Big vibration - Scared lol - help please

[steven2015]

Hi,

I have a 1992 W124 and I have a problem while braking at very high speed.

When I am driving about 100 mph, the car vibrates when I apply the brakes.

I heard that this might be due to warped brake discs.

Would appreciate to know your opinion.

Thanks

 

[ray_hennig]

Hi,

I have a 1992 W124 and I have a problem while braking at very high speed.

When I am driving about 100 mph, the car vibrates when I apply the brakes.

I heard that this might be due to warped brake discs.

Would appreciate to know your opinion.

Thanks

I had this after replacing all discs with ATE ones from a discount supplier here in France. New MB discs solved the problem.

RayH

 

[Giantvanman]

Hi,

I have a 1992 W124 and I have a problem while braking at very high speed.

When I am driving about 100 mph, the car vibrates when I apply the brakes.

I heard that this might be due to warped brake discs.

Would appreciate to know your opinion.

Thanks

The most likely culprit. Try applying the brakes gradually on a quiet stretch of road at slow speed and if you feel a rolling sensation (it's how I think of it, anyway), it is warped discs. If you don't feel it, go through the procedure to remove the front wheels in turn. If all is well with the discs, the gap between pad surface and disc should be minute. If it is large or larger, it is because the warping has pushed the pads/pistons back further into the calliper.
There have been many threads extolling the quality of MB discs.

 

[bolide]

Do you feel the vibration through the steering wheel? Or through the car?

I'd start with stripping & checking the front brakes & wheel bearings then the rear brakes & wheel bearings. Often on W124s the rear discs corrode on the inner face due to stuck pistons. You should measure the runout on the front discs to see if it is within spec

Once the brakes are 100% right I'd look at bushes, track rod ends, suspension mounts, etc - the usual suspects

Nick Froome

 

[steven2015]

When I apply the brakes at high speed, the whole car vibrates. The passengers can feel it as well. So, I guess that I should replace the brakes discs.

I am currently away and it would be impossible for me to check whether I should replace the back or front discs.

It would really help if you could tell me the part numbers for both front and rear discs. I have a 1992 230E.

Thanks for helping

 

[StMarks]

When I apply the brakes at high speed, the whole car vibrates. The passengers can feel it as well. So, I guess that I should replace the brakes discs.

I am currently away and it would be impossible for me to check whether I should replace the back or front discs.

It would really help if you could tell me the part numbers for both front and rear discs. I have a 1992 230E.

Thanks for helping

If the sensation can be felt through the car, rather than mainly through the brake pedal, it suggest to me that it may be something more linkage/bush related (exactly as Nick has suggested above).

Try jacking the car up & rotating the wheels by hand. If you can feel a variation in resistance to the rotation then that can also be an indication of a warped disc.

Hth.

 

[Tim203]

You can easily detect for and aft play in bushes by putting the parking brake on and gently rocking the front wheel back and forth with a socket and long breaker bar on a wheel nut. I found a ball joint was gone on my 203 like that. When they're jacked up everything's under so much tension it's sometimes hard to detect any wear in the suspension.

 

[steven2015]

Hi,
I agree that it is worth looking at the bushes/linkages before replacing the brake discs. Thanks for letting me know.

The vibration is like I am putting pressure against something which is spinning. So, it is like something is rubbing but not gripping. This makes a horrible and disturbing sound in the cabin. I hope to get rid of this noise soon.

 

[steven2015]

I have one more question which might help me identify the problem.

If the discs were warped, are they supposed to vibrate and to make a loud rubbing noise while braking at high speed?


Thanks

 

[Bellow]

If you are relying on the brakes to haul you down from a 3-digit speed you need to get on top of this ASAP. Warped as bad as they sound to be should be visible by observing their surfaces - shiny high spots.
Unequal applied pressure (siezed caliper piston on one side) will exert a force on the disc and could lead to it failing.
If they are OK then it sounds as though a wishbone bush may have completely collapsed. Checking the brakes is the priority however.

 

[jonnyboy]

Ironically it sounds like a pad down to the metal...