2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission truck pulles to the left when you break

[VHolloway]

we just had the breaks done last year

 

[VHolloway]

the fluid is dark black how do i change it

will that help

 

[JDKammin]

If is pulls to the left, your right front brake is not working. I had this problem on my 96. There are two possibilities. The caliper or brake hose. My problem was the metal bracket that holds the hose to the frame was rusting. This was collapsing the hose and would not let the fluid get to the caliper.

 

[WilsonF]

You should change the fluid but that will not make it pull. On mine I pulled the calipers,leave the hose connected, remove the rubber boots the bolts go through using a special grease apply it to the housing the boots go in. Reinstall the boots then clean and grease the bolts. Put the grease on the pads that the calipers slide on. put everything back together. Don't over do the grease a little gos a long way.

This fixed my pulling problem on my truck.

Floyd

 

[kenny61]

Could be sticky front caliper (happens often on mine) take it off and clean and lubricate where it slides. Also improperly adjusted rear brakes will cause it too. (one side tighter that the other or leaky wheel cylinder or axle seal). You gotta check all 4 wheels

 

[RLHannink]

A little bit of anti-seize on the caliper bolts fixed it on mine. Hafta do it about once or twice a year, especially when offroading a lot.

 

[Smoked]

On mine, it was related to week springs and weight transfer. Just replaced both front coils last week, truck is now within 1/2" side to side and no longer pulls to the left under hard braking, may even want to pull slightly right now.



Going to use Alcan or other recomendation for rear, remove lift blocks and use 3" lift springs to bring my back down a bit (tow 5th wheel and just got bigger then stock wheels / tires. )

 

[San Felipe Bob]

Keep the caliper bolts lubed!

The key is to keep the caliper bolts and bushings lubed with high quality silicone lube.

Like sili-glyde

Stay away from the oil based lubes.

They tend to get sticky and then cause the brakes to drag.



Don't forget to lube the places where the caliper contacts the spindle too.



Be sure to replace the rubber bushings every time you change pads.



Every time you do a tire rotation or at least every 5000 miles jack up each front tire and give them a spin to make sure they spin freely.

Check out my you tube video showing the proper amount of free spin.



YouTube - Dodge caliper test



Also check out the "old readers rigs" pics section here on the TDR for more good tips and photos.



PM me if you use your truck offroad or in harsh conditions I have some special tricks and tips.



Thanks

SFB

 

[VHolloway]

we had both calipers changed new brake pads after the calipers it pull the other way

so they put on new pads now it ok BUT THE BRAKE PEDLE FEELS SPONGY NOW

 

[jkalchik]

If your brakes feel spongy, bleed the brakes again.

 

[edgeman]

sounds like the caliper is hanging up. lube the slid bolts. like some one said before they sometimes have to be done once or twice a year. greace them bad boys and you should be good to go.

 

[Robin]

For about a year my '97 pulled to the left when I first applied the brakes. After a couple seconds of application the pull went away. Turned out the right front brake hose was almost closed. This caused the initial pull to the left, then enough fluid got through to apply the right brake. Got new hoses from NAPA.

 

[jelag]

There is air in the system if the pedal feels spongy... Did they do a good job flushing and bleeding the brakes...

Pull the cover on the master cylinder and look into it... if the fluid is not clear, than the job was not complete... . the fluid needs to look clear... . and they should have flushed all the lines clear with clean fluid... .

If during the bleeding process they didn't check the master cylinder during the process, and let it run dry... than they could have put air in the system...

 

[VHolloway]

They Just Did The Front Do You Need To Bleed The Back As Well

 

[kenny61]

They Just Did The Front Do You Need To Bleed The Back As Well

If they opened up the back lines yes

 

[VHolloway]

They Just Worked On The Front.

At A 178k Keeping This Truck In Good Shape Is A Full Time Job#@$%!

 

[kenny61]

185k on mine. Keeps me a little busy but I like the challenge. Brand New pads take a little while to beak in and will feel like ther nut grabbing as hard as they used to it make take a few miles for them to feel better. If the pedal is really mushy they need to be bled again. My 96 has always felt a little mushy right from day one. Big Truck little brakes

 

[kenny61]

I need a new bulb at my desk cant type good ehn it gats dark out!!

 

[VHolloway]

the last set of pads where put on in 05

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Different types of pads behave differently. The factory put a spacer behind the right front wheel of a lot of second gens to prevent pulling. With some aftermarket pads, the truck brakes better (straight) without it.