Best way to fix warped rotors on 2004 Titan....

Nick Name said:

Due to the mileage you have, I'd be real careful spending my money. Powerstop is good stuff, EBC..good. Hawke...good. I'd be after value, bang for the buck rather than the cool factor of the best and greatest parts (spelled more 'expensive').

Due to the miles your dealing with....it could be much more than brake rotors causing your steering wheel wiggle. First...if the steering wheel is shaking but the foot pedal isn't pulsing, then there's more going on than rotors..but to be sure....go to Harbor Frt and get a dial indicator and an indicator stand. Jack the truck up and put the indicator set up so that you're checking each rotor, one at a time for run-out. More than 5 thou is a warp.

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Go for a ride and run in the pads so they're set to the rotors. There should be NO flutter sensation in the brake pedal. Once you've done that...if you still have wiggle....control arm bushings are most like likely the culprit. Possibly upper ball too. If so..replace the whole arm with new bits pre-installed.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the tips!!

I am definitely not paying $10 per rotor to have them surfaced when I could just buy them outright with a discount.

My whole background for this post is reading that the 2004 Titans had two MAJOR problems:
(1) Rear ends would fail quick, hence, the reason for them adding fins and synthetic oil to the rear diff.
(2) Warped rotors. I have no idea why they fail, but warped rotors sounds right. Is just using ANY aftermarket rotor better than what they offered in 2004. I have no idea. That's why I'm here. When applying the brakes hard... the steering wheel bounces left to right. That's all I know so far. But these can't be original brakes, so clearly there is some other problem... perhaps the calipers, like you were saying, or even something else. Hmm...... I could rebuild the calipers while I've got it apart, you are right.

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As for the rest of the truck, I just fixed the tailgate yesterday and haven't had a chance to mess with it today.

Only other real problem with the truck is that it's got Sharpie markings on the passenger door. ::crying::

Oh yea, and the coolant lines look very juicy on the outside, but not too wet... because there's nothing really leaking. Looks like there could be some coolant issues tho. That's my real #1 problem, I don't really know how to "verify" a coolant system is good.

This thing also has a Service Engine Soon (SES) light on, but I couldn't figure out how to get the timing right with the pedal to find out why it's on and how to disable it.

But the wonderful thing about the truck is that nothing appears to be leaking from the rear end. There don't seem to be any [other] major leaks, really. A little from the valve cover, perhaps. But definitely nothing major looking at all. I'm not a REAL pro. But I've seen several vehicles to know when I got a deal. And I picked this thing up for $2500. Not the best deal considering the cosmetic condition (dent in almost every panel, door, etc.), but it's not possible to get many trucks for that price... much less an '04 Titan. :devil:

I think I did alright, but only time will tell. Anyway... thanks again, Nick!

Bleeding Brake System EFS003O4
CAUTION:
While bleeding, pay attention to master cylinder fluid level.
1. Turn ignition switch OFF and disconnect ABS actuator and electric unit (control unit) connector or battery
negative cable.
2. Connect a vinyl tube to the rear right bleed valve.
3. Fully depress brake pedal 4 to 5 times.
4. With brake pedal depressed, loosen bleed valve to let the air out, and then tighten it immediately.
5. Repeat steps 3, 4 until no more air comes out.
6. Tighten bleed valve to the specified torque. 69 ft lbs.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6, with master cylinder reservoir tank filled at least half way, bleeding air in order
from the front left, rear left, and front right bleed valves.

Hmmm.. so it's back right, front left, back left, front right. Ok then...