Brakes pulling to one side

Good Afternoon, My Jeep is finally all back together and being driven daily again. I am very happy with the lift, but my brakes are pulling to the right at slow speed stops. Its mainly just as you roll to a stop, a noticable right side pull, controllable but pulls the wheel. I did not have this problem prior to the lift and front end work. Here is a low-down of my front end work:
2 inch OME coils/ 2 inch budget boost
New adjustable track bar
new lower and upper adjustable control arms (caster set at 6*) Verified
new drag link and tie rod end and adjuster. Wheel is straight
RE heavy duty tie rod and ends
new extended bump stops
RE Extended brake lines, fully bled, front and back. MC FULL, no leaks
Alignment set at 1/16 toe in. Verified with tape measure
tires are 6 months old (BFG AT 30x950) and look fine, pressure OK
Everything torqued to spec.
Ball joints are OK too

I dont think its brake related itself, but I have not pulled off the wheels to check. I put in new wheel bearing about 6 months ago and everything looked very good (Pads, rotors etc)
I am kinda stumped here so any ideas would be great!

Both my XJ and CJ do that. It is noticable, but I can live with it. My friends Jeeps do it as well, so it isn't just us. I think it has something to do with lifting and tires. Not sure though.

Mine does the same thing, plus I have some front end diving action going on when I brake. I just learned to live with it.

May have a sticky caliper. Or could be tires/wheels. First thing I would do is check the air pressure in the tires, if one is low it can cause it to pull (edit: just saw you said you checked it). Second is I would rotate the tires, and see if that remedies the problem. If that doesn't do it, try rebuilding, or installing new calipers. All of these can cause the problems you're having. Good luck.

PhunkadelicXJ said:

Mine does the same thing, plus I have some front end diving action going on when I brake. I just learned to live with it.

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Phunk, did you install that 8.8 in the rear of your rig? Is it set up with disc brakes? Do you have a ZJ proportioning valve? I know discs in the rear without the proper proportioning can cause what you're describing as front end dive, because your front brakes are doing most of the work.

Agree with SyCo. Sticking Caliper or rear brakes not adjusted equally. If the right rear shoes are not adjusted as close to the drum as the left that could make it make it pull right. Also check the left front caliper squeeze the piston back in a bit and make sure it will slide to self center over the disk. I had a Bronco once that had one caliper frozen in place so only one pad was pushing on the disk.

Chuck

I am going to try rotating the tires tommorow. I did just install new rear E-Brake cables, but thought I had the drums adjusted pretty good. Could that effect it that much?? Just as you come to a stop you really feel the wheel want to move.

SyCo said:

May have a sticky caliper. Or could be tires/wheels. First thing I would do is check the air pressure in the tires, if one is low it can cause it to pull (edit: just saw you said you checked it). Second is I would rotate the tires, and see if that remedies the problem. If that doesn't do it, try rebuilding, or installing new calipers. All of these can cause the problems you're having. Good luck.

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Agree ... a tight caliper will definately cause this. You can rebuild a caliper using a rebuild kit, or if funds are low, by pushing the piston out of the caliper and cleaning it and the cylinder with 600 grit sandpaper. Make sure the rubber boot is properly seated in the groove when reassembling.

Les

PS: I have the 8.8 in the rear with disc brakes. I've not changed the proportionaing valve because the front and rear lock similtaneously forward and in reverse. They work fine with no changes. Modifications to this valve may or may not be necessary IMO.

It's not normal for a vehicle to pull to one side or the other when braking, regardless of how many others say they have it. If for some reason you have to stop suddenly at high speed, a deer jumps in front of you, it'll throw your Jeep aside. Not cool.

A tight caliper will cause your Jeep to pull. If it's pulling to the right, then the left is sticking as it's not transferring the pressure from the pedal to the pads. The excess is going to the right as the proportioning valve "thinks" the pads are against the rotor and transferring the excess to the right. Also, double check your brake fluid for bubbles. You may not have bled them perfectly the first time and now you have developed a small bubble in either your proportioning valve, or you left caliper. Try bleeding your left caliper first. Also, check to see if it closes correctly by removing it and applying slight pressure to the brakes. Don't go too far or the cylinder will come out and you'll have fluid everywhere, not to mention, have to buy a new caliper.



I rebuilt my brake system several years ago. I installed new rotors, pads and rebuilt the calipers up front. Replaced all my springs, shoes, and drums in the rear. Rebuilt the master cylinder and replaced the vacuum assist. She stops quick and doesn't pull.

soft springs + lift

bump steer

Soft springs and lift might cause this?? I readjusted the rear drums this morning, some improvement, but not much. The rears are brand new by the way, all the hardware and adjusters. The drums were also turned. At speed I do not have the problem, just slow speed stops. For example: come to 4 way intersection, the last 20ft is when I start to notice it and the last 5 is where the wheel will turn if I dont hold it. When I installed all the lift parts in this old rustbucket, I LIBERALLY sprayed with PB blaster. Would oil contamination of the front brakes possibly cause this?? I tried to stay away from the general area, but like I said I did spray pretty heavy.

Your lift, buy changing the angles of the track bar and drag link creates a small amount of bump steer. With small suspension inputs, this is hardly noticable. Brake dive, assisted by the soft OME springs, increases the amount of travel at the front suspension which makes the bump steer more noticable.

Your list of changes doesn't include shocks. If your shocks are worn and weren't replaced with the other modifications, you have even less resistance to brake dive.

yep PB Blaster is a penetrating oil, the way you describe the problem is exactly what it will do to a brake pad, when you added heat (from stopping) it chemically bonds to the pad.

You brake pads are contaminated, only replacing them will cure this condition, The rotors will have to be turned or use steel wool and brake parts cleaner, but turning them is best.

The problem will improve slightly over time but in the rain or snow this problem will get much much worse.

BTW if you have lifetime pads, some warrantees will cover this. Mine did. They would rather you be happy than go somewhere else and pads are cheap parts for a store.

hope this helps.

As far as the shocks, I am currently using Pro-Comp ES 3000's. But have a set of the OME shocks on the way to finish the package. I have a feeling the oil may have something to do with this...