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Rear Brakes Causing Car To Pull

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Pitts642, Oct 9, 2010.

  1. delete
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 1, 2010
  2. brad chevy
    Joined: Nov 22, 2009
    Posts: 2,627

    brad chevy
    Member

    I have never heard of brakes being adjusted like that,not only unsafe but without the self adjusters on the rear theres nothing to stop them from backing off on their own, which causes the fronts to do all the work.That Pontiac is to big a car to not have the brakes right.
     
  3. bigdog
    Joined: Oct 30, 2002
    Posts: 761

    bigdog
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

     
  4. In my experiences, brake pull has been caused by failures in the front brake system. Brake hose failures at either side, or stuck cylinders--calipers or drum brake cylinders.
    And in a self engineered brake system, darting in either direction, not drastic or uncontrollable, because system pressure wasn't high enough because of not having vacuum boost.
    Look at your front brake system, something is wrong. Could also be seering components.
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2010

  5. that is the wackiest way to adjust the brakes i've ever heard of! i hope i just read it wrong or something. when is the last time your car has been aligned? are the control arm bushings in good shape?
     
  6. old lady's mad
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 169

    old lady's mad
    Member

    well i rarely say anything bad about someones way to do thing but what the hell?
    yeas rears can cause a pull. but i would look at the front. a stuck caliper can do 2 diffrent things , get stuck on causing pad wear . or take more pressure to operate. like if it pulls left the right side not working because it isnt going out will cause the left to do mare braking, causing it to pull left . same with the brake hose's . or even a crushed metal line from a wreckers hook or misplaced jack or stand. and beleive it or not alingment pull can be amplified with braking. if replacing calipers or hose's . you replace them in pairs , not just one side.
     
  7. lowongas
    Joined: Mar 8, 2009
    Posts: 282

    lowongas
    Member

    I was ASE brake mechanic for 12 years and tell you one thing..REAR brakes will NEVER cause a car to pull.What the other guys here are telling you is part of the problem.You will have to check several things to make sure.Pull off the front tires then look at the calipers.Caliper bolts if not seated properly OR the rubber o-rings inside of the caliper not properly lube can cause your problems.Is the caliper upper and lower facing ..( the part of the caliper that sits and rides on the part that holds the caliper) cleaned off good enough for the caliper to slide on.?Collapsed rubber brake hoses..( you know,guys that block them off with a pair of vice grips..) can and will cause a brake pull.Place a large enough pry bar and SLOWLY slide the caliper closed...feel anything,any drag or hard to press closed..?Watch how it closes..caliper sliding ok..? Take the caliper off and look inside..piston look good..? Check the seal too.A REALLY good cleaning of ALL of the brake parts,including the the slides and o-rings might help and some times does.Changing them without looking for the problem first isnt going to solve anything.Backing off the rear brakes isnt too well advised..remember,the first contact MUST be with the drums first...if the fronts hit first..the big azz end of the car is coming around to meet you...its a fine line on how to adjust them.
     
  8. budd
    Joined: Oct 31, 2006
    Posts: 3,478

    budd
    Member

    yes rear brakes will cause your car to pull, removing the self adjusters is fine, but make sure the bottom spring is in contact with the star wheel so it can not move on it's own, where did you learn to adjust your brakes like that?
     
  9. Beebeebobby
    Joined: Sep 5, 2010
    Posts: 224

    Beebeebobby
    Member
    from Webb City

    Sorry, but I bout laughed my ass off on this one...IF, it pull to the right it is the left caliper causing the problem. IF, it pulls to the left the right caliper is causing the problem. Best check your seals and rotors and lines.....ROFLMAO...and for the love of God please don't adjust your brakes that way somebody is gonna get hurt! The self adjuster star wheel is adjusted by hand and then automatically as the brakes are depressed backing up....etc...etc..etc.. giggle....
     
  10. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Adjusting the brakes in the manner you described is probably the most unsafe act while working on a car that I have heard or read about in 20 years. And there is very little to suggest that you could accurately adjust the brakes that way.

    The proper way to adjust drum brakes without adjusters is to tighten them up until the drums won't turn by hand with the tires on and then back them off eleven clicks. I was taught to do it that way 43 years ago and have done hundreds of sets that way without any issues.

    I never say something won't cause a problem on a car just because I have never seen it happen before as sure enough the next time around it will.

    Now; back to the original issue besides your personal safety while working on cars.
    Exactly what is the car doing when?
    Is it pulling when you hit the brakes?

    Is it pulling to one side when you drive down the road?
    If that is the case is it pulling to one side or drifting to one side?

    A few things that I ran into over the years that cause a car to pull or drift to one side.

    Grease on the lining or brake pads. Usually from greasy hands when installing brakes shoes.
    Brake hardware not installed correctly.
    Brake shoes on one side of the car installed backwards. The shoe with the least lining always goes to the front of the car and the one most goes to the back. On both sides of the car. That is usually what happens, especially when someone who isn't used to doing brakes every day does his own brakes.
    One drum turned substantially more than the other can sometimes cause issues but I haven't run into that personally.

    Worn or malfunctioning hardware on the front brakes as Lowongas suggested. Include bent pins that the calipers ride on to his list.

    Worn suspension pieces front or rear. Those cars are prone to eat upper A arm bushings and I made a good living off them for several years changing those bushings and doing alignments on them.

    Also, tire pressure not matching from one side to the other. Mismatched tires on one axle or the other including different brands of the same size tire. Bias on one axle and radial on the other.
     
  11. dragster dude
    Joined: May 21, 2010
    Posts: 194

    dragster dude
    Member

    i am surprised that no one has sugested checking for out of round drums and yes the rear brakes can cause a car to pull but as stated check the fronts first
     
  12. I don't agree with your method of adjusting brakes and never remove the self adjusters! I can't tell you how many of those I saw removed when I was in the brake business.

    Mr48chev has some good advice, also look for loose wheel bearings on the front.

    Bob
     
  13. old lady's mad
    Joined: Mar 18, 2007
    Posts: 169

    old lady's mad
    Member

    keep rolling over laughing , you cant tell me a stuck caliper that wont go out and compress the pad's on the rotor , wont cause a pull. the working calper is doing the braking. untill you have seen everything , never say never. i am a current working auto technician . i deal with this shit on a regular basis. i still see stuff ive never seen before .
     

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