Wierd braking issue

[bigmuddy]

I have a set of the Big bronco front discs on my dana 44, with hydroboost. I also have the cage long arms and good C-bushings etc. I recently noticed that if I stab the brakes real hard in a panic stop, the bronco tries to shoot me left into oncoming traffic So I checked the brakes and both sides are in good shape pad wise and both caliper cups seem to retract and operate normally. I did notice that the passenger side when I grab it, its really stiff and hard to wiggle. The drivers side is fairly free and I can wiggle it a whole lot more? I decided to remove the calipers and check everything out and then used anti seize on where the caliper mounts the bracket hoping it might free it up, and it worked but not enough to correct the braking issue. It almost seems like maybe I got two different sized calipers on the same bracket?

Anyone care to take a stab at this.

 

[hyghlndr]

I had the exact same issue. I think one caliper was dragging slightly, when brakes were applied it grabbed quicker. Also, if you drove for 15 minutes or so got out and put your hand on the rim one was MUCH hotter than the other. End up just doing BOTH sides with new calipers from the same manufacturer, problem fixed.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I think you are on the right track with sticky caliper brackets. If they are not sliding right then they don't apply right. The one you call lose is probably right where the tight one is too tight. I would take it apart againd and check the fit very carefully and clean up the sliding portion so it does fit a bit looser.

Also check the hard line going to the passenger side for pinches that could restrict the flow of brake fluid (allowing the left to apply faster on fast stabs). Not total blockage, just something that would keep the fluid from pressurizing the assenger side as fast. When you bleed the passenger side squirts like the drivers side?

 

[DirtDonk]

How loose is loose though? They're supposed to be a pretty solid fit into the bracket. That little slider-and-spring tensioner/retainer will hold a caliper pretty tight.
Sounds like you've had them both off to lube the slider rails, so you saw that both of the little "leaf" springs were installed the same way? I've seen them jammed in upside down and that really takes work to install that way. Might jam up a caliper and make one too tight to slide.

On that same line of thought though, I would remove the sliders again and compare them side by side. I ran into a situation recently where I bought a set for someone and they were a completely different size. You wouldn't have noticed it just looking (at least I didn't see it), but when compared to known good ones you could see that one was a different size than a stock truck type slider.
I never found out whether it was a car vs truck thing, a mis-made part, or from some other type of caliper, but they definitely would not work in a Bronco.

Worth a look anyway, but I'm thinking that, if you noticed that one was harder to install than the other, then that's a giveaway for sure. If they both went in with little fuss though, then I'm probably barking up the wrong tree.

Paul

 

[bigmuddy]

Guys,

I need to check into this a bit more. I didn't compare the slider clips etc side by side but will in the near future. I will also measure both brackets and calipers top to bottom to see if their a different length, so one may fit a bit tighter. Neither caliper mount or the caliper itself had any measurable rust on it. The brackets, spindles and clips were all from the salvage yard and I purchased new SS lines and calipers when they were installed. I am wanting to beleive at some point when doing maintenance I may have purchased either two new clips or maybe just one? Dirt Donk may be on to something and I may have got one that is larger/thicker than the other side? I almost want to think that the loose side is too loose in my opinion but hell I really don't know? I will do a little checking and measuring and check back. Both calipers seem to clamp equally well when doing the ole sping the tire and hit the brake method while jacked up.

Thanks for the input!

 

[bigmuddy]

I don't recall but do new calipers come with new clips?

 

[DirtDonk]

Some do. That's how we got the wrong clips with my buddies new calipers though. So best to measure these days, no matter what.
Since that was literally the first time I'd ever heard of another size, my first thought was that the manufacturer had made a big boo-boo. But realizing that I don't know everything about Fords, I cut them some slack in case there were multiple choices.

Thought of another thing too. Double/Triple-check your wheel bearings for not only proper adjustment, but condition. If something is wrong with a bearing, or something is coming loose up front, it might seem fine while driving, but put under a heavier than normal load (like during braking) it might tend to change the way it acts. Which often feels like a brake issue.
My first inclination would be to check the side that it pull towards first. But check both sides anyway.

Paul

 

[bigmuddy]

Dirt Donk,

I had the same thoughts as I had a loose wheel bearing on the passeger side, but that is the tight side. When I checked over the brakes I also took the time to inspect the bearings and retightened them correctly. Lubed up both sliders and hit the road, got a long straight stretch and hit the brakes and it was just as bad as before.

I will double check the sliders and compare side to side, to make sure there the same. I was kind wondering why I never noticed it before as the brakes have been on for several years now without a problem, but then I don't think I have ever had to panic brake quite that hard before either? If you go slow, the brakes act normally.

 

[DirtDonk]

Hmm, well, it's a long-shot (what isn't these days?), but try rotating the tires front to back. It sounds a bit too aggressive an action to be as simple as a separated layer inside the tire, but stranger things have happened.
Maybe somewhere in there you hit something and one of the tires took some damage. And with 35's on wide wheels with some negative offset, they would have lots of input into how the front end reacted to input.
What size are your wheels, and do they stick out? I'm guessing, by your info, that you're not running that stock uncut in your avatar anymore? ;D

Hey, you never know. Frankly, the differences in how the calipers feel (tight vs loose) sound more like the possible issue here, but as we've found out over many trials and errors, it could be anything.
Maybe check that out when you get a chance to see if rotating the tires changes how it acts.

Paul

 

[bigmuddy]

Thanks, I will give it a shot. It needs a rotation anyway! I really don't think it will help but I have seen stranger things with rigs.