I had my front end aligned a few months ago and everything was good for a couple of weeks. The all of a sudden when I hit the brakes the truck started pulling to the right. I finally broke down today and decided to work on it. It appeared that the right front caliper was hung. Applying the brakes with the wheel off the ground and I could turn the wheel. I changed the caliper and it helped, but it still pulls to the right when you hit the brakes although not nearly as bad as before. I also discovered that if you just idle around and hit the brakes, you can feel the steering wheel want to turn right. If you idle in reverse, you can actually feel the steering wheel, pull slightly in the opposite direction as you apply the brakes. I looked good at the steering and can not see anything visual except the upper control arms appear worn, but not to the point that I can move anything. Any ideas what my problem could be or do I need to go to a real mechanic?

 

Some suggestions from the book.


1 Inspect BRAKE PAD/SHOE - FRONT Improper installation/adjustment or damaged brake components

2 Inspect BRAKE PAD/SHOE - REAR Improper installation/adjustment or damaged brake components

3 Inspect BRAKE ROTOR Improper installation/adjustment or damaged brake components

4 Inspect BRAKE DRUM Improper installation/adjustment or damaged/wet brake components

5 Inspect BRAKE BACKING PLATE Loose/damaged brake backing plate

6 Inspect WHEEL BEARING - FRONT Worn or improperly lubricated wheel bearing.

7 Inspect WHEEL BEARING - REAR Worn or improperly lubricated wheel bearing.

10 Inspect BRAKE CABLE Improper installation/adjustment or damaged brake components

11 Inspect BRAKE HOSE Brake hose leaking or obstructed

13 Inspect COIL SPRING Broken or weak coil springs
Or in our case the tortion bar.

Good luck.

 

I think this section is somewhat closer to you situation It was entitled "pulling to one side when braking".
1 Inspect TIE ROD END Loose, worn or incorrectly adjusted tie rod end(s).

2 Inspect PITMAN ARM Worn pitman arm or other front end part(s).

3 Inspect IDLER ARM Worn idler arm or other front end part(s).

4 Inspect BRAKE PAD/SHOE - FRONT Improper installation/adjustment or damaged brake components

6 Inspect TIRE SIZE Mismatched tires or wheels

7 Inspect WHEEL BEARING - FRONT Incorrectly tightened or installed wheel bearing.

8 Inspect CV HALFSHAFT (REMANUFACTURED) Dry,Worn or damaged cv half-shaft

9 Inspect STEERING GEAR (POWER STEERING) Loose, worn, or incorrectly adjusted steering gear or steering gear mounting bolts.

10 Inspect BALL JOINT - LOWER Worn or damaged lower ball joints

11 Inspect BALL JOINT - UPPER Worn or damaged upper ball joints.

13 Inspect STRUT MOUNT-SUSPENSION Worn or broken strut mounts

14 Inspect STRUT ROD BUSHING Broken or damaged strut rod bushing

15 Inspect SWAY BAR Broken or damaged sway bar

16 Inspect SWAY BAR BRACKET BUSHING Worn, damaged, or faulty stabilizer bar bushings


It lists the most common problems first. Obviously some things do not apply to our trucks.

I have replaced a tie rod and 2 ball joints so far on my 98. I would look at the tie rods for play for sure.

 

If your brakes pull to the right, then my first guess would be that the left front brake isn't grabbing. Did you flush/ bleed the system well when you changed the caliper? And was it the left caliper you changed?

Sorry if these seem like basic questions, but I wasn't certain after reading your post.

 

what is the procedure for inspection if your truck pulls to the left when wheel is let go while driving down the hiway....

this is after I got a front wheel alignment and Ford indicates all is okay...

 

It indicates that the kid doing the alignment needs more training (or less drugs).

 

assuming the alignment is ok. First check the tire pressure. If front right to left are the same and the back right to left are the same swap the front tires from side to side. If it now pulls to the right it is a tire problem.

 

I am confident in the results of the alignment.....

...and duh....tires are good....I am past that....

What are the other things to look for......brakes were inspected for wear....but....never know if one is dragging?

If does not pull left when hard braking...

 

Does the steering wheel actualy move left or does it seem the vehicle just drifts to the left.

 

Check the easy stuff first. Does the e brake fully release?
Jack up the wheels and spin by hand. Are any of them harder to spin than the rest( compare front to front and back to back)?

If the pull is while driving see my first post in this thread. If it is while braking see my second post in this thread.
Good hunting

 

It only pulls when braking, if you brake hard, it almost pulls the steering wheel out of your hand (HARD RIGHT) to start with and then kind of straightens up. When I first started working on it, I jacked it up and turned the wheels and had my daughter apply the brakes. The right side did not hold as well as the left side. That is why I changed the caliper on the right side. It helped but did not solve the problem. I just got through checking and the right side lower ball joint has considerable play in it (1/4" or more). Could that be it???????? The left side is solid. I can't find any play at all in it. Thanks everyone for all of the advice. I have never had something stump me quite like this.

 

With that much play I would seriously consider not even driving the vehicle till it is repaired.

The ball joint on my wifes 96 crown vic completely seperated. Luckily the car was almost at a standstill. It was so bad it was very difficult to tow. Had to put a floor jack under to support the wheel and then pull it onto the flatbed. The first tow jockey wouldn't even attempt it!

Let us know if this solves your problem.

 

That cured it. I replaced the upper control arm and the lower control arm. Both had bad ball joints. The top was not quite as bad, but I figured that I had it tore apart this much, what's another couple of hours. I couldn't get the lower ball joint out, couldn't rent or borrow a tool and didn't want to buy one to remove the ball joint. It was only $35.00 more for the entire arm. Finished it this morning and drove it. It brakes perfectly straight! Do I need to have my front end aligned?? It's not pullng to either side when I drive.

 

Cool. Glad you are up an runnin right.
An alignment would be appropriate.

 

humm...I wonder why your alignment folks didn't see this and warn you?