Car pulls to right when braking

[Banshee]

I've been experiencing this now since I replaced by pads and discs and finally had enough and some time to set about doing it tonight so I got under the car and set about work

I've checked and the discs are true and bearing are fine and spinning true, I removed both the callipers and checked the new pads for uneven wear but all 4 still had 1cm+ of depth left on them all the way across.

I then thought that it must be air in the system so I bled all the brakes again starting with the one closest to the reservoir and also applied a bit of copper grease to the discs as at low speeds in traffic I would get screeching sometimes.

I then took it back out and tried the brakes again and still the same issue, if I do 30mph in a straight line, loose the wheel and hit the brakes hard the right of the car dips first and the car gets dragged to the right hand side of the road.

The only thing I did notice that I thought may be causing the issue were the slider pins on the calliper on the passengers side, they seemed a little seized up compared to the drivers side, I presume this would then mean that the pads would not be making as much contact as the drivers side would be, so the force of the correctly working brake on the drivers side is the cause of the drag? Does this make sense?

If this is the case, are there kits you can buy to renew the slider pins and I really don't fancy forking out for another 2nd hand calliper :doh

Cheers Guys

 

[firebobby]

Have a look on ebay, there are kits on there for the Terrano

 

[Big Col]

Try here http://http://brakepartssuperstore.org.uk/index.html
They do them you need to know the size though. Colin

 

[rustic]

I think you have diagnosed the problem correctly, it is the near side and will be the slider pins.

Some members have removed the slider pins and removed the surface rust and gunge with fine emery, after cleaning, have a look for any pitting, if present you MUST replace the pins, if servicable, then grease up with copper slip and reassemble.
Also clean out the place wher the pins go, Brake cleaner cotton buds etc will help.

This should solve the problem.
The initial grab on hard braking may be delayed slightly on the nearside as it has to overcome the added friction on the nearside.
Clearly as both sets of pads are evenly worn, the sliders are working but slow, and may soon sieze.

Calipers sound fine so far, but check for leaks.

Rustic

 

[Terranical]

I had the same problem last year - as my T2 is in Spain and I don't have access to much in the way of tools I took it to the local garage, they did exactly as Rustic described (they did have to hammer the pins out though), been perfect ever since.

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Snip

....and also applied a bit of copper grease to the discs as at low speeds in traffic I would get screeching sometimes.
...

Just as a point, I take it that is a typo of some sort, you did not actually put any copper slip on the disks themselves!?

On both my Terrano's one set of the slider pins were seized. Luckily, using a spanner and twisting them back and forth, I was able to free them up, get them apart, and then clean them. Mine were bone dry, and had a dusting of rust inside, so using a drill bit as a way to get the crud out (by hand, not in a drill) and then a smaller drill bit wrapped in cloth covered in coper slip, and then a slight rubbing of the pins and again covering them in copper slip, I was able to get them working nicely. I then stuffed some copper slip inside them, and more inside the rubber gator, so it had a natural spring to them, making then sort of bounce back out a bit.

I did find on my T2 though, that the top piston on the calliper was also very stiff, and it again had a dry powdered rust under the rubber seal. I used a clamp to hold the good one in, and used the peddle to push the other one out a bit (not right the way) and then greased it up. luckily it was not pitted, and a bit of copper slip got it sliding nicely. Like you, the pads seemed to be wearing evenly, so it was only by chance I spotted this.

 

[rustic]

Just as a point, I take it that is a typo of some sort, you did not actually put any copper slip on the disks themselves!?...

It's normal to put a very very thin smear of Copper slip to the rear or metal side of the brake pads and the metal to metal contact points where the pads touch the caliper.

So Like LF.. I hope this is a typo...:doh

 

[Banshee]

It's normal to put a very very thin smear of Copper slip to the rear or metal side of the brake pads and the metal to metal contact points where the pads touch the caliper.

So Like LF.. I hope this is a typo...:doh

You all knew what I meant :thumb2

I'll see if I can get some new pins, don't want to chance the old ones seizing

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

You all knew what I meant :thumb2

No... we all hoped we knew what you meant...:lol:lol

When I was at school, I was on an Automotive Engineering day release class, and was learning all this stuff. My Neighbour had an old Ford Escort, and as it was always going wrong, he would get me to help him fix it, according to him, it was to further my practical education... anyway, one day, he was doing the brakes, and in those days they came with a little pack of coper slip in the box, which he then rubbed all over the brake pads before fitting them... I kept saying that it was wrong, but he told me that I was the student, and needed to learn these things, and the copper slip was to stop the brakes squeaking, and helped them work more efficiently!!!

The next week I asked at collage, about it, and got laughed at silly, until I explained the whole thing, then the lecturer had this green sick look as he realised someone had genuinely greased their brakes to stop them squeaking...

Somehow though the guy lived, as he carried on working on that piece of Junk, I just had other things to do....

Hence why I decided I needed to ask...:doh:thumbs

 

[micktheshed]

On my 3L the front brakes were 24% out of balance at the MOT (25% Is a fail!) but there was no sign of pulling to one side. So I presume if there is pulling to one side they have to be much worse LOL.
There was only slight stiffness on the pins on one side not what I could in any way call seized. Cleaned them & regreased & they slide fee enough so hoping next MOT is a pass.