I just replaced the rotors & pads on my truck two months ago due to the brakes hanging up and pulling severely to the right.

It's been only 2 months and it's pulling to the right AGAIN. When I apply brakes, the truck wants to dive into the ditch. I suppose it's a caliper that's hanging up. I've already R&R'd the calipers and lubed the slides again, and it still does it. Is it in the caliper? A friend told me to replace both calipers now that the rotors are new.

Would somebody chime in and let me know how to bleed the front calipers once I R&R them?

I suppose I just drip/gravity bleed them carefully making sure the resiviour is always full....

Any Ideas on this?

Thanks in advance,

Pete

 

Check your rear brakes, they could cause a pull. If it's pulling to the right, the left isn't working properly.
The easiest way to bleed brakes is have someone pump them up, loosen the bleeder and push the pedal to the floor, repeat till you get all the air out.

 

No kidding? What you are telling me is that my right rear drum may not be pulling like it's suppose to do?

I suppose that would make sense.

Note: When I replaced the front rotors 2 months ago, the left one (Drivers side) the inside of the rotor was almost welded to the brake shoe. I assumed that that caliper was hanging up...

Pete

 

Not the right, it's working. The left isn't working. That's why the inside front pad is wore off, it isn't releasing.

 

Copy, now that I think about, that makes more sense... I'll check it.

Any other ideas, What RickCJ said may save me from spending a couple of hundred bucks on new calipers that could still be good? I'll check it out.

Thanks.

Pete

 

Check your front felexable soses too, the can come apart inside and cause the caliaper to to not release completly too.

 

I'll check it out, thanks.

After long thought, I believe it's the calipers. When I was almost stopped at a light today, I jabbed the brakes several times and it made my steering wheel almost do a 180 right in my hands...

I won't rule out the rear drums, but I believe it has to be the drivers side that isn't working correctly if that is part of the problem. The truck wants to dive into the right hand ditch when brake is applied, therefore it would lead me to believe that if it's the rear drums that are causing the problem - it would have to be the passanger side that is doing all of the grabbing - hence the right hand pull.

Pete

 

McGyver. Ive been haveing the same problems . Mine pulls "the steering wheel" to the left real bad. Thats front brakes .

I have checked and and lubed my Pins, caliper slidders, bled fluid , still pulls

I just bought new calipers and pads today and I will install them in the morning. My pads were pretty good but i got some new ones.

I can tell my right caliber is sticking . with the front wheels off the ground the right side caliper doesnt release and doesnt apply when driveing. Its sticking.

I dont know what the previous owner did to the brakes or abused them

I think he ran the front brakes metal to metal into the rotors.
It had new rotors when i bought my truck , but the calipers are hammered. He lyed to me and sayd it had new calibers. Bull Sh*t.

I just put all new brakes and drums on my rear. They were worn down to the metal and trashed the drums by the previous owner.

I called around on prices. Auto zone. $35.99 a caliper with lifetime warrenty . $19 for good semi metalic pads.

Kragen/schucks wanted $91.99 for same calipers and $65 for pads.

Your back brakes wont make your "steering wheel" pull...

There is alot of very good advice here on this forum , ive found out. But also some that dont know what they are talking about.

Check your rubber brake line hose brackets for being bent and crimping a hose line. Is "joe the crappy brake mechanic guy" let a caliper drop it might have bent the hose bracket and be pinching the hose.

Good luck.

 

GSP,

Would you let me know if the new calipers cure your problem?

What direction did your truck pull (steering wheel turn)?

My wheel turns to the right, I think that the left (inside) pad is sticking, wich means the caliper isn't returning.

Any information that you could give me would be helpful. I wish I had an autozone near me in Klamath Falls... I'll price the parts for purchase.

Pete

 

McGyver.. Mine Pulls the steering wheel to the Left.

Some times It would brake straight. And just some times pull. Now its always pulling to the left. So Left brake is working.... Right side is sticking.

It will stick so it wont apply as hard . and also stick and not reliese. I cant tell that it doesnt reliese while driveng , put up on jacks I can feel it not relieseing by spinning the tire.

Brake problems are a pain in the butt!!!!

I just got my truck a few months ago . Fixing all the stuff the preveious owner messed up. Or didnt do maintanence on... AHHGGG!!! I never have problems like this with all my older trucks I keep up maintenence on.

Im putting on both new calipers so I know what I have.

I ll let you know tommarrow I hope

 

Oh by the way the Joker I bought my truck from told me this story that He put 1 ton calipers on , and they are wider with thicker pads he said.

I found out he was full of crap. 88,000 gvw 3/4 ton , and 1 ton calipers are the same part number.

 

GSP,

Nice... I would be pretty upset too. I do know that our trucks are exactly the same up front, just that I have spacers for my type of wheels (ofsett).

It sounds like we have the exact same problem, but on different sides (from what you describe).

I wouldn't mind some information on R&Ring the rear drums and stuff. I suppose you just have to loosen up the adjusters and beat the drum off of there...

Let me know if your new calipers fix the problem.

Again,

Thanks

Pete

ps My wife said just the other day "this truck has very high maintenance..." I told her "It's a workhorse though..." We really put it to the test with our camper and boat.

 

McKyver... Got my new calipers installed and bled. I have just drove around alittle to seat my new pads in.

Problem fixed. I can now brake with no hands on the steering wheel and the truck brakes staight as a arrow .

Problem was a bad caliper sticking. The previous owner im sure ran the pads metel to metal into the old rotors and fryed the calipers . These are the little problems you have to fix when you buy a 2-3- 4 year old truck from someone that runs a truck until the brakes are hammered then goes and buys a new truck.

You asked about bleeding the brakes... Here is what I did.

I pulled the old calipers set them on top with the rubber brake hoses still attached.
Installed the new calipers with pads. Then pulled the brake line and bolted it to the new caliper( avoiding fluid draining out).
Removed the bleed valve and filled with the caliber with fluid with a tinny funnel. bubbles of air come out , and then the master cylinder gravity bleeds also and the fluid starts comming out the caliper bleed . reintall the bleed valve. Make sure you keep the master cylinder full , add fluid.
Most of the air is out.

Have your helper push the brake pedal as you bleed each front bleed valve. Should only take one sqirt and the tiny bit of remaining air is out.


I used some valveline synthetic brake fluid .

Good luck, have fun ,,,Rick.

 

Hey, thanks. I'll get the stuff and do the job in the next few days.

I'll let you know how it went also. If your problem comes back, let me know

Pete

 

My truck started doing this very same thing 2 days ago. It can be darn dangerous driving a vehicle on snowy roads when the thing wants to change lanes everytime you touch the brakes.

I lubed up the guide pins hoping that would solve the problem - it didn't. I'm glad I found this recent thread. Most excellent instructions on changing the caliper and bleeding the line, GSP! AuotZone quoted me $15 for a caliper so I'll be doing this fix in the next day or so. Thanks guys!