2004 F350 SRW brakes pull left

jpete · August 22, 2011

Man I have spent a fortune on this truck. Disc pads front(oem), disc pads rear(oem) reman front calipers, rotors(oem) front brake hoses, ABS control valve, steering box, I am at wits end. Have rotated tires front-back, side-side, checked air pressures, adjusted toe, swapped rotors side to side, swapped brake pads side to side. On light to moderate braking it wants to pull left, just about every time. It doesn't really snatch the wheel out of your hand, but you have to hold on to it. My head is spinning and I would throw more money at it but I don't know whats left(rear calipers?)\

Thanks Jack Fleet Manager EEP (and not for long if I dont fix the Mother Fletcher)

Bruce Amacker · August 23, 2011

1. Remove LF bleeder screw.

2. Hold your finger over the hole.

3. Have helper push on pedal briskly to the floor, note the flow and velocity of the brake fluid. Put the screw back in.

4. Repeat for the other side and verify flow and velocity are similar.

5. If these seem the same, clamp off rear brake hose to axle and GENTLY go for a ride after verifying cable brake works. USE COMMON SENSE. See if your pull is present.

6. If pull is present, (Edit- flat rate reading!)- change calipers from side to side. This can be done by bleeding the caliper before it is bolted to the spindle, since the cals should be identical except for bleeder location. (I now see you already swapped pads L2R)

The last one I had like this was a fucking bad front wheel bearing, after they changed every part under the sun (ABS, calipers, pads, lines, etc.). Did you look at the wheel bearings or are they unitized?

Good Luck!

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Keith Browning · August 23, 2011

Don't forget to calibrate your finger first.

jpete · August 23, 2011

Bruce, The LH front wheel bearing was bad and replaced early on in this adventure(forgot to mention that) At that time I was sure that was the problem. We measured axle centers and each side matches. Could not find anything loose on the front end ie: ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings, springs and mountings. Thanks for the reply, going to try your suggestions this morning.

GregH · August 23, 2011

You might consider checking your alignment, too. Low caster numbers on both sides won't cause a pull by themselves, but it will make the truck sensitive to outside conditions that would cause a pull.