Hey all,
I have been having a problem with the Three Amigos for a while now and I just found a new problem with my brakes that I think may be causing the latter. Anyway, when I drive around a lot sometimes the three amigos will come on........... usually if i apply the brakes lightly for some reason. Anway, after the lights came on I tried to do the emergency brake test to see if I could get the ABS to kick in. What happened was that the ABS didnt kick in but i did notice that the brake pedal shook slightly (it felt as though the brakes were vibrating ............. im positive that this vibration wasnt the same as when the ABS turns on because i tested the system when the lights were off and it functioned as it should). So, my question is if anyone knows what the problem could be regarding my "shaky" brakes. I should mention that I replaced the pads about 5000 miles ago with EBC greenstuff pads. Also I should mention that if I press hard on the brakes they shake ............ however after I press hard on them once they are good to go for a while. What gives? Any help would be appreciated

 

So, first of all don't use the e-brake to test your brakes, you can cause even more issues.
Do the warning lights come and go or stayt on?
Do your brakes squeak?

 

I think he meant that he did a "emergancy" stop, not that he used the parking brake.

Sounds like your rotors are warped, did you replace them when you put the new brake pads on?

 

Yea sorry for the mix up............ i meant an emergency stop from 30mph not a stop using the emergency brake. To answer your question Spike I did not replace the rotors when i replaced the pads. I had replaced the rotors using EBC slotted and dimpled rotors about 30,000 miles ago so I thought that they still should have some meat on them.

As for your questions Mike, the three amigo lights come and go. Once they turn on they stay on, however if I shut the truck off and turn it back on they will go out (this is why I havnt been able to get the ABS codes scanned because there is no telling whether or not the lights will be on when I go to take the truck to the shop). I am not getting squeaking in my brakes. I do get some squeaking every now and again, but I had thought that was considered somewhat "normal".

If I do have warped rotors could this cause the amigo lights to come on. If so, what is the easiest way to check if they are still good. Ohh one thing I should mention regarding the issue is that when I went to change the rotors last time I found that the little screw that holds the rotors on was stripped on each of the wheels. I believe that the owner before me had the brakes changed by a joker and they destroyed these bolts. However, when I changed them myself I did some research and it is my understanding that these bolts are only a factory necessity for keeping the rotors in place during the manufacturing process. I may be wrong but perhaps this is causing my issues.

Let me know what you think and sorry for the long post.

 

Those little retainer screws that hold rotors and disc's on I always throw away when I do brakes.

If your rotors are warped yes it could set off the 3 amigos, but having drilled and slotted rotors they should not have warped. Brake disc's warp because they were overheated to many times, drilled and slotted rotors should not overheat. The whole purpose of the holes is to keep them cool and the slots are to expell water. The two things that prevent stopping are heat and water on the rotors.

Just re-read your post, dimpled rotors will overheat, not as fast as vented rotors, but they can still overheat and warp.
The only way to tell if they are warped is with a micrometer or to put them on a lathe and turn then.

Some squeak in your brakes is normal.

 

The thing about the brakes spike is that the pulsating will go away once I give them a good push. I had the rotors wear on my BMW before and that was much worse than I am feeling with the Rover. Its as if my pads are getting dislodged and then they get pressed back into place and all is good again. I remember that when I replaced the pads this time around I had a bit of trouble getting them in place and I might have ruined the rubber shims on the back of the pads. Would it be safe to say that this might be screwing things up. Thanks for the help

 

Even if the lights go "out", once they have been on the codes are stored in the SLABS Ecu until they are fixed and cleared.

just as an example, I had a random ABS light 6 months ago, had the car scanned last week (first time) for an ACE issue, and the fault was still in there.

Have you had the codes read ? If not I would suggest it as you may be chasing pads, discs etc in vain as it could be a duff sensor, or even a shuttle valve problem.

 

No I havnt had the codes read because I was told that in order to fully diagnose the problem the lights had to be on. This was coming from Mike so I took it as truth. I'd hate to pay the $100 or whatever it is to have the codes read just to find out that they had to be on for me to check them. Does anyone know for sure?

 

Worn rotos and warped rotors are two different things.
Worn just means that they are to thin, warped means that they are like a record that has been left in the sun and no longer sits flat on the turntable.
Everytime that "high" spot comes around to the caliper you can feel it pushing back on your foot on the brake pedal.
Warped rotors can act funny, the rotors on my work van are warped, one time I stop it is really bad, the next time I stop I cant feel them at all.
All I am saying is before you spend any money have the rotors checked for being warped, any brake shop will do a free inspection and tell you if they are warped or not.
That is where I would start if I were you.