Consensus on braking issue (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Sep 29, 2009
Threads
159
Messages
1,463
Location
PHX AZ
So today I was driving on the freeway and had to slam on my brakes. Normally this would not be a big deal except for the fact that my 80 series decided it had a mind of its own and wanted to scare the :censor: out of me. Thank god nobody was in the lane to my right because when I slammed on my brakes the truck decided to pull right, I mean hard right, as in I went in to the lane next to me. So I searched the board and it seems like the general rule when this happens is a stuck caliper piston. I am guessing the left front since it pulled right? I am not sure why the piston would be stick though, I just replaced both calipers in October of last year. I mean I understand that the 80 series is very hard on its brakes and braking components but to have a caliper fail in less than a year?

Anyways please chime in on this and give me your thoughts and opinions. :cheers:
 
My first check would be for leaks, if grease or oil gets on the brake pads it will cause grabbing. Calipers should last for a very long time in AZ, most failures are rust related.
 
Well since you mention leaks, I am relatively sure my rear pinion seal is toast. There is oil and grease flung all over the rear underside. I wonder if some of that gear oil possibly found its way on to the brake pad? On the other hand it is the rear of the truck so that wouldn't effect the truck pulling right would it? The only way I could see the rear brakes causing the truck to pull in a direction would be if the lspv was bad or not adjusted properly and one side what getting an unbalanced load. Could it be a bad lspv?
 
i have seen this happen due faulty to a ABS sensor. did the ABS light come on?
 
That's a pretty serious issue and I'd consider the vehicle unsafe to operate until you figure it out. One IMMEDIATE thing to check would be the 4 bolts under each steering knuckle, and the front caliper brake bolts. Each of these items have come loose on vehicles maintained by experienced wrenchers.

Then I'd check for any other loose suspension or steering items.

You don't mention whose brake calipers you put on, and if you're confident they were properly installed as to pads, etc. If it's a brake caliper issue, it occurs to me unless you're very lucky then you would have hit brakes hard at least a few other times in the 6 months they've been installed. So, if all went well those times then something's changed and you need to know about it ASAP.

The LSPV will not cause this, and the rear brakes would not cause such a severe swerve (unless they locked - which you don't mention). Does the "ABS" light come on each time you start the truck and stay on for a few seconds? If not, you may have a system problem and the light's burnt out so you don't know it.

DougM
 
On related note, LC are pigs to start with, so what aftermarket brakes are available so we can have better stopping power. I mean we add mods which only furthers poor stopping by increasing the weight! I know slee has cross-drilled rotors, but any other thoughts or products out there! :cheers:
 
No abs light. The front calipers are from napa. They are the top quality ones. Pads are from napa also and they are the ceramic expensive ones. I am relatively sure that I installed my pads correctly and bedded them correctly. I did stomp on my brakes after I installed them to make sure they were ok, and never had a problem. So yes this is a new issue. I will check the caliper bolts and knuckle bolts in the morning. I wouldn't think they would be loose because I used loctite when I reassembled everything. I will check steering components also. I know I have some bushings that need to be replaced but I wouldn't think that would cause a swerve? Rear brakes did not lock up. So it has to be in the front correct?
 
What's "no abs light mean"?
 
Loose wheel &/or trunion bearings can cause this condition under braking.

Ask me how I know. :mad:
514077981_tSLeF-M.jpg


Have you checked your wheel bearings for proper preload? What are the condition of your trunion bearings?

x2 on what Doug said: "...unsafe to operate until you figure it out."

-KK
 
I don't have a technical solution, but I have a procedure to mitigate issues like that happening during emergency.
Some may consider it over-the-top. It may, or may not.

Evey morning I backout of my driveway onto an interior road. I accelerate, check the rear mirror and hit the brakes hard. If any thing change, I know it from one day to the next not a month down the road.

My .02.
 
I had a similar issue with my front brakes pulling. I repacked the LOOSE front wheel bearings and now all is better. It actually feels like a new truck. Steering is more responsive and the truck doesn't jerk around as much after pot holes and other bumps in the road.
 
Low tire pressure in one tire can cause this as well
 
check the rear brakes

my rear brake proportioning valve was out of wack from the lift so the rear brakes were basically doing nothing. this cause my front pads to wear out quickly and unevenly. I had a nasty pull. Would recommend sticking with stock pads, the aftermarket ones on mine got loose and started making noise when i braked.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom