Catch and Release Breaking - Cause?

[elrodvoss]

I have noticed this ever since I have had my car (2 years), but never though of anything about it. Today I took the initiative and went and got the breaks and rotors checked and both are within tolerance.What the car does is when you break, you feel the breaks gently catch and let go. Almost like anti-lock breaking, but it does it at any speed and soft or hard breaking. When I softly break to a stop, you can feel yourself swaying forward and backward.Any ideas what could me causing this? Rotors and breaks are good, has plenty of break fluid.Only thing that can come to mind is possible air in line or some fault in the anti-lock and/or breaking system.Thanks in advance.

[jake75]

No year/mileage given, but i assume you bought this used and there is no warranty. Brakes are important - that would concern me enough to find a brake specialist asap.

[elrodvoss]

57000 Miles 2005 Vibe Extended bumper to bumper warranty through carmaxI did have the breaks & rotors checked at Midas, which is about the closest we have to an expert in this area other then the old Pontiac dealer which would charge like $50 to just look at the breaks.I understand that breaks are important, but maybe I didnt get my message across 100%.I didnt mean to imply that the breaks fail and catch, but more like a softer/harder/softer/harder pulsing breaking feeling.

[star_deceiver]

Does it pulse faster when you drive faster?

[Zimm]

i like where you're going with this stardeciever. warped rotors probably happen 10,000 times for every car that has catch and release due to malfunctioning equipment.it's pretty much a given that modern rotors will warp due to generally being made of cheap chinese junk metal and being paired with much harder pads than were commonplace years ago.

[06pvibe]

My vote and it's pretty typical of the symptoms you describe (pulsating brake pedal) is that the brake rotors and/or drums need turning for trueness. Midas probably only checked to see that the rotors were not too thin. It might be cheaper and easier to simply replace the rotors you have. OE replacement rotors have come down in price so much it often makes more sense than having them turned/trued.AutoZone in my area has them, in stock, for $35.99 ea. That ain't bad, especially if you can do the work yourself.Second of all, and I don't mean to be condescending, just informative: Vehicles have brakes to stop forward or reverse motion. People take coffee breaks to rejuvenate and socialize.

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe » Vehicles have brakes to stop forward or reverse motion. People take coffee breaks to rejuvenate and socialize. Hamy vote would be rotors, i just did a complete brake job and mine did that same thing.

[elrodvoss]

Sorry about the spelling, was typing this from my palm pre. Formatting goes out the window when I use it.I tested it at different speeds and at high speeds you don't notice it, but it does become more noticeable the slower I go.Ill take it in to a different shop and see if they will test to see if the drums/rotors are "true".To answer "06pvibe":The pedal never pulses its self, at least i don't notice it, but the pulsing is rhythmic (sp?) and does get slower as the car slows down. So it HAS to be something with drum or rotors or something. With a cost of almost $40 each dose not sound bad, but if im going to dive this far into this I might as well do the whole thing and do the brakes too since I have it all in pieces.Thanks for the advice Take care.

[06pvibe]

I've seen so many people, "car guys ('n' gals too") if you will, and even some trained experts that don't know the difference between the spellings, so I offer an example to solidify it in one's mind. As I'd said, to inform/educate not to insult. We all make mistakes.And yes, you spelled rhythmic correctly. Usually the only way a shop will test how true a rotor is will be to actually put it on the lathe and cut it. Then they will want to sell you new pads, rebuilt calipers, a new hardware kit, perhaps new hoses, etc. Be careful when dealing w/these people or your $80 job will easily become a $500 invoice. They love doing that.That you don't actually feel the pulsing in the pedal is a concern, but it does not mean the rotors do not need turning and that there is another problem. If you are very hard on the brakes and it is the ABS you're feeling, you would almost certainly feel the pedal pulsing... but that would have to be the case every time you use them and I highly doubt that. No one stops that hard every time they brake. Good luck and keep us all up-to-date!!

[elrodvoss]

Well that is just the thing. I am very gentle on my brakes. I almost never do any hard stopping. The fact that the car pulses in a rhythmic pattern when I come to a slower stop (10 or less MPH), im sticking with something on rotor or drum.When I can get a better answer, Ill keep you informed.

[06pvibe]

Y'know, thinking about it, it could also be an out of round tire or bent wheel. It's possible.I chased a similar problem for two years w/a Honda I owned years ago. I turned rotors and drums, rebalanced the tires several times, looked for a bent rim, etc, etc.... No pulsing brake pedal, but the car would jutter badly under braking. It turned out to be an OOR tire. Replaced the tires and no more problem. It was a whole different car after that.

[Zimm]

Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe »Y'know, thinking about it, it could also be an out of round tire or bent wheel. It's possible.I chased a similar problem for two years w/a Honda I owned years ago. I turned rotors and drums, rebalanced the tires several times, looked for a bent rim, etc, etc.... No pulsing brake pedal, but the car would jutter badly under braking. It turned out to be an OOR tire. Replaced the tires and no more problem. It was a whole different car after that.this is also a good point. i had a belt break in the side of one of my tires on my old truck. the tire looked fine w/ lots of tread life, but after feeling around the tire, i found a depression on the sidewall that a more knowledgeable friend confirmed was a broken sidewall belt. it was only noticeable at low speeds and went completely away above 40mph. i only looked at the tire because i replaced my brakes and rotors figuring it was the problem (they needed to be changed anyway.) to find the weak point in the sidewall, i very slowly idled my car forward until i felt the out of round sensation. went out and spotted the abnormal flex in the sidewall.

[star_deceiver]

Check the vacuum connections at the brake booster, do the lines flow freely? Are there any leaks on any of the calipers or drum?

[elrodvoss]

I took it to a different brake shop and I they looked at the rotors and drums again.*IF* im remembering correctly they said that the rotors had a 0.005 or 0.05 runoff, where it should be 0.001-0.002 or 0.01-0.02 at the most.I remember the numbers but not exactly where the decimal goes.They offered to resurface the rotor and since then its been all smooth.Thanks for the advice. I guess the best advice here is to always get a 2nd opinion regardless of how "good" you think the mechanic is.

[Sublimewind]

You can have your rotors turned, but the warp will come back... You need new brake rotors AND whenever the wheels are removed the lug nuts should be PROPERLY TORQUED.. with a torque wrench, not an impact gun... I am a firm believer in torquing lug nuts, as if you have one that is TWICE as tight as another, you could see that if the brakes where to ever heat up enough, you could pull the rotor out of alignment, with the lugs being so different in torque.. PHEW.. lol.. I personally would replace the rotors, it's not that expensive (well, unless you are paying for labor) and have a proper rotor "seasoning" done (basically heating the rotor, very hot and letting it cool slowly to relieve internal stress, it works, trust me..lol)I recently replaced everything myself and being the guy here with the brake tutorial, it's awesome.. lol.Good luck..!!