[FC] pulling to the left when braking 3....

[Ken Hand]

??? Everything that has been said so far is all good advice but the order to apply it is the key to finding the problem and curing it.
??? You have to ask yourself first, what was the last thing that I did to cause the problem? Or, did it just appear after driving for a while? Also how is the pull? Does the vehicle just sort of veer in one direction? or is the steering wheel almost pulled out of your hand when you apply the brakes? This is sort of paramount to determine if the pull is coming from the front or rear. The veering will be like this, physically hold the steering wheel with your hands so that it will not turn, You do not need to be going real fast for this, 25-30 mph. Apply the brakes, does the whole vehicle just sort of change directions? That is the veering part and will be a rear brake. If the steering wheel is wanting to turn real hard in one direction then the front brake is suspect. 
??? Either way you can determine which wheel is the problem by going on a gravel road and at 5-10 mph apply the brakes just enough to make the problem wheel slide to a stop, do not move the vehicle. After coming to a stop, get out and see what wheel was sliding. Now you know where to start.
??? All this was said in various emails already but in no particular order. The order of trouble shooting anything is the key to finding the problem and fixing it, not just throwing parts at the vehicle and hope all is well.
??? Once you determine which end of the vehicle to look at pull both brake drums off and look for any differences side to side. Even an excessive amount of brake dust can affect the brake. Look at the color of the drum brake surface, is one blue? That one is hanging up for whatever reason. ANY amount of petroleum product or brake fluid will cause a brake to either pull or have less braking action depending on the amount on the shoe. It takes very little brake fluid on a shoe to make it pull very hard. The amount of brake fluid may not even be visible to the eye and you need to look for other signs inside the drum area.
??? As you can tell by the amount of advise there are many causes and I could probably write a book on brake shoe care, causes and effects.
??? As with any plea for help the more detailed the information given the better the diagnosis.


 


Ken Hand
248-613-8586
www.corvairmechanic.com