Brake Caliper?

[hex0rz]

Alright, just recently got back from hunting and I did not notice anything until I got about an hour or so away from home. When I go to brake, the truck wants to pull hard to the right. I got to literally turn the wheel about a 1/4 turn to the left to keep straight.I'm wondering if maybe it is instead the left front caliper not grabbing?I've rebuilt the front calipers about 2 years ago, did new pads and rotors as well...

[dorkweed]

Sounds like a stuck/seized caliper..................or a soft brake line with an aneurism with the inner lining!!

[Mopar1973Man]

Common. I see this from people buying new calipers and then leaving the dirty old brake fluid in the master cylinder and then the debris settles again into the bottom of the caliper. The only way to fix is to disassemble the calipers, clean and re-assemble.I've heard of the brake hose thing but never seen one yet.Now. I've just got a phone call from my Fire Chief with his 6.7L Cummins finally did something weird. Long story short the Chief's truck decided to start pumping up the brakes not with the hydro-booster but with the ABS brake pump. Really weird but after un-hooking the brakes returned to normal again.

[hex0rz]

Common. I see this from people buying new calipers and then leaving the dirty old brake fluid in the master cylinder and then the debris settles again into the bottom of the caliper. The only way to fix is to disassemble the calipers, clean and re-assemble.

I forgot to mention, I did a brake fluid flush when I did the rear brakes. Which was after doing the fronts. If the rain stops and tomorrow clears up, I guess I know what I'm doing... :banghead:

[IBMobile]

After 43 years of working on cars and light trucks I've only seen a rubber brake line fail from inside out once, due to an owner topping off his brake fluid with ATF. So jack it up and see which one is sticking.

[Mopar1973Man]

So jack it up and see which one is sticking.

... or take it out for a ride on a long straight and allow it to come to stop on it own. Rolling to a stop and then carefully reach in and check all the rotor temp by touch. The warm on usually is the dragging caliper.

[hex0rz]

Meh, okay, I suspect there is something else going on here... :banghead:

I'm spinning the rotor and its as true as ever. I dunno if it still could be the caliper, but I'm also experiencing other issues. Maybe its a combo of both...

I took the caliper off, and I spin it, I'm getting a funky noise. I'm putting money it being the wheel bearings? Dunno if the u-joints will make this noise... I spin it slowly, it kinda has slop to it, but I cannot move it around to feel the slop. It itself moves with the slop when I spin it. It will then get to a point where there is resistance, than I feel and hear bind noise and then it frees up and moves again... Maybe its the u-joint and bearing?

Ugh... worst part is, I don't have my socket with me to get the castle nut off!

- - - Updated - - -

Okay, I lied... If I grab on the rotor, and pull on it and push with my hands, it feels like it has about 1/32 of play. I pried the U-joint and none of it would budge any. So it sounds like my hub assembly is shot?

If the castle nut was just a smidge loose, would it do this?

[hex0rz]

Hey guys, can't find the torque spec, it should have one right?The bolt for the brake line to the caliper. The one with the two copper washers. I snugged it tight, but just wanna know if there is a torque for it as I do not want to take the chance of it leaking or introducing air...

[MnTom]

I just tighten it until it is good and tight. I have never put a torque wrench on one and have not had one leak yet!

[Mopar1973Man]

Bleed screws. I just seat the screws then choke way up on the wrench add a few inch/pound of force at most and call it good. Then cap the tips off so water doesn't rust out the screws. If you don't have caps make some out of vinyl tubing. Just heat the end with a cigarette lighter and then squeeze with a pair of pilers done.

[hex0rz]

No, no. Not the bleeding screw. The bolt that attaches the brake line to the caliper...

[Mopar1973Man]

Oh... Even those I just snug up a bit and not get carried away being its a hollow bolt. The copper washers are there for sealing not to be crushed to dust.

[hex0rz]

Gotcha

[hex0rz]

Okay fellas, I figure I would post up on this thread, as I can dig this back up from the grave and continue on with it...

 

From the time of the last post until now, I have 2 new brake calipers on the truck and bled them out with new DOT 3 fluid. I have plenty of braking force but now, instead of pulling right, I pull slightly left. I'm struggling with this as I can't see how it has anything to do with the front?

 

I notice that the first time I brake when first driving the truck, the brakes grab like a son of a gun, and then any more braking actions afterwards, its not as strong?

 

Upon braking as well, it sounds like I hear a slight clunk on the passenger front... I was speculating it could be the idler pad engaging and the caliper sliding to engage the rotor? I'll take a look and see if anything is out of the ordinary, but I'm trying to track this all down as it does not seem normal.

 

Could anything I'm experiencing be from the rear brakes? I was just reading recently and I dunno if I should check the proportioning system?

[Mopar1973Man]

Time to pull the drum off check the shoes and hardware. Then put the drums back on and adjust up the shoe slack manual till they lightly drag. I normally don't rely on the auto-adjusters at all.

[diesel4life]

Any loose steering components? Does the truck track straight?

[War Eagle]

I wonder if the clunking sound in front might be the front wheel bearing/hub issue.  That is how I found the bad bearing on my gen 2 rig.  It obviously had been bad or going bad for some time but the it was a give away for me when I heard the clunk and then check for the problem.

[hex0rz]

Time to pull the drum off check the shoes and hardware. Then put the drums back on and adjust up the shoe slack manual till they lightly drag. I normally don't rely on the auto-adjusters at all.

Yea, I may just do that as I'm starting to feel like I'm fulfilling the definition of insanity playing with the fronts. Unless its the soft lines like mentioned before? Yea, all my years working on vehicles I was told to just back the truck up a bunch of times to adjust the starwheels.

 

Any loose steering components? Does the truck track straight?

Hmm, I'm sure there is, haha. Hard to say about tracking though. As road crown, etc. affect the way it tracks. Even on a flat surface, the place I get alignments from make it to where the vehicle will track to the right slightly over a block to keep people from veering into oncoming traffic. A safety thing, I guess...

 

I wonder if the clunking sound in front might be the front wheel bearing/hub issue.  That is how I found the bad bearing on my gen 2 rig.  It obviously had been bad or going bad for some time but the it was a give away for me when I heard the clunk and then check for the problem.

 

DON'T say that! lol. When I did the calipers, and studs, etc. I checked the bearings and they checked out. When I jacked the truck up, there was no play with the tire on, which is supposed to correspond to a good unit. I also checked the u-joints, too, but I suppose either one could have gone out since I've checked. Stranger things have happened!