Pulling Brakes

[sbturbo2]

Hi

Before I take everything apart! Had a spirited drive in the Vee today to get used to her driving style and during high speed braking she pulled quite strongly to the right....not good as she kept wanting to go on the other side of the road [smilie=icon_eek.gif]. It looks like Grant fitted upgraded discs on the front but the rest looks standard. All pads look healthy without taking the whhels off. Any thoughts would be great, thanks [smilie=thanks.gif]

Simon

 

[Steve-V6-D61]

sbturbo2

Brake pad pins could be rusty and holding back the pads, but spoke with Stephen the other day and he had alloy rust behind the guide plates fitted inside the brake pad hole, one top and one bottom that was forcing them out and grabbing the pads, he needed to remove the allen screw holding the guides in and remove the corrosion and refit them problem solved.-
one of the screws rounded off and had to be cut and taken out with grips.
hope that helps

Steve

 

[Spike]

sbturbo2

Brake pad pins could be rusty and holding back the pads, but spoke with Stephen the other day and he had alloy rust behind the guide plates fitted inside the brake pad hole, one top and one bottom that was forcing them out and grabbing the pads, he needed to remove the allen screw holding the guides in and remove the corrosion and refit them problem solved.-
one of the screws rounded off and had to be cut and taken out with grips.
hope that helps

Steve

Agree with steve here, the guides in the calipers have crap buildup behind them, there is a small screw to remove to get behind these to clean and grease. also look at the bottom ball joint both sides as wear here will cause the car to steer one way or other. less of an issue is the top rubbers, make sure the strut sits in the centre as this will affect the geometry.
a 4 wheel align is a good idea if you dont get anywhere.

 

[pturner3]

Shock Absorbers are the other possibility!

 

[Spike]

Shock Absorbers are the other possibility!

Personally , i would only say shocks are the culprit if they are bent.

 

[pturner3]

Ok Spike, so why would it have to be bent, as opposed to insufficient damping?

 

[Spike]

Ok Spike, so why would it have to be bent, as opposed to insufficient damping?

Let me turn the question round, why would insufficent damping cause the car to pull?
no, im not trying to be clever here. think........if the car is travelling at say 30mph on a dead level road and it still pulls to one side it aint the damping now is it.
the post is entitled pulling brakes so i am making the assumption its under braking when this "pulling" happens, not when on a rough road.
the reasons for suggesting a bent shock is the change in alignment.
the shocks are famous for / can easily be bent, at the bottom where they attach to the hub carrier, have seen this twice now on a clio v6, one on front one on a rear.

 

[pturner3]

Take it easy, it was a polite question.

The first suggestions are likely, but I wouldn't rule out a shock because of my own experiences. As with all these sort of forum queries, we have to make assumptions in order to offer suggestions, since we are not there to experience the fault.

Defective shocks can cause wandering over normal roads, and under hard braking the car can initially swerve to one side. Given that most drivers are unaware that shock absorbers can loose performance over time, they are an item that is commonly forgotten about, and can cause many instability issues. It's still a worthwhile consideration.

However, I agree to check for any pad binding on the pins, etc first. Simple things first!

 

[Spike]

what do you mean "take it easy" what are you suggesting? that was a polite answer, not agressive in any way. i am getting a little fed up with people having a poke at me when all i am doing is trying to help. :evil:

 

[sbturbo2]

Thanks Guys,

Sorry for not replying sooner been away for the weekend! Did the post and then remembered i was away!!

I have a few good ideas to get on with and all sound feasable, thanks for the replies. I was wondering if the brakes had air in the system, anyway while the wheels are off I will bleed anyway.

Thanks and sorry if i caused an arguement [smilie=icon_eek.gif]

Si

 

[Brett]

I'm with spike on this. Damping would not effect the direction of the car in anyway. Could be one of 3 things if it only happens under braking. A faulty wheel bearing, a worn suspension pick up point i.e ball joint etc etc or a binding or non operational brake caliper. Its obviously the front as if it was the back it would do it under acceleration too.

 

[sbturbo2]

Just to let you know the pads on the nearside front were jammed, combination of pins stuck and corroded but main reason was guide plates had lifted due to dissimilar metals reacting and holding pad especially at the top of the caliper on both sides. Test driven and she brakes straight and true but with a little wobble, not sure if disc are a little out but couldn't see any play in the ball joints even using an alloy bar for leverage. Good progress and feel a lot more confident with the brakes [cmilie=iconcheers.gif]

Simon

 

[Spike]

Just to let you know the pads on the nearside front were jammed, combination of pins stuck and corroded but main reason was guide plates had lifted due to dissimilar metals reacting and holding pad especially at the top of the caliper on both sides. Test driven and she brakes straight and true but with a little wobble, not sure if disc are a little out but couldn't see any play in the ball joints even using an alloy bar for leverage. Good progress and feel a lot more confident with the brakes [cmilie=iconcheers.gif]

Simon

RE SCREWS: did you get them out ok, see my post on screws if you bruised them up.

 

[sbturbo2]

Screws ok thanks Spike, me thinks they may have been changed at one time or another [smilie=thanks.gif]