Pulls right when braking

[Jason Mankey]

We bought a 2010 Eddie Bauer standard length Expy last year. It had 188,000 when we got it, but was well taken care of. The engine, transmission, transfer case, differentials, interior and body all seem to be in wonderful condition.

However, when I brake...especially when pulling our 3,500 lb camper...it pulls to the right.

When we bought it, the tires were wore out. We looked them over to see if there were indications of abnormal wear during our purchase and they were worn very evenly. So we assumed the suspension was at least in decent condition. So I installed new Cooper Discoverer tires and have been very happy with them. They were great in the winter.

The brakes had been replaced in the past with some low quality parts and were pretty rusty. We suspected that could be the cause of the pull and these needed to be replaced anyway. We replaced all front and rear pads, rotors and even the parking shoes and hardware with high quality Raybestos parts about a month ago. The braking is much better, but the pull to the right has not changed.

So I am suspecting that with now nearly 200,000, the suspension needs some work. We only paid $8,000. We went into this knowing that it may cost a little to get it tuned up, but since we got it so cheap, we could afford to put some money into it.

I did the bounce test on the front and rear for the struts. I am a big dude and I could get it to move some. If I release all the way at the bottom of the bounce, the truck comes up and I get maybe 1/4 bounce. You can hear the struts making their noise, so it seems to me these were replaced and are working correctly. Based on how our Expy rides, I would say the struts are some stiffer truck style ones now because when towing our camper, I did not notice any extra bounce at all. It rides pretty stiff.

I would like to hear people experiences with the front and rear suspension. I am thinking that I probably need at least front ball joints. I have replaced ball joints may times, so no big deal there.

However, I have never owned a 4 wheel drive with independent rear suspension before. I have always owned solid rear axle vehicles. The rear suspension looks really busy with a bunch of control arms. So here are some questions I have.

1. Could the rear suspension being worn cause this pull to the right when braking? I would tend to think look at the front first, but I wanted to ask just in case.

2. What parts tend to wear on the rear suspension other than the strut and brakes?

3. With all these control arm links, is it common for some or all of them to wear, or do they tend to last the life of the vehicle? I have seen some vehicles that wear suspension and some that last almost forever depending on design.

 

[Plati]

Does it pull to the right for a second and then stop pulling?
My 2003 would do that (pull then straighten out) and it was the flexible hose
It was the hose on the side opposite the pull. Pull right - left hose bad.
The left rotor got HOT, found that with infrared heat gun.

Did you service the caliper pins? Clean up and lube?

 

[Jason Mankey]

Yes, it feels like it is worse when I first start braking.

Yes, we polished the pins and installed them with some Permatex Ceramic Extreme brake grease.

We did bleed all 4 calipers when compressing the pistons to prevent back flow of debris. We then bled them again after reinstallation to make sure we have fresh fluid in the calipers.

What was wrong with your hose that could cause that? I have only heard of hoses leaking. No leaking going on here.

 

[sjwelds]

Hoses can swell internally and mess with the flow of fluid.

 

[Jason Mankey]

I forgot to add....

The pull is ONLY while braking. When diving down the highway, I can let go of the steering wheel for quite some time on a strait road with no pull. So if something is loose, it can't be horribly bad.

So is the consensus that my pull is from something wonky on the brakes? When we did the brake bleeding, we used the old "stomp brake pedal...loosen bleeder...tighten bleeder...let off pedal" method. I do not have a power bleeder.

I just now had a thought. I wonder if before we got the truck someone got air in the left front brake line making it brake less thus pulling to the firmer right braking. The brake pedal does feel firm though...no squishiness.

Maybe I could have the local shop I use power bleed the brakes and confirm no air in the antilock actuator.

 

[Plati]

The consensus is bad brake hose.

Those hoses can collapse inside and you can't see it.

$50 says its a bad brake hose.

 

[Don Hall]

From a search:

Can't erase/delete the duplicate -

 

[Trainmaster]

Had the same problem on mine. I suspected shocks, as it happened only at high speeds with a hard brake application. Changing brake hoses eliminated it. A cheap fix, and with 188K miles, money well spent.

 

[Plati]

From a search:

Can't erase/delete the duplicate -


View attachment 36274

View attachment 36273

Don is correct in that "for any problem" ... there can be multiple potential root causes.
I'm betting $50 it's the hose. If I win, Don owes me $50


HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

 

[Jason Mankey]

Thanks all for your input! For my own curiosity I am going to get it up in the air and check out the suspension just to be safe with the mileage I have. I suspect it will all look fine.

If it does, I will order hoses for both sides. If one has gone bad, the other probably is not to far behind. And I can get a good pair of hoses for $32 shipped. So it's pretty cheap. The local stores want $40 each around here.

 

[Boostedbus]

The consensus is bad brake hose.

Those hoses can collapse inside and you can't see it.

$50 says its a bad brake hose.

My thoughts exactly on the hoses. I’ve got $75 riding on it!

 

[Trainmaster]

Buy Motorcraft, not Chinese knockoffs that rust out in three years.

 

[Don Hall]

CONTAMINATED CALIPER, OR CONTAMINATED DISC SURFACE......

$1.50

 

[JollyRoger]

This may or may not be your situation, but I thought I'd share what's been going on with my Expy. As you all are aware, the power steering cooler is part of the AC condenser, which sits in front (or behind...can't remember) the radiator. Recently, a crack has developed on the top passenger side of this cooler, allowing power steering fluid to drip down the right side of the radiator. It wasn't a huge leak and would only leave a small spot on the ground each night. This is my 2nd Expy to have this problem. I nursed it a few weeks and then fixed it like I did on my first one, which is to get a universal cooler which I mount on the left side of the radiator, and utilize most of the existing hoses. I just abandon the one in the condenser and eventually it drains itself out. Needless to say, as soon as this problem started happening, my truck would pull to the left whenever I brake. It's because the brake pad was saturated in PS fluid from the few weeks I drove it before it was fixed. Prior to this, it braked straight and true. I removed the right brake pads and cleaned them with brake cleaner since they were only 20,000 MI old. That helped some, but it's apparent that I'm just going to need to replace the pads as it still pulls to the left.

The reason I brought this up is that if you have any oil drips that are making their way onto your brake pads, this could also be the cause.

Just something else to consider...hope you figure it out. Thanks.

 

[RichardH]

CONTAMINATED CALIPER, OR CONTAMINATED DISC SURFACE......

$1.50

Don,

I tend to agree with you - caliper is potential issue too. When I did front rotors/ceramic pads, hardware installation I encountered a piston on passenger side caliper that would not seat entirely. This likely meant after many efforts to seat it (evenly with proper tool) it would not extend pads to rotor correctly. I had to walk to autozone and get new caliper. Hot chick there. She was hot and a blonde.

Anyhow, while you are there, do the lines and calipers. They really aren't all that expensive and considering you are towing a bit, you have peace of mind you have new hardware up front. I plan on getting new caliper driver's side front, and doing new rotors/calipers anyhow on rear. I plan on doing some towing also.

PS Don, I miss driving the 17 hwy/hills, drove that every day from Walnut Creek. The 680 was pretty rough in the morning SB. I really enjoyed the sandwiches at Margaritaville restaurant at the bay there, outside. This was 25 years ago...

 

[07navi]

If he does the lines and all else at the same time nobody can claim any bets.

 

[Jason Mankey]

This may or may not be your situation, but I thought I'd share what's been going on with my Expy. As you all are aware, the power steering cooler is part of the AC condenser, which sits in front (or behind...can't remember) the radiator. Recently, a crack has developed on the top passenger side of this cooler, allowing power steering fluid to drip down the right side of the radiator. It wasn't a huge leak and would only leave a small spot on the ground each night. This is my 2nd Expy to have this problem. I nursed it a few weeks and then fixed it like I did on my first one, which is to get a universal cooler which I mount on the left side of the radiator, and utilize most of the existing hoses. I just abandon the one in the condenser and eventually it drains itself out. Needless to say, as soon as this problem started happening, my truck would pull to the left whenever I brake. It's because the brake pad was saturated in PS fluid from the few weeks I drove it before it was fixed. Prior to this, it braked straight and true. I removed the right brake pads and cleaned them with brake cleaner since they were only 20,000 MI old. That helped some, but it's apparent that I'm just going to need to replace the pads as it still pulls to the left.

The reason I brought this up is that if you have any oil drips that are making their way onto your brake pads, this could also be the cause.

Just something else to consider...hope you figure it out. Thanks.

Nope...no leaks. Matter of fact, even with this age and mileage, the engine, transfer case, transmission and differentials are complete dry and oil/dirt free on the outside. But not so clean that it appears the entire underside was pressure washed.

 

[Jason Mankey]

Don,

I tend to agree with you - caliper is potential issue too. When I did front rotors/ceramic pads, hardware installation I encountered a piston on passenger side caliper that would not seat entirely. This likely meant after many efforts to seat it (evenly with proper tool) it would not extend pads to rotor correctly. I had to walk to autozone and get new caliper. Hot chick there. She was hot and a blonde.

Anyhow, while you are there, do the lines and calipers. They really aren't all that expensive and considering you are towing a bit, you have peace of mind you have new hardware up front. I plan on getting new caliper driver's side front, and doing new rotors/calipers anyhow on rear. I plan on doing some towing also.

PS Don, I miss driving the 17 hwy/hills, drove that every day from Walnut Creek. The 680 was pretty rough in the morning SB. I really enjoyed the sandwiches at Margaritaville restaurant at the bay there, outside. This was 25 years ago...

When we installed the new pads the pistons were easy to get seated all the way in. There are no leaks and best as we can tell, it looks like both pistons on the drivers front caliper are actuating together.

I got the truck in the air and with some help I inspected the entire front and rear suspension. Everything was tight and none of the bushings, ball joints, tie rods, struts, or any joint were loose. Matter of fact, I don't think the suspension is original. With the years and miles the Expy has, the suspension seems in such good shape that I would say the suspension was rebuilt in the not to distant past prior to our purchase.

So I have ordered new brake line hoses for both sides. The brackets where the hoses mount to the steering knuckle are pretty rusty. I could see where that could be the obstruction. Once they arrive and I get them installed, I will let everyone know if that worked. If I still have pulling to the right when braking, then the only thing I can think of that could cause the pulling is a bad caliper on the drivers front. If that is needed, I will just replace both front calipers for my comfort.

 

[Plati]

My thoughts exactly on the hoses. I’ve got $75 riding on it!

This article is quite comprehensive ... includes my suggestion about "collapsed brake line" but also many other causes including previously mentioned suggestions by other posters. I did not know suspension components or pads or wheel differences or many of the other root causes so I think I've learned a few things here. Nice!

https://www.tomorrowstechnician.com/pulling-you-in-to-brake-diagnostics/

 

[Boostedbus]

This article is quite comprehensive ... includes my suggestion about "collapsed brake line" but also many other causes including previously mentioned suggestions by other posters. I did not know suspension components or pads or wheel differences or many of the other root causes so I think I've learned a few things here. Nice!

https://www.tomorrowstechnician.com/pulling-you-in-to-brake-diagnostics/

Absolutely we are never too old or wise to learn. With that being said my $$$ is still riding on the brake hoses. Let’s just call it an uneducated/slightly educated guess.