bearings also.

[xs03mich]

Car quest has a gold line product line for the best parts that they sell. You would have to order them in. My local napa stocks thier premium line front rotor are # 86641 retail about 60.00 each, pads are cmx 7574 at about 75.00. Only buy american made, canadian made or north american made. These parts get me many round trips down south and back with no brake problems. The cheap stuff....half way down south the rotors are shot. All this is only my opionon though.