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

[Jim Forgey]

Hey Dale,

Thanks for adding some history - I'll continue the
story - purchased the van in fall 2004 - there were no
brake issues until this past late August 2007 when the
pulling started out of nowhere. It was a hard pull to
the left especially when having to apply the brakes
quickly ( no veering). As Dale said the brakes were
working perfectly before that so I had never dealt
with them.

Everyone ( on Corvanatics and otherwise) suspected a
wheel cylinder issue on the right front - when I did
the front brakes it was definitely time and while I
was under there thought it was best to change the
front lines as well. And most people thought it best
to change the rear hardware and hoses etc, as well.

Primary and secondary shoes have all been checked out
and are correct - I had some very experienced CT CORSA
members look at the work with each step as I don't
want to mess with brake problems when I am on the
road,  I like to know I'm gonna stop.

As I said after swapping the front drums the van
stopped just fine - took it to upstate NY car dhow -
about 250 miles round trip and no problems - two weeks
later I'm going to the grocery store and it does the
same thing all over again.

When I put the front end up on Saturday I had my wife
apply the brake pedal and check to see if both wheels
were stopping - they were. So I am guessing that the
left is grabbing sooner - or harder - than the right -
did a quick adjustment to make sure things were the
same on both sides - and it still pulls - if I let go
of the steering wheel it;s like the van is turning
itself left.

I go back to my original question - since the bushings
are pretty new, the brakes are all new - is there any
chance it is a front wheel bearing?


Jim Forgey

PS - sorry for the long email

--- Dale Dewald <dkdewald at pasty.net> wrote:

> Hello Folks,
> 
> Maybe I should add some history to this Greenbrier
> since I was the previous 
> owner and sold it to Mr. Forgey in the fall of 2004.
> 
> 1998: I purchased this GB in Sacramento, CA from Jim
> Pennell and drove it 
> home.  It was mostly stock but with a rebuilt
> 110/4-speed/3.27 
> drivetrain.  The brake system was, for all practical
> purposes, daily driver 
> stock.
> 
> 2002-2003: I rebuilt the F & R suspensions
> (bushings, ball joints, etc) and 
> brake system (wheel cyls, hdwe, shoes).  A dual MC
> kit from Clark's was 
> installed. The lines were flushed and refilled with
> silicone fluid.  The 
> brakes were working perfectly from this time until
> the sale of the vehicle.
> 
> Dale Dewald
> Hancock, MI
> 
> At 17:19 5/18/2008 -0700, Chris & Bill Strickland
> wrote:
> 
> > >My Greenbrier is pulling to the left again - just
> a brief history - 
> > started in the fall of 2007 ...
> > >
> >And before that?  I.e., did you buy the brier in
> the summer of '07 or
> >have you had it for fifteen years, driving it
> regularly, doing nothing
> >to it, and it starts this pulling out of the clear
> blue?
> >
> >It does seem like you have replaced everything that
> would be the likely
> >culprit, but either you haven't replaced the defect
> that caused the
> >problem, or the new parts you used were similarly
> defective (like
> >unmatched bore diameters in the wheel cylinders),
> or similarly
> >incorrectly installed (like a secondary shoe in the
> front, perhaps just
> >like the old ones came off).
> >
> >Other than the possible wheel cylinder issue,
> generally you are talking
> >about contaminated linings, hardware issues, or bad
> hoses.  Since, I
> >assume, they bled fine when all this was completed,
> the steel crossover
> >brake line shouldn't be plugged.  You didn't
> install a dual master
> >cylinder and hook the front brakes to
> separate/different circuits did you?
> >
> >I really don't see how the bake drums could cause
> the problem,
> >especially since you have swapped them side to
> side, nor would I think
> >the wheel bearings would be an issue, unless they
> are bad in other ways.
> >Have you swapped tires?
> >
> >Now, there are a couple things you could do to help
> tell what is going
> >on -- you and a reliable (sighted) friend need to
> take the brier to a
> >gravel parking lot or such -- gravel road, gravel
> driveway, etc --
> >gravel, or maybe if you still have some ice around,
> ... easy to leave
> >skid marks in gravel though -- and by repeated
> brake application you
> >need to figure out whether the left front is
> grabbing or the right front
> >is not working.  Possibly a problem in the rears,
> but not as likely,
> >which is good because there is less stuff in the
> front to cause issues.
> >What happens in reverse?
> >
> >Bill Strickland
> >_______________________________________________
> >Corvanatics mailing list
> >Corvanatics at corvair.org
>
>http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/listinfo/corvanatics
> >This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of
> America, http://www.corvair.org/
> >
> >
> >--
> >No virus found in this incoming message.
> >Checked by AVG.
> >Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.16/1446 -
> Release Date: 
> >5/16/2008 07:42
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Corvanatics mailing list
> Corvanatics at corvair.org
>
http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/listinfo/corvanatics
> This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of
> America, http://www.corvair.org/
>