SOLVED: Brake rotor run-out and hub run-out

[stutaeng]

Hi guys, I'm hoping someone can help on this. My 06 Suburban 2500 has had this mild shake when I brake at higher speeds since I bought it back 2020. I replaced the front rotors a few months after I bought it, but nothing really changed so I just kept on truckin'. That was around 225k and it's now near 270k.

I now drive like 60 miles round trip to work in horrible city/highway traffic and the shake is still mild, but somewhat annoying.

I just bought that dial indicator gizmo and measured excessive run-out on the front driver's side. I believe it's the hub, maybe not even the rotor? I'm pretty sure the hubs are the original ones.

Anyone have experience on this? The Haynes manual lists rotor run-out spec of 0.003, and I have twice as much. Hub is 0.003", which seems high to me, but I haven't found a spec on that. Front passenger side is actually really good. What do you guys think of these numbers?

I haven't checked the rears yet.

 

[99Sierra2500]

The hub does sound bad, most manufacturers say 0.002 max runout, and a bad hub will amplify the runout at the rotor. When I was still a mechanic, I saw a lot of problems, vibration, pull, were caused by tires. Plus at that age, miles, the suspension and brake components are likey to be worn. I'm sure you know this though. Best guess it is the hub, could be something else, or a combination.

 

[stutaeng]

The hub does sound bad, most manufacturers say 0.002 max runout, and a bad hub will amplify the runout at the rotor. When I was still a mechanic, I saw a lot of problems, vibration, pull, were caused by tires. Plus at that age, miles, the suspension and brake components are likey to be worn. I'm sure you know this though. Best guess it is the hub, could be something else, or a combination.

Thanks for chiming in. No, I didn't know that, so that's good to know.

I guess a bit more background: 2 years ago I did a full rebuild of the front suspension. So UCA &, LCA bushings, both ball joints, sway bar links tie rod links,tie rod ends, idler arm...I think the only thing I don't replace was the gearbox and the wheel hubs. I also replaced all 4 tires in that time frame, and all 4 shocks...and a few months ago I replaced the front brake rubber lines because one of them had a small fray on the other sheathing and had actually bought the replacements when I did the front end rebuild.

Okay, so then it looks like wheel hubs are on order, as starting point. Should I replace both? I think I should, given the mileage? I'll check what Rockauto has.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[99Sierra2500]

Thanks. I hate to recommend just changing parts. You have taken care of the rig, and that narrows it down a lot. I used to check bearings, other suspension parts by putting the vehicle on a lift, and holding the tire on each side trying to lever it, put my shoulder in, and see if I could feel clicking or movement that shouldn't be there. Sometimes the spindle nut just needed to be snugged up, often that just meant the bearing or hub was bad though.

 

[ORVietVet]

Who's to say the rotor did not have excessive runout when you bought new. May have rust build up where the rotor face and hub face meet. IMO, have rotors machined, if there is enough thickness, and clean the hub face and then drive it. Also, check and clean up pads contact and lube and check pad hardware. Since you have no shafts, should be easy to check drag after road test.

 

[stutaeng]

Who's to say the rotor did not have excessive runout when you bought new. May have rust build up where the rotor face and hib face meet. IMO, have rotors machined, if there is enough thickness, and clran the hub face and then drive it. Also, check and clean up pads contact and lube and check pad hardware. Since you have no shafts, should be easy to check drag after road test.

Thank you sir.

Yes, the rotor being out of spec did cross my mind. On that hub measurement, I checked the lip of the hub directly, which I think shouldn't matter what the rotor is doing, no?

I didn't do any kind of cleaning when I replaced them where the hub and the rotor interface, but I've never done that anytime I've replaced rotors on my vehicles. I don't recall any rust, but I can remove it and check.

Isn't there a little abrasive pad with a hole that goes on your die grinder to clean around the studs? I remember Eric at SMA using one?

 

[someotherguy]

You should be able to feel hub bearing wear by lifting and supporting truck at the frame rails or lower control arms, and grab the tire, use it as a lever, try to tilt in/out and left/right instead of trying to feel it right off the bat at the hub where you have a smaller area to grab.

I can't speak for the hubs used on a 2500, but I have serious doubts about the ones on a 1500 making it to 270K. I replaced all four on our two 1500's at just past 100K as they had obvious wear. One of them, the seal had given up on the back and the rollers ran dry, got crunchy, some of them turned sideways. Fortunately the wife noticed the front end sounding like hell and turned around to come right back home.

Richard

 

[stutaeng]

You should be able to feel hub bearing wear by lifting and supporting truck at the frame rails or lower control arms, and grab the tire, use it as a lever, try to tilt in/out and left/right instead of trying to feel it right off the bat at the hub where you have a smaller area to grab.

I can't speak for the hubs used on a 2500, but I have serious doubts about the ones on a 1500 making it to 270K. I replaced all four on our two 1500's at just past 100K as they had obvious wear. One of them, the seal had given up on the back and the rollers ran dry, got crunchy, some of them turned sideways. Fortunately the wife noticed the front end sounding like hell and turned around to come right back home.

Richard

Oh, dang.

I will give that a try.

On my 99 Silverado, it's still on the original hubs and it's around the same mileage: 270k. I also did the entire front suspension on that one last summer around 260k. Everything was original except the shocks and steering rack. I didn't replace the hubs though. The steering rack, however, I replaced for the third time because it was leaking. SMH. That's really not here nor there.

I always hear that aftermarket hubs don't last as long as the originals (even the better brands), so I'm kinda like "if it ain't broke...." And I've also heard stories that the abs sensor on aftermarket hubs can be an issue giving you codes.

IDK now. Maybe I should just keep on truckin' LOL

 

[ORVietVet]

Amazon.com

 

[Cadillacmak]

Oh, dang.

I will give that a try.

On my 99 Silverado, it's still on the original hubs and it's around the same mileage: 270k. I also did the entire front suspension on that one last summer around 260k. Everything was original except the shocks and steering rack. I didn't replace the hubs though. The steering rack, however, I replaced for the third time because it was leaking. SMH. That's really not here nor there.

I always hear that aftermarket hubs don't last as long as the originals (even the better brands), so I'm kinda like "if it ain't broke...." And I've also heard stories that the abs sensor on aftermarket hubs can be an issue giving you codes.

IDK now. Maybe I should just keep on truckin' LOL

I just replaced the hubs on the Yukon because they were worn out, lots of play and only 200k miles. The driver side was so bad we didn't drive it until it was fixed. I got GM genuine parts from Rock Auto for $199.79 a piece and used the discount code the @ORVietVet posts here.

 

[someotherguy]

The hubs on the SS's probably wear quicker due to the weight of 20" wheels/tires (and on my truck I ran 22's most of the time I had it) as compared to a 1500 that might have 16" factory wheels on it.

There's also a whole range of part #'s you have to wade through when choosing replacements, even if you go with GM/ACDelco. It's one of those GMT800 things where you could have 10 different choices for the same part depending on your truck configuration. (and why I still can't find the correct power steering hose for the '06 SS.)

Here's the one from her truck, can't remember the exact mileage at that time but it was between 100-120K. We got the truck with 56K on it and it had the original cast aluminum 20" wheels. I replaced them almost right away with much lighter Centerline 20" forged aluminum wheels and they've been on there since. You can see some of the rollers had already given up, not surprising considering the lack of lube, and no seal against dirt or water intrusion. So this one is an extreme example. However, the ones on my truck failed near same mileage (wobbling) with no seal failure.


Example of some random truck in the impound lot, towed in from broken down on the road. Extreme case of bearing failure. Of course you can see in the pic he's running big, aftermarket heavy cast aluminum wheels.






Richard

 

[ORVietVet]

@stutaeng, any progress on this ptoblem?

 

[CPB]

Hi guys, I'm hoping someone can help on this. My 06 Suburban 2500 has had this mild shake when I brake at higher speeds since I bought it back 2020. I replaced the front rotors a few months after I bought it, but nothing really changed so I just kept on truckin'. That was around 225k and it's now near 270k.

I now drive like 60 miles round trip to work in horrible city/highway traffic and the shake is still mild, but somewhat annoying.

I just bought that dial indicator gizmo and measured excessive run-out on the front driver's side. I believe it's the hub, maybe not even the rotor? I'm pretty sure the hubs are the original ones.

Anyone have experience on this? The Haynes manual lists rotor run-out spec of 0.003, and I have twice as much. Hub is 0.003", which seems high to me, but I haven't found a spec on that. Front passenger side is actually really good. What do you guys think of these numbers?

I haven't checked the rears yet.

I have the same mild braking shake in certain scenarios. It feels similar to uneven rotor wear / pad deposits, but hasn't cleared. It seems like I'll need to inspect these hubs/bearings and replace if needed.

 

[stutaeng]

@stutaeng, any progress on this ptoblem?

No. I didn't get a chance to do anything this weekend, and out all week in the Texas panhandle for work... staying a few blocks from the Big Texan... hopefully my company will pay for dinner there, at least .

My plan was to just purchase a hub for that side from my local AAP, and have it ready when I took mine off. Then flip a coin to see if I was going to replace it. IDK?

 

[ORVietVet]

I have the same mild braking shake in certain scenarios. It feels similar to uneven rotor wear / pad deposits, but hasn't cleared. It seems like I'll need to inspect these hubs/bearings and replace if needed.

So that your problem does not get lost in the shuffle, you really should start your own thread about this problem. You will get more responses that way. You can also reference @stutaeng thread when you post yours.

 

[stutaeng]

I hope next weekend to work on it...I will post an update for sure!

 

[AuroraGirl]

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[AuroraGirl]

if you dont have a steering dampener, the center link may be installed backwards (a tsb im not posting describes this)

 

[AuroraGirl]

 

[AuroraGirl]