Brakes pulling to the side

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phillysimps
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Brakes pulling to the side

Post by phillysimps »

Hi all,

I've recently bought a 1987 capri 1.6 laser and after driving it for a while I've noticed it pulls quite harshly to the left upon braking. I've had it down at my mechanics and he's changed the pads on the he front arts had a look at the brakes and says technically it should be fine as the pistons are quite new as well - but it isn't. The pulling is really harsh at higher speeds of 60/70mph.

Anyone have advice or had the his problem before?

Thanks

Philip
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Andrew 2.8i
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi,
My first thought would be a problem with the front brakes, but assuming that your mechanic knows what he's doing and they are OK, there could be an issue with the rear brakes. Take the drums off and check for contaminated linings or a leaking cylinder.

Sometimes issues with the front suspension, such as worn components or incorrect wheel alignment, may cause the vehicle to pull to one side. That can be exacerbated under braking.

Andrew.
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pbar
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by pbar »

Taking your car to a mechanic with a brake problem and having him say that the pistons are quite new 'so technically it should be fine', doesn't instill much confidence I'm afraid! Can't believe that he would change the pads and just leave it at that. Every time I've had this issue it has been down to a sticking front caliper, so if he has not tested the brakes then I would still look at that, and then the condition of the brake hoses. Good luck :)

And if the brakes have been tested and are found to be performing properly then you would need to look at other components as Andrew mentions above.
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Andrew 2.8i
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi,
Thinking about it, putting the car on the rollers at a garage would quickly pinpoint whether the brakes are working evenly on each side.
If the brakes are not working as they should, you'll be able to tell whether it's the front or rear brakes that are causing the problem. If the brakes are working as they should, the problem lies elsewhere.

Try and find a local garage that has a old school mechanic who is enthusiastic about classic cars. That way, when you encounter a small issue such as this, they often allow you to pop the car in during quieter periods and are willing and eager to look at the car for you. Works for me!

Andrew.
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pbar
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by pbar »

Andrew 2.8i wrote:Hi,
Thinking about it, putting the car on the rollers at a garage would quickly pinpoint whether the brakes are working evenly on each side.
Exactly, just as I was suggesting, doesn't seem that they have even been tested?
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sheff
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by sheff »

I had the same on mine when I first bought it. The pistons were fine changed the seals and lubed them with red grease and all was good. Easy enough job to do yourself if you have access to some compressed air to pop the pistons out, alternatively you need to find a better mechanic!

All the best
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by pbar »

sheff wrote:if you have access to some compressed air to pop the pistons out
Footpump worked for me Neil :)
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by Not_Anumber »

I had this problem on a car a few years ago and found that carefully but firmly rotating the piston a quarter turn fixed it immediately. Try this first as it is a free fix.
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by aikmanmosquito »

IF the car is pulling to one side under braking it can hardly be the rear brakes! can it. Regardless of how the pistons may look then can still be sticking, causing one caliper to not be working to its full efficiency, or the rubber hose on the one side can have collapsed, which restricts the flow of fluid to that caliper, and hence the piston will not be pushed out with the same force!!
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by Not_Anumber »

+1 for flexible front brake hoses.

If rotating the piston in the caliper doesnt work and there is no record of the flexible hoses being changed then that would be the next thing to try changing. Sometimes you can see them balloon slightly when pedal pressure is being applied which is a dead give away. However the failure isnt always this apparent. They aren't very expensive though so it's good policy to replace them if there is any doubt.
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sheff
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by sheff »

pbar wrote:
sheff wrote:if you have access to some compressed air to pop the pistons out
Footpump worked for me Neil :)
Yeah I guess that would work Paul anything to put a bit of pressure behind the piston :D
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by Arnoldhar »

when i have had pistons that are stuck i use the car hydraulics to push the pistons out, drop the calliper off, still connected to the pipe and have some one push the pedal you can also normally tell which piston is sticking. when one doesn't move you can wedge a bolt at an angle to hold the free piston then more pressure will be applied to the sticking one. do this to work them both forward and out, then pinch the flexible line with a clamp, remove calliper and service
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by nigecapri »

If the track control arms (radius arms) have not been replaced then it could be that an inner rubber bush is worn/gone soft allowing the arm to flex backwards so putting that wheel well out of alignment & screwing up your tracking under braking. It can have a big effect. Both arms should be re-bushed or replaced together. A soft outer tca-to anti roll bar can have the same effect but usually the inners that give grief.
Rotating a piston is a good quick fix when needed but it does point to a build up of corrosion around the piston & seal area. As said - strip down, clean & fit 'red rubber grease' around the seal area - piston & calliper. Rear brakes out of balance CAN cause pulling to one side under heavy braking!
phillysimps
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by phillysimps »

Hi guys, thanks for all the replies, really great!

My mechanic did test the brakes a few times after making different adjustments - forgot to mention that.

I'll try a few of these suggestions particularly the red grease, bushings and wheel alignment and see if that makes a significant difference.

Thanks

Philip
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by pbar »

Arnoldhar wrote:when i have had pistons that are stuck i use the car hydraulics to push the pistons out, drop the calliper off, still connected to the pipe and have some one push the pedal you can also normally tell which piston is sticking. when one doesn't move you can wedge a bolt at an angle to hold the free piston then more pressure will be applied to the sticking one. do this to work them both forward and out, then pinch the flexible line with a clamp, remove calliper and service
Another option which you can do on your own - just use a footpump with one of those airbed adapters on the end, it has pushed out the most stubborn of pistons for me.
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by MS Injection »

Yep, I had this on my 2.8. It was there when I bought it. Lived with it for a couple of years by doing the kind of things already suggested, which minimised it. Some say that Capris have an inherent issue that lead them to pull. My mechanic said none of his 3 ever did. The only thing that fixed it for good was new calipers and it brakes in a straight line every time at any speed.

Hopefully you'll get it sorted.

Mike
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by Arya2.0S »

MS Injection wrote:Yep, I had this on my 2.8. It was there when I bought it. Lived with it for a couple of years by doing the kind of things already suggested, which minimised it. Some say that Capris have an inherent issue that lead them to pull. My mechanic said none of his 3 ever did. The only thing that fixed it for good was new calipers and it brakes in a straight line every time at any speed.

Hopefully you'll get it sorted.

Mike
Some say that the earth is flat. Others say that Donald Trump is a good president. All we know is, they're effing wrong! :lol:

My Capri brakes straight and true, dont let anyone fool you into thinking anything less is "normal" or a design flaw of the car itself. Ford are cheap, but they're not THAT cheap when they make cars! These people's cars either have bad brakes, or their chassis' are twisted lol.
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by Mr B »

Donald Trump a bad president? Of course he is! After all we can't have a leader who cares about his country and puts his own people's interests first can we?
If an honest man is wrong and after demonstrating that he is wrong he either stops being wrong or stops being honest
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Re: Brakes pulling to the side

Post by Arya2.0S »

Mr B wrote:Donald Trump a bad president? Of course he is! After all we can't have a leader who cares about his country and puts his own people's interests first can we?
Nope, why would anyone do that? That's not what politics is all about after all. :bullshit:
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