2000 Tundra Vibration/ Pulsating brake nightmare

I am having so many problems trying to figure out what could be causing this vibration. It only happens when braking at high speeds 40+ mph. A trip from San Diego to OKC two years ago it started and ever since this vibration has only seemed to get worse. I initially assumed it was warped rotors. After replacing both rotors and brakes the vibration kept going. My truck has almost 250k miles and 5 years ago had a catastrophic ball joint failure where mechanics supposedly replaced the whole front end. BS. Proceeded to replace entire front end suspension and steering components new Strut/springs, steering rack/ w inner tie rods, outer tie rods, upper and lower ball joints, upper control arm. Even did sway bar end links and bushings. Still nothing vibrating keeps on trucking. Moved on to replacing all three U-Joints and the Carrier bearing as all three were completely shot. Still no change. Now replaced both rear drums and shoes with absolutely no change in the vibration/ pulsating brake pedal. My truck does not have ABS so it can’t be that. I’ve heard a few things about the master cylinder causing hydraulic problems that can cause pulsation. It’s driving me crazy. It’s not alignment or balancing as that was done when the front end got done a few months ago. My only thought outside of the master cylinder is maybe transmission slop up and down causing it when braking, I really don’t know anymore. Please any suggestions cause this is driving so insane, thank god i can do this stuff myself otherwise I would be 6k in the hole now.

 

Likely being caused by the rear brakes not being in proper adjustment spec.

 

Man, wall of text. Sorry, that's tough to read.

Hopefully when the LBJs were replaced, nobody made the ignorant mistake of using non-OEM. You need to replace the lowers every 100-125k miles and always use OEM.

As for the warping, we've heard it a thousand times before. Many times it ends up being the rear drums being out-of-round. And we've seen it dozens of times, aftermarket parts come warped/out of spec straight out of the box. Don't believe me? Here was the most recent case, a couple weeks ago. It's happened with front rotors as well.

But that said, you said you swapped them, cool, this specific phrase caught my eye:

Describe the feeling, please. The word "vibration" caught my eye here because ...

• Warped rotors or out-of-round drums will cause more of a wave or wobble feeling, some may describe it as long pulses b/c the caliper or drum is grabbing more on one section than the other.
• Improperly seated ABS sensor causing unexpected ABS engagement OR air in the brake lines - like, if someone did something ignorant like failing to bleed the LSPV which many of our trucks have - could cause spongey breaks or vibration-like feelings, as air in hydraulics will often do.
• A sticking caliper could also cause pulsation, grinding, or similar

Not being there in person to experience it makes it tough to understand truly what's going on.

Not knowing where you got the parts - understanding that aftermarket parts, even the big-name stuff is utter horseshit quality (and getting worse) these days - or how you installed them, or the process you used to do basic stuff like bleeding, it also makes it really tough.

I'm not one of those purists who is, like, "OEM ALL THE THINGS!" but I'll tell you, it's been painful for my 5ish years on this forum, watching over and over and over and over and over again as people trace their problems back to aftermarket parts. OR they fuck their truck up because they use aftermarket parts with the OEM maintenance schedule. Like, "Oh no, my $10 Ultra-Power brand timing belt snapped after 20k miles, but Toyota says timing belts last 9yr or 90k miles! WTF, Toyota?!", all advice Toyota gives you is assuming you're using their high-QA/high-QC/heavily-tested OEM parts.

Anyway, before I get off on more of a rant here, give us some more info. And tell us more about your truck, the important details you failed to add like:

• Does your truck have ABS?
• What cab type and engine?
• Does it have the LSPV in the rear, and have you ever bled it, since it tends to hold air, as it's at the highest point in the rear of the truck?
• Are there currently any codes?

 

Thanks for the replys. My truck does not have the ABS option so thats out of the question. I have the SR5 extended cab it’s the 4.7 V8 and only 2wd. Only codes currently are for o2 sensors and something with my column shifter(sporadically pops up so don’t have specific code). Just crawled under my truck to find yes it does have lspv. I’ve never heard of it before is it a common issue? Brakes were bled during the drum brakes as I had to replace a wheel cylinder during that job and don’t have any mushy brakes.

 

Most if not all parts are a Rock Auto special so non are OEM I decided not to on the LBJ just to get me down the road understanding that they will need replaced soon.

As for a description of the “vibration” it’s hard to describe the difference over text, however it shakes the entire can originating from the front of the vehicle. Outside of the fact the cab is vibrating it doesn’t feel like the wheel is wobbling. More that the brake pedal is pulsing back causing vibration. It gets worse the longer I drive as well. No vibration when braking under 30 mph, but when slowing down from highway speeds it will pulse very rapidly and slow until stopped. When stopping from 60+ by the time I get to 10-15 mph I still feel it, but it has slowed to feel almost as if the calipers periodically grab the caliper and release.

 

LSPV has to be bled. Period. It's the highest point in the braking system at the back of the truck and is a known source for air to get trapped and cause all kinds of stupid issues with braking. Vacuum or pressure bleed it, then re-bleed the rears.

We've seen aftermarket LBJ's fail in less than 5,000 miles on some people. This thread is 20 pages of people who thought they knew better. I'd think after already being a victim once, you'd have learned your lesson: https://www.tundras.com/posts/3567851/

You should really read this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

O2 sensors: The upstream sensors are responsible for helping the ECU know how to set your air/fuel ratio. Failure to replace them with new Denso brand units can cause burning rich or lean, fouling plugs, clogging your cats, and tons of other damage.

The symptoms you describe in your 2nd reply I quoted sound almost like air in the brake lines or a sticking piston in your caliper, to me. Did you say the calipers were replaced?

 

This Tundra has been passed down my family from my uncle and two cousins so I am the fourth driver and thankfully not the one who experienced the LBJ failure.

Calipers have not been replaced. To my knowledge they are original to the truck and have the full 250k miles on them.

I will bleed the LSPV tomorrow and pray that fixes my problems. I’m doing a steering rack on an 06 tundra tomorrow so I’ll have plenty of work to do.

I have known about the O2 sensors for a while now, but plan to do it with a new exhaust manifold as I have an exhaust leak. Kinda scared to rip the exhaust manifold off as I’ve heard horror of studs breaking off. I’m driving back to San Diego in a couple months where I might put 5k miles a year on it anyways.

 

You would not be the first person to have a sticking caliper piston and it cause weird vibrations and such at higher speed. I think @KNABORES has had it happen once, twice, a sticking piston? Maybe not identical but ... Bleed it first. I'd recommend vacuum bleed unless you have a Motiv or similar pressure bleeder.

Hell, you may even be able to pick up some lower-mileage OEM calipers off a parts truck for cheap. Just make sure your current ones are embossed with "13WE" as they should be on your 2000 model year. If you wanted a quick bolt-on upgrade you could move to the 13WL that came on 2003+, you'll need the larger pads and rotor, and will need to trim a smidge off the dust shield. Again, you could probably easily find all this used off a 2003+ parts truck with half the miles of your truck for under $100-150. I'd trust that over aftermarket any day, but I'll also say, PowerStop remanufactures OEM shells right here in the USA and they're priced very well for higher-quality product that's not cobbled together in south Asia with little to no quality control.

And sorry, broken record time... I'll say it again, 'til I'm blue in the face: Don't be an unsuspecting victim. OEM LBJ. The part cost increase is minimal, and your life is worth it. This was the end result of one member's truck losing an LBJ on the highway. Use 4 new OEM bolts per side, too. No point investing in a truck if the insurance company is going to total it, or you don't walk away from the carnage.

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I just bought 2 new 13WL (well, technically rebuilt, but there's no core charge and they don't want the old ones back) Powerstop calipers at RockAuto for $115 ea. Added to that are Advics pads and rotors (10% off Advics sale), new soft lines, and the little bendy hard lines that go from the caliper to the soft line.

When I first bought the truck I installed Centric pads and rotors which have served me well, but It's been > 5 years so I figure I'm near due. The Advics parts will be an improvement for sure.

This summer I swear I'm going to do the LSPV delete!