2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Steering wander while braking

[CogginsP]

So a few months ago I started to notice that when I stepped on the brakes my truck would veer off to the left. Today I noticed it was starting to get worse. I have visually inspected the disc brakes and they still look like they are at 50%. Can anyone give me a dummy break-down of what is wrong here? Would appreciate it!

 

[rotohead]

Are the calipers hanging up? Sounds like the right one is hanging up on you.
Chuck

 

[RCook]

I would also suspect that the rear brakes may be in need of adjustment. Adjusting mine corrected a similar problem.

 

[rkressg]

Look carefully at the inside pads. One might be hanging up.
Next carefully check the brake lines. You could have a flapper (a soft spot that is collapsing when you take your foot of the brakes).

You could have a drum that is not adjusted properly. This is not too likely, as the drums are self adjusting, but jack up the rear end and spin the wheels. Feel for any drag.

You could also have a failing proportioning valve. The proportioning valve is a passive device and, to the best of my knowledge, has not shown a high failure rate on this site.

Hope this helps.
-Rich

 

[AFellows]

Rear axle seal leaking?

Mine was leaking on the drivers side drum and causing the rear brakes to pull to the left. Just a thought, its a pretty easy fix.

 

[CogginsP]

Thanks for the input everybody, I will check this weekend to see if my left front inside disc brake is hanging. What is the cause of this and how do you fix it?

 

[San Felipe Bob]

Glad you asked for a fix!

1st Check out my readers rig section.

In there I have photos and descriptions of possilbe solutions.

The easiest way to determine if your caliper is hanging is to jack up the wheel and give it spin.

It should spin very freely with little to no drag.

Check out this You tube video

YouTube - Dodge caliper test





If you determiine that your caliper is dragging remember to "fix" both calipers at the same time.

Be sure to replace the caliper bolts with brand new shinny ones.

Also replace the rubber bushings and make sure there is no rust inside the caliper pin bushing area of the caliper.



To avoid this dragging problem in the future you must clean and lube your caliper bolts every 2000 miles or more if driving in wet or dusty conditions.



Check out my readers rigs for my solution to frequent lubing.



Oh yeah don't forget to polish the contact points where the caliper rides on the spindle and lube it too.



SFB

 

[CogginsP]

Hey Bob thanks a lot for that great info. I will have to watch the youtube video once I get home, I can't watch it at work. Where can I get the replacement bolts at? Will I have to order them from Dodge or can I find them at a normal auto parts store? I hate asking so many questions but brakes are DEFINETELY not my forte. I still remember a few weeks back when I had my left tire off and basically just looked at the darn thing blankly.

 

[San Felipe Bob]

Forte

Hey Bob thanks a lot for that great info. I will have to watch the youtube video once I get home, I can't watch it at work. Where can I get the replacement bolts at? Will I have to order them from Dodge or can I find them at a normal auto parts store? I hate asking so many questions but brakes are DEFINETELY not my forte. I still remember a few weeks back when I had my left tire off and basically just looked at the darn thing blankly.

Coggins P

The Brake hardware should be available at your local autoparts store.

If your brakes confuse you? You may want to have them worked on by a qualified / Certified Brake person.

There are a few things that you can mess up if you are not carefull (like the antilock system).

May I suggest you aquire at the very least a Chilton manual and at the best the factory service manual for your truck.

Study the pages carefully and then decide if you want to go for it.

Your brakes are probably the single most important safety item on your truck.

Just imagine what would happen if they were to fail?

Be carefull and ask lots of questions.

We're here to help.



SFB

 

[Michael Hughes]

I will second looking at your rear brakes. I had a 97 that one of the rear brakes didn't auto adjust and it would do the same thing. If it is pulling to the left, look at the right rear. I had taken my truck to the dealer a couple of times and a local shop a couple of times. I found it on my own when nothing that was done made it any better.

 

[SSell]

We took our old ('96 4WD CTD) truck to local suspension shop for similar issue couple years ago, messed with it couplke days & decided front caliper bad. recommended replacing both, price wasnt that bad so we had it done.

Driving truck home hit the brakes & truck pulled HARD to the right, almost wrecked... ... Back to the shop. They had it almost 5weeks, rebuilt rears, swapped fronts, tried different pads etc... . Remember, this is a pretty well respected spring shop/ suspension outfit----I do not doubt they were doing everything they could, they lost their @ss on this job as I only paid them for parts that stayed on the truck and the original labor quote!



In the end, the official version was they had to install a brand new set calipers from dealer (they tried 2 sets of rebuilts, swapped around, rebuilt them themselves, etc), OEM pads, from dealer. Truck drove sweet after that. Makes no sense to me either---I think one of the rubber brake lines was bad myself.



good luck!

 

[DBranzovsky]

Changing ideas here if I may, I'm looking for new rotors for my 96 2500 2x4 Dodge. The brakes have always run hot and when doing a bearing repack I decided to look at new ones rotors that is. Does anyone out there have any experience with slotted and drilled rotors to dissipate heat.

 

[San Felipe Bob]

Yes

I use the slotted and cross drilled rotors.

They do dissipate heat well , However they also tend to accelerate pad wear a bit.

My next set will probably be just slotted.

To be honest I have not had a heat issue since I started lubing the caliper pins more frequently (like every 1000 miles. )I know it seems extreme but hey it's the only thing that I have found that keeps my brakes alive and working properly.

Oh yeah and the 1-3/16" inch rear wheel cylinders help transfer some of the braking tasks to the rear which also helps keep the fronts cooler.

Our brakes worst enemy is heat caused by the calipers sticking on the pins.

Be sure to check out the video I mentioned in my previous post.

I know I sound like a broken record .....

Keep your caliper pins and mounting surfaces well lubed and your brakes will reward you with good performance and long life.



SFB



Be sure to check my readers rig gallery for some good tips too.