Car pulls to right, restriction on rotor.

[anditfeelsgold]

I was recently told by a mechanic that my front passenger brake caliper didn't decompress all the way, causing drag on the wheel, making my car pull to the right. I replaced the caliper today, but as soon as I bled the brakes and the caliper compressed, there was still restriction on the wheel, and the car pulled to the right. Could the rotor be the wrong width, or could it be the break pads?

Ive also put on new tie rods, and the alignment is good, as well as the wheel bearings. If you spin the wheel you can feel the restriction.

What could it be?

Also where is the idle adjuster on a 90 hatch? Pictures would be great. I'm still new to this.

[Thoughtful_One]

So the wheel bearings are good?

Did you remember to put anti-seize on the caliper sliding pins?

Stock wheels? Are they rubbing on anything?

Is everything stock?

[anditfeelsgold]

Wheel bearings are good.

Without the caliper on they glide nice.

Stock everything.

I didn't know to put anti-seize on the sliding pins. Are they the two pins with the gaskets on them? What will this prevent?

[Thoughtful_One]

Our cars come factory with floating calipers, meaning that (in our case with stock brakes), one side of the caliper has the piston in it. To apply equal braking force on each side of the rotor, the caliper needs to "slide" so the other pad can make contact with the rotor.

If I recall correctly, there are two huge bolts, I think 14 mm that hold the caliper onto the upright, then there is either 12 or 10 mm nuts (2) that hold the caliper onto the bracket. Remove those two 12mm bolts and you should find some grease already on there, and a rubber boot over them. These bolts allow the caliper to slide back and forth (called the sliding pins).

Remove the bolts, clean them up really good to get all the old grease off, then re-apply anti-seize to them.

See how that helps.

[Thoughtful_One]

Also, does the resistance feel constant, or is it a quick on and off thing? What I'm driving at is if the rotors are perfectly flat, or if theyre warped.

Even though there is resistance, it shouldn't be pulling the car to one side. How do your tires look? Did you go to an alignment shop or check it by eye?

Did you replace the caliper with a good known caliper?

[anditfeelsgold]

The resistance is pretty constant, and the rotor is in good shape. Since its harder to spin, it creates a drag on that wheel, making my car steer in that direction. It just feels like the caliper is tight on that one wheel. Caliper is brand new just picked it up at O'Reillys today. Tires are also brand new Yokohamas, and I had the alignment checked when they were put on.

I've been trying to figure this out for a while. I just thought initially that it was a bad caliper, but even when i put that brand new one on today it was still tight.

Will the anti-seize help on the pins? They are brand new with the caliper.

When you jack up the car and spin the wheel compared to the rest of them it takes a lot more force.

[del82]

The resistance is pretty constant, and the rotor is in good shape. Since its harder to spin, it creates a drag on that wheel, making my car steer in that direction. It just feels like the caliper is tight on that one wheel. Caliper is brand new just picked it up at O'Reillys today. Tires are also brand new Yokohamas, and I had the alignment checked when they were put on.

I've been trying to figure this out for a while. I just thought initially that it was a bad caliper, but even when i put that brand new one on today it was still tight.

Will the anti-seize help on the pins? They are brand new with the caliper.

When you jack up the car and spin the wheel compared to the rest of them it takes a lot more force.

This post makes it sound like you haven't greased your slide pins yet. Do this first. If it still doesn't work, get a c-clamp or caliper piston compressor from the local auto store, and with the lines attached compress the piston fully, then reinstall it and bleed the brakes. Do you know how to bleed them properly? There's an order to do it right - always start from the farthest brake from the master cylinder, and work your way forward. this is generally the passenger rear, unless your car is RHD.

If you finish all that and still get a drag, take your caliper back, its probably still under warranty. Keep in mind the part comes in a new box, but isn't necessarily "new". Most are remanufactured, and aren't always tested in QC.

P.S. Unless you bought the most off-brand in the world, the calipers tend to come with a small tube/bag of slide grease, you can't use just anything on them, it has to be the high temp stuff. If they didn't, and you can't find slide pin grease, high temp wheel bearing grease works too, but only high temp. Don't get so much on them that it could drip on the rest of the braking assembly.

[Terrorinc17]

Check air pressure, make sure both sides are the same. Also try swapping the wheels left to right. Sometimes the tire sizes are off and it pulls to one side.

One more thing, Does this happen under braking or just normal driving?
Modified by Terrorinc17 at 9:16 AM 1/2/2009

[Cone Junky]

Check air pressure, make sure both sides are the same. Also try swapping the wheels left to right. Sometimes the tire sizes are off and it pulls to one side.

How would that make the brake drag?

Does the dragging happen after the brakes are applied? Or as soon as you assemble the r/f brake you can feel it dragging?You might have something bent (caliper carrier or spindle) causing the caliper to sit on the rotor crooked.Or if it only happens after the brakes are applied, part of your hydraulic system could be bad. I've seen the rubber brake lines collapse internally and restrict the pressure from releasing the caliper after the brakes are apllied.

[Terrorinc17]

All brakes drag. My question is does it do it under braking? of just normal driving?

It could also be a rear caliper problem. You wont really feel it in the rear but it will show up in the front.

I agree with the hose deterioration. Just a good thing to replace them. In order to prove my point remove the front caliper and pinch the old line off with a vice grip. Drive the car to see if it still pulls. If it does it's not a brake problem.

[anditfeelsgold]

I know for sure its the front passenger. Like I said, when you try to spin the wheel after you install the caliper it takes much more force than to spin any other on the car. I will try to put some high temp wheel bearing grease on the slider pins to see if it helps.

But its just that one in the front. Every other is fine.

Cone Junky, about the break line collapsing internally, that sounds interesting.

If none of this works, I'll just buy a new rotor and a set of brake pads to narrow it down. But if that doesnt help, I know it has to be inside the break line itself. I spent all yesterday bleeding the brakes so I know they were bled correctly.

** It always pulls to the right side, unless I'm breaking, because then all the calipers are compressed, causing it to not pull to that side.

***Also, if the slider pins are not greased, will the caliper not be able to decompress fully? How will they effect it?

[Terrorinc17]

Save your money. It is not a brake problem. It's an alignment problem.

[Cone Junky]

Save your money. It is not a brake problem. It's an alignment problem.

You're basing this on the fact the wheel drags even when it is up on jacks?

You are either stupid or not reading the post. Either way, save the bandwidth for the rest of us.

[del82]

He's both stupid *and* not reading the post.

It's a brake grab issue, if it was bearings, about 99% of the time they'll make noise when rolling down the road when they start seizing like that.

EDIT: Jesus H. Christ....for the love of God DO NOT remove the caliper and drive the car, no matter how well you think a vice grip can hold the pressure in. That's insane...

More edit: To answer your question, when the pins aren't properly greased, it prevents the caliper from moving, or the caliper will seize in a half-cocked position. Most of the time it only causes premature pad wear, but with some setups it can cause the brakes to hang, particularly after braking. To be honest, what you have sounds like a piston is failing to "let go" of the rotor. Besides a bad caliper, the only thing that causes this is a bad proportioning valve, or something wrong with the ABS unit, if it has one. I hope you don't have ABS, because those units are pricey.

Again I re-iterate: DO NOT EVER drive a car with anything missing out of the brakes OR suspension links. Seriously, best case scenario, your brakes fail, you roll into an intersection and get sideswiped by a pickup truck and die right then and there.
Modified by del82 at 8:01 PM 1/2/2009

[Terrorinc17]

Your stupid. He said it didn't pull under braking. If he put a new caliper on it and it didn't change anything it's not a brake problem.

ALL BRAKES DRAG! If he can spin the wheel with his hands it is NOT A BRAKE PROBLEM! At least not a front one. Check the rear calipers to see if they are hanging up. Just an fyi I know a lil bit about brakes. If it's pulling with out the brakes being applied it's an alignment issue.

I read the post several times. I get it. It's not nice to call people names.

Did I mention it's not a BRAKE PROBLEM?

[vancouverbc]

definitely grease your sliding pins. mine slid fine manually but they still seized . they need lots of grease or they seize up. cost me two calipers before i figured out what was going on. the sliding pins are not part of the caliper btw. replacing caliper doesnt help.

[vancouverbc]

Dont understand why mechanics dont know about this unless there is something unique about nissans.

these are the pins before i greased them. bolts screw into the top of the pins.
Modified by vancouverbc at 7:24 PM 1/4/2009

[del82]

Your stupid. He said it didn't pull under braking. If he put a new caliper on it and it didn't change anything it's not a brake problem.

ALL BRAKES DRAG! If he can spin the wheel with his hands it is NOT A BRAKE PROBLEM! At least not a front one. Check the rear calipers to see if they are hanging up. Just an fyi I know a lil bit about brakes. If it's pulling with out the brakes being applied it's an alignment issue.

I read the post several times. I get it. It's not nice to call people names.

Did I mention it's not a BRAKE PROBLEM?

Firstly, braking pressure is equal when applying the brakes, unless there's a problem with your lines or proportioning valve. If the brake piston was hanging and galling the cylinder, it would still work properly under pressure, but would take more pressure than normal to return, thereby causing a drag while not on the brakes. While *not* on the brakes. While....not....on...the..........brakes.

Secondly you're automatically assuming the brake caliper he bought at the auto parts store is brand new. Yes, of course, auto parts stores make TONS of money running production lines to supply brand new castings of parts instead of saving a ton of money rebuilding used calipers. That makes perfect business sense. Ever thought about why there's a core charge on things at an auto parts store?

Fyi, you know a little bit about brakes. I graduated Wyoming Technical Institute in 2001, and I've been working as a tech for 5 years after that. Man, you could have saved me a lot of time by telling me way back then that reading someone's post on a forum over and over again could make you a braking system guru.

You're wrong, accept the fact that you're wrong and move on to something you might know more about. There's not even a need to save face on some text posting in front of a bunch of people its highly likely that you will never actually meet.

Side note, to vancouverbc: The bottom pin in that pic doesn't honestly look too terribly bad, but the one on top looks like it hasn't seen grease in awhile. Properly greased isn't exactly rocket science, but if you can get about a thumbnail's thickness across the whole pin, that's generally enough.

[Terrorinc17]

I run a caliper rebuilding company. I know all about core charges. I'm also a Master ASE Certified Tech. The fact that the caliper is rebuilt has no effect on performance. New is not available and wouldn't make a differance.While we don't provide calipers to O'Reilly we know who does and they are a good rebuilder. Think about it, A boot, seal, piston. It's good or bad. No gray area.

He installed a new caliper and nothing changed. Car still pulled to the right.So do what all the other tech's do who don't no how to do things and take it back and tell them it's defective?

But all the BS aside, has he tried anything yet? Does the car still pull?

From what I read, he said "it pulls to the right" The small amount of drag on the wheel shouldn't make the car pull. Once the pedal is released so is the pressure unless he has a hose restriction. But from what I'm hearing it doesn't sound like a caliper.

I would be willing to send him a set of loaded calipers just to prove i'm right.

If I'm wrong they are no charge. If I'm right you pay the bill.

Time to step up or shut up!


Modified by Terrorinc17 at 1:08 PM 1/5/2009

[Cone Junky]

This still leaves a couple of issues un-resolved.

I asked if the problem only occured after the brakes were applied, that would narrow it down to a hydraulic issue-i.e.- the brake hose collapsing and retaining pressure to the caliper.

There is also the chance of the pins or carrier being bent, which would set the caliper at an angle and cause it to drag excessively. Brakes DO NOT always drag. Even though there is no return spring in disc brake systems, the slight (normal) rotor runout will push the pad/piston back just far enough not to drag.

We may be barking up the wrong tree, but there is only so much we can diagnose from the other side of a computer. I have wasted plenty of time chasing a problem that doesn't exist because of the mis-information given to me by the customer.And BTW, I am also a certified master technician and have been working as a profesional for 15 years. There is plenty of logic and experience behind my theories...

[vancouverbc]

some potential causes

-bent sliding pin-kinked brake tubing-collapsing inner lining of brake hose-parking brake too tight( not in this case because the problem is in front)-not enough grease on sliding pin

the following 2 probably are not valid

-anti rattle plate uneven so caliper piston hits uneven-caliper piston hitting the knob on brake pad
Modified by vancouverbc at 2:08 PM 1/5/2009

[Terrorinc17]

Bent brackets can be the cause, but we remanufacture over 2500 units a day. I see 1 in 15000.

My question is has he tried anything any of us have suggested. Maybe I'm crazy but he said it doesnt pull under braking but as soon as he takes his foot off the brake pedal he then pulls to the right?

I had the same problem on 2 ther cars. 1 was an alignment issue, one was a tire issue. Just because the tires are new doesnt mean they are the same diameter.

Just my 2 cents.

[del82]

Whats the name of your company there skills? Not that being an administrative official makes you instantly knowledgeable on what your workers are doing, either.

Why not send him some calipers anyway? Along with some business cards, that might even turn into a good business venture for you, heh heh...then maybe you could take some time off and learn a bit about what you're talking about.

Oh, and when you make huge lies about yourself to feel better about being wrong, it helps if you cover your bases, and not leave your age in forum info at 17. Happy CEO-ing, kid.

[Cone Junky]

Whats the name of your company there skills? Not that being an administrative official makes you instantly knowledgeable on what your workers are doing, either.

Why not send him some calipers anyway? Along with some business cards, that might even turn into a good business venture for you, heh heh...then maybe you could take some time off and learn a bit about what you're talking about.

Oh, and when you make huge lies about yourself to feel better about being wrong, it helps if you cover your bases, and not leave your age in forum info at 17. Happy CEO-ing, kid.

I didn't even bother checking that out Powned!Besides, he would also need at least 2 years work experience to become ASE certified. And since no one would hire a 15 year old (legally) to work on cars, I doubt the certification too. And he's a "race car driver"

Running a business, getting ASE certified, and being a race car driver by age 17- you are one incredible human being! I am jealous...

[Vegascorbin]

thanks for the thread guys. 1st day back at work after 2 weeks off and I needed the humor.

Grease the pins. If that doesn't help find an experianced friend to help.

vancover pretty much covered the posable problems.

[del82]

thanks for the thread guys. 1st day back at work after 2 weeks off and I needed the humor.

Grease the pins. If that doesn't help find an experianced friend to help.

vancover pretty much covered the posable problems.

You're welcome

I even told him to stop before he dug himself in even deeper. See? I'm a nice guy...

Anyway, we also have seemed to officially hijack the thread from the OP. Sorry bout that, anditfeelsgold. Had a chance to look at that stuff yet?

[theother1wstolen]

so wait, you mean a tire not having enough air cant make it drag while its up on jacks? who woulda thunk it... all my lifes experience has just been turned upside down.

[Terrorinc17]

I'm a little older then all of you guys. I put up the offer. Like I said. You opened your mouths. Step up money bags! Or just shut up. Anytime you would like to come to Chicago and check out our place let me know. I'll even pay your gas when you get here.

[Cone Junky]

I'm a little older then all of you guys. I put up the offer. Like I said. You opened your mouths. Step up money bags! Or just shut up. Anytime you would like to come to Chicago and check out our place let me know. I'll even pay your gas when you get here.

The only reason people are dog-piling on you is the attitude you came right in with. We all gave ideas what it might be based on the symptoms he described, including heavily dragging while the wheel is in the air. You jump in with certainty that we are all wrong and it has nothing to do with the brakes. Again, he said it happens as soon as the brake is assembled, so relating it to the brakes is completely logical. He also had it aligned, but you feel it still needs an alignment. Defective tires, yes, absolutely a possibility. Easily diagnosed by cross rotating and seeing if the car pulls a new direction (OP you should definitely address this...).Why are you defensive? Because you supposedly own, run, or invented a caliper rebuilding company. And of course there is no chance that a product that you work with would possibly be bad. Personally I don't think it has anything to do with the caliper either, but possibly the hydraulic system.

[Terrorinc17]

Well read up at the top of the thread. I made suggestions also. But mine were stupid. I never said anyone elses were wrong. I just made a statement based on previous history.

If you jack up the car up and spin your front wheels I bet one wheel spins freer then the other. If he can spin the wheel with his hand chances are its not a caliper. He bought a new caliper and nothing changed.

As far as the pins go, if they were removed from the old caliper and put into the new caliper they are free enough. Yes they should be greased, but greasing them will not fix the problem. Once the pads are in with the springs and clips there will be pressure on the caliper and the bracket. Yes it should move freely but Many nissans and especially Hondas don't slide very easy do to the tighter tolerences. They feel like they are hanging up but they are just tight. IF it is a brake problem chances are it's not the front. It could be a rear caliper hanging up, probably the left rear.

Did he put a new rotor on it? New pads? If so then yes it could be a defective rotor or set of pads. But if he put the old worn stuff back on then not likely.

But if everybody is sold on the car pulling to the right because there is a little more resistance on one side then so be it.

But at this point who really cares?

My question is, has he done anything yet? He has had many suggestions but I have not seen and repair attempted.

Modified by Terrorinc17 at 10:15 AM 1/6/2009
Modified by Terrorinc17 at 10:17 AM 1/6/2009