On my way home from work this afternoon my truck started pulling to the right whenever I apply the brakes... so bad that I have to steer left when braking. My initial thought was that the left caliper was stuck in the open position, but upon getting out of the truck and spitting on the rotors, both were sizzling hot. What could be the cause of this? Bad tie rod bushing?

 

Check the back brakes.

Front brake problem will be a hard sudden pull, back brakes will be a more gradual pull to the side while braking.


phox

 

could be something loose that shucks to one side when pressure is applied.

also, could be trouble with your rear brakes or rear brake adjustment.

 

Try stepping on the left side of the pedal.

 

It IS a hard sudden pull... both front brakes seem to be working fine though.

 

just fixed that problem on a 97. changed the right caliper. it was froze solid. would recomend changing the brake line too. bought both at oreilly's for 40$ plus a 40 core charge.

 

Both brakes are getting hot though... that shows that they are both doing SOMETHING! I just took it for a drive and it was only doing it off an d on... I'm REALLY puzzled now.

 

let's start by jacking up the front and checking for obvious play on the wheel. Pull/push top to bottom and front to back.

then, give each wheel a spin, is one draging more than the other?

You can sometimes isolate a rear wheel braking problem by using the emergency brake pedal to stop while holding up your release lever.

Then, jack up the rear end. give them each a spin. adjust the rears so they are just starting to catch evenly on both sides.

Try this and get back to us.

 

Are you sure it's not the roads, there are a lot of intersections around here that cause the truck to pull to one side or the other when braking. Usually it's the intersections that are older and have more depressions.

 

A new set of flex lines on both front sides fixed mine up when it did it.Make sure the sliders on the calipers are free too.Just cause both sides are warm doesn't mean they are both doing the same amount of work.

 

Hope someone can tell me what to fix.
Whenever I brake hard my truck swerves to the left, not hard but it is noticable. The front end is loose like most 4x4 2nd gen dodges, but I plan on getting a steering stabilizer, will this help?
I want to drive straight when I brake!!! Its annoying

Chad

 

i just fixed the same problem on my '97. it turned out to be a break line that was leaking. i wasnt getting any pressure to the back brakes, and the truck was crazy to stop. it pulled bad to the left when trying to stop in a hurry. the line split because it was rusted bad in 1 spot in between the fuel tank and the frame, and i never caught it before it did finally split. got a new line in, and problem solved.

 

My truck does the same. Usually it's one caliper sticking. I will be pulling the calipers off eventually and cleaning the pistons, all the surfaces where the pads touch- maybe even some brake specific grease in the trouble spots. I've had luck in the past cleaning the exposed part of the piston with an old tooth brush and some brake clean.

Of course the rear m/c in the drums could also be my poblem.

Anyway, clean, clean, clean. If that didn't work I'd re & re the fluid.

 

yeah i might try cleaning. the brake lines are solid and fluid is clear. would a buildup of gunk really make one brake work better or worse than the other?

 

you may actually find that the problem is the rear brakes. start by adjusting them even.