Shaky Steering Wheel and E-Brake Light Issues Options

[jds7188]

ive been having this shaky steering wheel problem for a while now. Everytime im at a speed, lets say 40mph+, and i hit the breaks to slow down, my steering wheel gets very very shaky. is this normal or does nobody else experience this? i figured it could possibly be an issue with my rotors being warped or something to that extent. other than that, i have no clue.

also, my e-brake light has been going on and off for quite a while now. it will stay off for a little bit, but after i speed up , it turns back on, then it stays on for a while. and no, my e-brake is not up.

if anyone could help me out with either of these problems, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Batman722]

an issue with my rotors being warped or something to that extent.

correct. Rotors are either grooved, warped, or bad. Change them and also change the pads too.

also, my e-brake light has been going on and off for quite a while now. it will stay off for a little bit, but after i speed up , it turns back on, then it stays on for a while. and no, my e-brake is not up.

you need to add brake fluid to the master cylinder. It's low.

[Jeunesse]

I totally agree with Dustin^^^. All of what he said.

[jds7188]

how much should the rotors run me?

[tjblacrosse]

how much should the rotors run me?

If you're going with blanks, pay no more than 35 bucks a pop. Napa has some great prices on each rotor and pads. I got each of mine for $28 each. Very inexpensive and a great thing to have nice and new!

[6strngs]

definately warped rotors. your fluid is low too, most likely because your pads are low meaning the caliper is extended more meaning less fluid in the resevoir. do you hear grinding noises at all when you brake?

[crandsberry]

I remember my front rotors always looked fresh from the the outside, but popping them off the hubs and looking on their backside revealed some wicked nasty grooves in them . Definitly replace those babies

[jds7188]

definately warped rotors. your fluid is low too, most likely because your pads are low meaning the caliper is extended more meaning less fluid in the resevoir. do you hear grinding noises at all when you brake?

no, no grinding noises. i just had an oil change last week and they said they put brake fluid in there, but the light still comes on. is there something wrong with the sensor maybe?

and if i did replace my rotors, would it be all four, or just the fronts?

[6strngs]

definately warped rotors. your fluid is low too, most likely because your pads are low meaning the caliper is extended more meaning less fluid in the resevoir. do you hear grinding noises at all when you brake?

no, no grinding noises. i just had an oil change last week and they said they put brake fluid in there, but the light still comes on. is there something wrong with the sensor maybe?

and if i did replace my rotors, would it be all four, or just the fronts?

well, if the fronts are the ones that are bad, replace the rotors on those. and inspect the back brakes. if you have 4/32" or less of brake pads, then replace the pads and get the rotors resurfaced or replaced on the back. I'm sure you can just put a coin up to it like people do to show how much tire tread they have left. on a penny, holding it upside down, to the top of Abe's head is 2/32" and on a quarter, it's 4/32"

[thespacepanda]

I have an interesting question that kind of goes with this.

When I was driving through downtown last night (pho at 2am ftw) I was in 5th gear and I needed to stop pretty quickly. I was only going about 30 mph but when I pressed on the brake and the clutch at the same time the clutch pedal stayed in. I was able to take it out of gear but I couldn't put it back in because the clutch pedal was still on the floor. When I let off the brakes the pedal came back and I was able to use it but it was very soft that first shift. After that I kept driving and the pedal regained its usual stiffness.

So, my question is, does the hydraulics system for the clutch share anything with the hydraulics system for the brakes? I really need new pads, rotors, pads, and rotors.

[thespacepanda]

*looks around nervously*

Any thoughts?

[6strngs]

check the fluid levels for both the brake and clutch. as far as I know, they don't share anything. this happened on my dad's truck. we replaced the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder and the problem was fixed.

the clutch acts normal now, it just happened for a second? perhaps just air in the system, try bleeding it first.

[GriffGirl]

Could this be some weird thing involving the clutch cable itself?

[thespacepanda]

Not sure, but I dont have any problems shifting gears normally. It just does it randomly and when it does happen I have my foot on the brake, usually pretty hard.

[jds7188]

thank god, issue was fixed. sorry i havent been on lately to reply back. it seems alls i really needed was a good machining of my rotors.

[alltracman78]

Celicas don't have clutch cables, they use a hydraulic system.

I have an interesting question that kind of goes with this.

When I was driving through downtown last night (pho at 2am ftw) I was in 5th gear and I needed to stop pretty quickly. I was only going about 30 mph but when I pressed on the brake and the clutch at the same time the clutch pedal stayed in. I was able to take it out of gear but I couldn't put it back in because the clutch pedal was still on the floor. When I let off the brakes the pedal came back and I was able to use it but it was very soft that first shift. After that I kept driving and the pedal regained its usual stiffness.

So, my question is, does the hydraulics system for the clutch share anything with the hydraulics system for the brakes? I really need new pads, rotors, pads, and rotors.

If this usually happens when you brake hard, most likely you're also pressing hard on the clutch pedal [usually if one leg is pressing hard the other one will push with the same force].

It sounds to me like your clutch slave and/or master cylinder are just starting to go.
You can change them one at a time if you'd like to see which one [slave cylinder is easier and cheaper], or just do both.