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Car pulls when braking (intermittent problem)

well if the pull is caused by a caliper not releasing then it could be caused by the line itself, but not 100% on that.
 

Hey guys, I have had a very similar problem on my 98' CSVT. When I appliedthe brake, as brake pressure increased it pulled to the right, but the steeringwheel angle never changed. In fact it would pull enough to the right that Iwould have to counter steer to the left to keep the car in a straight line.When I released the brake pedal the car would quickly pull to the left until Icould straighten the wheel back out. The problem would be worse when I usedmore brake, and almost not noticeable when I used a little brake. What I foundwas that I had a bad RF lower control arm bushing (LCA). Basically what washappening was, as I applied the brake the lower control bushing was deflectingan excessive amount (obviously more deflection with more braking load) and basicallysteering the RF tire to the right (a small amount). When I released the brakeit would straighten back up and be fine. The question I would ask yourself is,when you apply the brake and it pulls, does the car turn (slightly) its selfwhile the steering wheel is straight, or are you just feeling a change insteering wheel torque and the car continues to go in a straight line with nocorrection. In the event you are onlyfeeling a change in steering wheel torque and the car continues to go in a straightline, you have a mismatch in aligning torque and I would look at thebrakes. (stuck caliper, residualpressure, etc.) In the event the car isturning its self I would look at items that could create excessive amounts ofcompliance, LCA bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc. In my experience I would give the wheel aquick check of excessive slop in the ball joint/tie rod end/ wheel bearing andif that’s no bad, replace the LCA bushings. On my car I replaced the entire lower, it came with both bushings and aball joint for about 100 bucks online. As a side note, when I had the car jacked up with a flashlight lookingat the bushings (4 bolt style) it was hard to tell if anything looked abnormal,I just changed it because it seemed like a reasonable solution, and it fixed myproblem. Hope this helps.

Phil
 
SVTPhil said:
The question I would ask yourself is,when you apply the brake and it pulls, does the car turn (slightly) its selfwhile the steering wheel is straight, or are you just feeling a change insteering wheel torque and the car continues to go in a straight line with nocorrection. In the event you are onlyfeeling a change in steering wheel torque and the car continues to go in a straightline, you have a mismatch in aligning torque and I would look at thebrakes. (stuck caliper, residualpressure, etc.) In the event the car isturning its self I would look at items that could create excessive amounts ofcompliance, LCA bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.
Click to expand...
Thanks Phil. What is bolded is what is happening to me. But like I said in my first post, I replaced my LCAs, ball joints, and tie rod ends about 8,000 miles ago. In fact, my LCA bushings were really shot at that time, but even so the car still braked in a straight line.

My wheel bearings all feel fine and I hear no odd noises when driving.

If this was a strut / spring issue, what would I possibly look for? The car sits perfectly level. None of my springs are broken. All of the struts appear to be fine with the exception of the left rear. This has had a VERY slight leak ever since I bought the car more than 52,000 miles ago.
 
LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. This will happen when braking: (depth of the ruts/ridges and the severity of braking will have an effect of course)

steeringpull.jpg


I presume you are going to be noticing inner tire wear if you haven't already.

EDIT: Oh wow didn't see the post above mine. Huh...How is the alignment on the car?
 
zorrex said:
EDIT: Oh wow didn't see the post above mine. Huh...How is the alignment on the car?
Click to expand...

:)

I have not had it checked since this began, but I did have it adjusted after replacing those parts. Like I said, the car was driving normal, I went away for the weekend, and as soon as I drove the car again this started happening. If it is an alignment issue, what could be off that would only cause a problem under braking? Or could it be anything?
 
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