I have a 97 f-150 that had sat for two years with bad motor. replaced motor only to find the brakes also need serious attention. when braking the pedal and what seems to be the whole front end throb like the rotors are warped bad.the pads look to be fairly new and the rotors look glazed and rusty. I found a reciept in the glove box for a break job on the truck 16k ago, the brakes are also very weak even when a lot of pressure is applied to pedal. any ideas before I start throwing parts at it ??

 

Try to figure out which rotor or drum is warped.

Sometimes, you can tell by rotating the tire by hand and listening to the sound of the pads going over the rotor or by feeling for extra resistance at one or two points in the tire's rotation.

Otherwise, just have the rotors turned or replace them.

If the parking brake was set while the vehicle was parked, I'd start with the rear drums... Lost a set of rear rotors on a Mustang that way by parking it in the driveway all winter.

I'd also flush the brake fluid, there's probably a lot of moisture in the system that accumulated when the truck was parked.

Steve

 

Something could be gummed up with the brake system for it sitting that long like sticking pistons.

 

Check the wheel bearings, too. If the guy who did the brake job left them way too loose, it could cause some shaking even if the rest of the parts are OK.

 

Check the wheel and rotor runout. If it's ok, put the tires on a balancer.