Help, Brakes pull to the left after rotor and pad change!!! - Diesel Forum

NCHornet · 05-13-2006, 02:36 PM

Well I guess I spoke to soon last night on my brake job. It seemed to drive fine during the break in procedure but today I went to town and the truck is pulling to the left. It doesn't rip the wheel out of your hand, but it will definetly take you into the next lane. I lubed the pins real good with the XG-3 Lube from Ford. I also bled the entire system with new fluid.
It is driving just fine, perfectly straight until you hit the brakes so am I to assume that if it is pulling to the left the right side must not be compressing as much?
I used a C clamp to drive the piston back into the caliper, could I have pressed it in to far? There didn't seem to be a particular way the pins went it, they had two flat edges so either they go in or they don't right? I really need my truck so if anybody can help me I would appreciate it.
These are the ctro'd powerslot rotors with Hawks Superduty pads.
Thanks

gregrob · 05-13-2006, 02:40 PM

I would try bleeding the right caliper again.

468LC · 05-13-2006, 03:20 PM

Mine did the same thing for about 30 miles of break in.

Once I started driving the truck daily it went away as the pads fully bedded in.

I guess what I am trying to say is don't hit the panic button yet. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

NCHornet · 05-13-2006, 03:31 PM

I did re bleed the right side. I have never heard of the bads needing that type of break in? Did yours just slowly get better?
Tomorrow after church I thought about taking the caliper off and see if the calipers move when the pedal is depressed, but I suppose if it was not operating it would be a massive pull to the left. I never twisted the hose or had the caliper hanging but I have read about the hoses going bad. Can you get a brake hose at any auto parts store or is it a dealer item?
Has anybody else ever had a pull to one side while these pads break in?
Thanks

chris bottom · 05-13-2006, 04:19 PM

now your starting to make me nervous i just finished installing my cryoed rotors and am about to take a drive and break them in myself but i went with the performance friction pads instead of the hawk since i have the PF pads in ready supply at the local stores and the hawks take a few days to get in so we shall see how my break in goes tonite

NCHornet · 05-13-2006, 04:54 PM

Let me know please. How hard were your hub extenders to get off? Mine were really on there and were a pain.
I need to know if I should pull this thing apart or wait and see what happens. I can't imagine the slide pins are leaking so it may be a weak caliper (doubtful) or maybe a weak hose, but all was fine with the old rotors and pads.
You may be fine with the friction performance pads as they are softer, the Hawks SD pads are a ceramic based bad and much harder.
All opinions are welcome!!!

468LC · 05-13-2006, 05:05 PM

Did you wash the rotors off before you put the wheels back on?

Did you touch one side more then the other.

Simple things like this can cause pulling until the crap burns off.

My pulling to the left went away slowly and is now completely gone.

chris bottom · 05-13-2006, 06:44 PM

my hub extenders werent that bad really used a 3 pound hand sledge to hit it from side to side until it slowly came off, took me about a hour to do both sides and since im doing some work on my 96 today i was waiting till i was finished with that to break in the new rotors, do that on the way to hooters tonite [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

chris bottom · 05-13-2006, 09:53 PM

ok broke the new rotors and pads in and i have no pull at all and very nice brake pedal feel and very little distance to push to get brakes to grab.......but then again im changing out my setup at 41k so my stuff is fairly new so its possible you could have some other issue at work there such as a bad caliper or stuck pin or for that matter im not sure if you have had the same issue i ran into with the old pads.....the brake hardware tends to not like aftermarket pads i found.....i had to take a grinder and knock off a raised paint bubble on my new pads since they were interfering with the pad sliding in and out of the bracket easily which i would assume would make the pad stick to the rotor and not release [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

Pappy19 · 05-13-2006, 10:14 PM

My RotorPro drilled and slotted rotors and dust free pads are working super, no pull and stopping has never been as good. Everyone considering new rotors and pads should at least give these guys a look. Price is right too.

www.rotorpros.com

Dan V · 05-13-2006, 11:43 PM

When you drive it for a while does one rotor feel warmer to the touch? A handheld pryo would work great.

Where the calipers new? Or?

Some times on a new pad instal, when you don't rebuild/replace the calipers, the pistons don't quite retract when the pressure is released. I think it has somethng to do with the seal rollback on the piston.

So it could be that one side is working at a higher temp, which could cause the pull.

NCHornet · 05-14-2006, 08:52 AM

If that was the case then it would be the left side that is sticking, not the right side not compressing enough. I don't think this is it, but I could be wrong. I did not replace the calipers. I only have 49K on the truck and had no brake problems before except the shaking. I guess I will put 50 miles on her and see if it gets better.
I thought about pulling the caliper and pressing the pedal and see if both calipers are working, but I can hear the calipers sliding with the new grease in there when my son hits the pedal. I really don't want to take it all apart again!!!
Any other ideas?

NCHornet · 05-14-2006, 01:24 PM

Update:
Well I bled the passenger side last night but all I got was new fluid.This morning on the way to church I noticed that now it is only pulling under hard breaking. I can make a normal stop and she is as straight as can be. So there might be something to these ceramic pads taking a while to break in, they are a lot harder than normal pads!!!
I don't think the left side is hanging because she tracks perfectly straight while driving and during hard breaking only pulls to the left during the last few feet.
If the problem is still present after a hundred or so miles I will probably change the left front brake line, but hopefully it will continue to get better.
Besides a weak line what else would cause it to pull only under hard braking and not under normal braking?
Thanks for the help.

BTW. MODERATOR How is this off topic for the aftermarket and upgrades on a 1999 and up superduty 7.3???
I am having a problem with a aftermarket brake upgrade on a 2000 F350 7.3 how much more on topic can it be??? Please put this back in the right category where it will receive the response it deserves.
NCHornet

jonDIESEL · 05-23-2006, 01:22 PM

I just had a similar nightmare after a pad and rotor install. Pulled to the right under hard braking (yes, it would change your lane). I took the thing apart like 3-4 times, and re-lubed and put back together. Still same. Took into a shop and they replaced front two calipers with reman's and replaced flex hoses (and flush/bleed - refill with new DOT4). I got it back and it was better. What I did notice, is that when they bled, they got either brake fluid or grease all over the pads and rotor. The truck still pulled a little bit (more than enough to make you upset - i.e. still a lane changing pull under moderately hard braking). I MADE THEM machine the new rotors I just put on and REPLACE all the pads due to contamination of the linings. Now, there is NO PULL. There is nothing worse than having to **** the wheel just to stop straight. In the end, it is a SAFETY issue. After spending $500 at NAPA for new rotors and pads all the way around, I was upset that they wasted them by being sloppy. But, they made it right by replacing the pads. Only thing I lost was the rotors. They were new with 10K on them until the shop spilled stuff on them, now they have been machined. Oh well, it all works great now. As a recommendation, I WILL NEVER BUY PADS from NAPA again. The United Rotors seem fine, but the most expensive pads they sell are JUNK. I will get cryo'd slotted rotors with PF pads or ceramic Hawk pads next time... Hopefully, 40+K from now...

NCHornet · 05-23-2006, 02:28 PM

Mine has worked it's way out, some say this will happen on breaking in ceramic pads?? I still get a light pull every now and then, but not lane changing, hardly noticeable. I have ordered a set of all 4 stainless stell wrapped in Kevlar brake lines. I think my drivers side brake hose is collapsing inside making it pull to the right ever so slightly under hard braking.