Brakes Pulling To One Side

jcastellaw1 · Mar 18, 2009

I had a new lift installed and new Bf 33x12.50 AT's on my 74 bronco and she pulls to one side bad. Is it a front in allignment, Brake adjustment or the leaky rear axle seal of all three. I have new self adjustors on it!

garberz · Mar 18, 2009

Does it pull when you drive, or only when you hit the brakes?

jcastellaw1 · Mar 18, 2009

Hitting the brakes. Actually I can coast at 5mph and hit the brakes and she turns left!

gearida · Mar 18, 2009

It could be a list of things, this wasn't a problem before the lift? Check radius arms for proper install, but since you seem to think it is only brake related it could be your rubber lines, wheel cylinders, brake adjustment, air in the lines, maybe even hardware that hold the brakes in the drum. Chances are your problem is in the front to make it change direction.

ugly74 · Mar 18, 2009

new self adjusters? after you installed them, did you manually adjust your brakes?

gearida · Mar 18, 2009

Yeah, self adjusters only adjust when applying brakes and going backward. You need to adjust them correctly when you install them. Adjust them to barely grab and then back off slightly, all shoes the same.

73stallion · Mar 18, 2009

first off do you have disc or drum brakes? if it's drum, one brake is probably adjusted tighter than the other. you probably had the problem before, but it's exadurated now with bigger tires.

did they install the proper degree bushings when they lifted it? is the axle centered correctly?

commoncold · Mar 18, 2009

I can't get an "perfect" idea of what you mean "pulling" on your truck unless I were to drive it. Seeing as there is a higher COG with the new lift and you have new self adjustors I would say its a combination of weight distribution and improper tension loads on the brake pads.

First off, don't stress about this. My bronco had much scarier things happen to it when I put a new lift on and I still pulled off decent braking.

As said before, the braking problem may have been there before and is now exaggerated with the lift. I HIGHLY recommend getting a front sway bar as this 100% eliminated the tossing and darting of the front end on mine (6 months so far and the darting hasn't returned). If you would like the list of parts and measurements for a $300 high quality sway bar set-up, send me a PM. Should take about 3-5 hours to install.

On to the braking: I'm no parrot so please excuse me if I sound like I'm repeating others responses. You will most likely need to adjust everything a couple times to dial it in just right. But start with the two front brakes and make sure they are equal in braking tension.

jcastellaw1 · Mar 18, 2009

the brakes are drums. the self adjusters have been on it. I tried to back up and brake, and let itadjust itself. That did not work. there are new radius arms and c-bushings and the bronco was already lifted. I just changed springs and bushings and shocks to give it a better ride. The old lift and bushings sucked!
It does ride better but it pulls. It has a track bar and they put new bushings in it!

garberz · Mar 18, 2009

The self adjusters are really only to take up shoe wear. Are your front brakes in good condition? Clean and dry? You need to set the shoe drag by hand. Leave the wheels on, jack up the front and support the axle housing with some jackstands. Take off the rubber plugs on the backside of the backing plate. Then turn the adjusters manually for each wheel, till they start to drag a little bit, then back it off a hair. You should be able to get both side the same or close to it. they should each drag a little. This won't take more than 30min.

JIMJEO · Mar 18, 2009

I'd bet a you damaged a brake hose when the coil was installed. Probably the right side since it pulls left. Jack it up and see if the tire spins with equal ease while a bud taps the brakes to give an idea of where to start.

jcastellaw1 · Mar 18, 2009

I'll check that out!

Broncobowsher · Mar 18, 2009

jcastellaw1 said:
Hitting the brakes. Actually I can coast at 5mph and hit the brakes and she turns left!

Left brake works good. Right brake is the problem.

jcastellaw1 · Mar 18, 2009

I said turn left meant turn right, so problem is left front. Leaky rear left axle seal would not be it? or no front end alignment? I have a track bar. Is a sway bar the same thing? Could a c-bushing cause it?
I am like all of you and think it is brake related but I want to make sure!

Chief Master Sergeant · Mar 18, 2009

It's just drum brakes. Ditch them and go disc. You won't regret it and you'll be much safer. Mine did the same thing and it scared the crap out of me. I never knew which way mine would go, left or right, though. No issues now. It stops straight and quick.

Broncobowsher · Mar 18, 2009

jcastellaw1 said:
1)I said turn left meant turn right, so problem is left front.
2)Leaky rear left axle seal would not be it?
3)or no front end alignment?
4)I have a track bar. Is a sway bar the same thing?
5)Could a c-bushing cause it?
6)I am like all of you and think it is brake related but I want to make sure!

1) correct
2) rear brakes don't really cause a steering pull. Generally you just get one wheel that locks first. But rarely a pull and if there is it is only very very minor. So that's not it.
3) alignment will cause a pull, but if it rolls straight and only pulls with brakes, it is the brakes, not alignment
4) No, completely different. Track bar locates the axle under the tuck so it doesn't shift side to side. Coil springs have little lateral support, that is what the track bar is for. Sway bar ties both sides of the suspension together. When one side goes up, it bends the sway bar trying to make the other side go up as well. Take out a lot of the lean in turns without just going to super hard springs
5) see #3
6) yep, brakes

Mac2Night · Mar 18, 2009

Leaking rear axle seal has caused rear brake problems for me before (axle dope coats drum and causes pulling/lock up).

jcastellaw1 said:
I said turn left meant turn right, so problem is left front. Leaky rear left axle seal would not be it? or no front end alignment? I have a track bar. Is a sway bar the same thing? Could a c-bushing cause it?
I am like all of you and think it is brake related but I want to make sure!

jcastellaw1 · Mar 18, 2009

what's the cheapest route on disk brakes?

TBS-POPS · Mar 18, 2009

The problem is the front brakes are not adjusted right and equal. The self adjusters dont work until the brakes are MANUALLY adjusted the first time after a brake job... the shoes have to grab for the adjusters to work so shoes that are so far out wont adjust...

A leaky rear with soaked brakes will make things pull but not as bad as unadjusted brakes will!

jdcone · Mar 18, 2009

Last, but not least, you may have put one of the adjusters in backwards. YES, this CAN happen. Ask my son. A reversed adjuster will actually lossen the brake as you apply them. But. I do however, agree with the consensus on the theary of improper adjustment.

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