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Thread: Brakes Rumble on Rough Road

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Seattle, Wa
    Posts
    290

    Default Brakes Rumble on Rough Road

    The E34 brakes work fine when on pavement. However I need to navigate down a small hill on a dirt road that is pretty rough due to rain run off. When using the brakes here I can feel through the brake pedal some sort of rumbling, almost a grinding, from the brakes. Get onto the paved main road and no more rumbles or noise at all.
    Will be putting the car up on jack stands for some other unrelated work soon and will pull the wheels to get a better look.
    Does the above description give any clue what I should be looking for?
    If this was happening on a paved road I'd think the pads are worn and grinding into the rotors but I know that they are not.

    TIA

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Houston
    Posts
    26

    Default

    Well, just remember that you're braking on gravel. It'll take you a lot longer to stop and such. I had the same problem, it was just the actual brake pads needed replacement.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    1,825

    Default

    wheel bearings?

    www.KaRealtySF.com
    Build Date: 05-1995 /Engine: m50tu /Automatic Transmission /ABS /NO ASC /Open Differential /EAT Chip

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Posts
    778

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JMI
    The E34 brakes work fine when on pavement. However I need to navigate down a small hill on a dirt road that is pretty rough due to rain run off. When using the brakes here I can feel through the brake pedal some sort of rumbling, almost a grinding, from the brakes. Get onto the paved main road and no more rumbles or noise at all.
    Will be putting the car up on jack stands for some other unrelated work soon and will pull the wheels to get a better look.
    Does the above description give any clue what I should be looking for?
    If this was happening on a paved road I'd think the pads are worn and grinding into the rotors but I know that they are not.

    TIA
    The description above suggests to me that you may have the same "problem" as I have - ABS kicking in. Sometimes my brakes feel like they are being grinded when ABS kicks in...
    The fact that you may be braking in gravel suggests possiblity of ABS usage...

    deleted air conditioning

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Hockinson, Washington
    Posts
    2,499

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Rustam
    The description above suggests to me that you may have the same "problem" as I have - ABS kicking in. Sometimes my brakes feel like they are being grinded when ABS kicks in...
    The fact that you may be braking in gravel suggests possiblity of ABS usage...
    I agree, the ABS feels almost like a grinding/hammering on the pedal.
    Lowered with blue h&r(?) springs, Bilsteins, tint, 19# design 3 injectors, Dual Magnaflow
    southwest WA

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    23

    Default

    If you really want to confirm it is the ABS kicking in, you could temporarily disable the ABS system (pulling the pump fuse will usually work on most cars) next time you are driving over that sort of surface.

    I tend to disable ABS on any car I am driving through snow or on other loose surfaces. ABS tends to increase braking distances on snow/loose surfaces.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Seattle, Wa
    Posts
    290

    Default

    Just to close out the thread:
    It was indeed the ABS working. This was confirmed a few weeks ago going down a hill and hitting a patch of black ice. They are very rough sounding and feeling. The incident with the ice ended uneventfully. Whew

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