New Member Seeks Advice

[padrick]

HI i have just bought a rav 4 automatic, fantastic 4x4 ,but i am concerned about a judder from the brake pedal when braking <anyone got any advice?

[bjw]

Could be warped discs ?? the experts will be along soon and will point you in the right direction as my mechanical knowledge is very limited

[bitman]

buy new front discs and pads from our home supplier Kingo swap them job done. THIS ONLY WHEN YOU ARE CAPABLE TO DO SO!!!

if you have search on this forum you will find plenty info how to do it.

and yes, auto's do use the brakes more then manual. you can limit that to use the little switch on the gear lever what turns off the overdrive to use engine brake when you want to slow down. keep an eye on the rmp's thou. well you not putting a manual in the 2nd gear when driving 70mph.

[bothwell_buyer]

Judder - first of all, is it the ABS working??

There is info on this forum about disc run-out should they be warped.....and the minimum disc thickness is stamped inside the bell of the disc casting.

I've had long problems with the front calipers and discs of the RAV and eventually did a complete change to far better ones - at a cost. In the meantime, I wasted £800+ on buying Toyota discs. The calipers can have a habit of jamming on (which you won't notice cos its 4 wheel drive) thus overheating the disc. Its down to the pins that the shoe assembly slides on I reckon getting gunged up.

Jacking up front and checking if the wheels turn fairly easily will give you an idea of whether calipers and pads are sticking on, and whether you have warped discs. Dead easy. Mind if you take the wheel off you will have to put nuts back on to secure disc; but you can check easy enuf with wheel on. 2 minutes.

Other thing is that if you heat up discs thru heavy braking, then hold footbrake on, this will cause a hotspot to develop on the disc which can cause warp. So at lights etc, release footbrake and hold on handbrake. It gives the disc a chance to cool evenly.

[anchorman]

Mmm

Can you describe the problem more thoroughly. As bothy has mooted it could be the ABS so before we start just run through what it does.

[bjw]

Mmm

Can you describe the problem more thoroughly. As bothy has mooted it could be the ABS so before we start just run through what it does.

One of the experts have arrived :)

[bothwell_buyer]

Mmm

Can you describe the problem more thoroughly. As bothy has mooted it could be the ABS so before we start just run through what it does.

One of the experts have arrived :)

bliiiidy cheek

[LUIGI_]

Can you use the 2nd gear on an auto to control speed when going down a hill ? I normally do that to hold onto 30mph when driving down a hill nearby because it has a speed camera.

[bjw]

Mmm

Can you describe the problem more thoroughly. As bothy has mooted it could be the ABS so before we start just run through what it does.

One of the experts have arrived :)

bliiiidy cheek

Sorry bothy did not notice your post !!! yes of course you are also one of the forums experts !!! sorry about that

[bitman]

Can you use the 2nd gear on an auto to control speed when going down a hill ? I normally do that to hold onto 30mph when driving down a hill nearby because it has a speed camera.

yes, you can. as long you keep an eye on the rpm's (but that's the same for manual)

[bitman]

HI i have just bought a rav 4 automatic, fantastic 4x4 ,but i am concerned about a judder from the brake pedal when braking <anyone got any advice?

ok, when this happened do you hear some kind of clicking noise from the engine department? (this happened if the abs is working)

or drive about 70mph and brake slightly. (do this only when NOT interfering other motorists!) if you feel judder in the brake pedal AND the steering wheel that it's your front brake discs who needs replacing.

if you feel only judder in the brake pedal with NO clicking noise then it's your back brake discs what isn't very likely since they hardly being used (a vehicle brakes with about 80% with the front brakes).

if you have judder in the brake pedal and you hear some kind of clicking noise then it can be the ABS system and needs professional inspection.

an easy way to check your ABS is to drive (again do this only when NOT interfering other motorists!) on a road with gravel on it and brake so that the wheels starting to slip. YOU DO THIS WITH SLOW SPEEDS!

[padrick]

many thanks for all your advice ,ive had the car in garage and had both front discs and pads replaced ,jobs a good un !!!!!!!!!!

[bothwell_buyer]

Mmm

Can you describe the problem more thoroughly. As bothy has mooted it could be the ABS so before we start just run through what it does.

One of the experts have arrived :)

bliiiidy cheek

Sorry bothy did not notice your post !!! yes of course you are also one of the forums experts !!! sorry about that

haha - don't bother - self-esteem from looking in a mirror!

[bothwell_buyer]

many thanks for all your advice ,ive had the car in garage and had both front discs and pads replaced ,jobs a good un !!!!!!!!!!

There's a reason for discs going warped - and its normally the calipers sticking on causing the disc to overheat. The other reason is by braking to a halt / using the brakes a lot and keeping footbrake on thus allowing heat build up not to dissipate from the area where the pads are holding. If its the calipers binding, you'll find out soon enough as it will happen again.....cos it cost me 4+ sets of discs!!!! You can tell if the caliper/s binding by allowing the car to roll forward on a gentle/slight slope.

[bitman]

and open the windows to hear any noises coming from the brakes.

[padrick]

everything seems to be ok, i will be taking it easy on the brakes for a while, ie using handbrake in traffic instead of footbrake again thanks