Pulls to the left during braking

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

So I got my strut rod bushings replaced, hoping that would finally solve my issue.  It doesn't seem to do it all the time, but when I brake especially going downhill, the car seems to pull to the left side.  The harder I brake, the harder it pulls.  The tires, brake pads, hoses, and rotors are new so there shouldn't be any inconsistencies with that.

What's the next thing to check?  Everything else under the front end seemed to be fairly tight, the only thing I noticed any movement in is the ball end of the pitman arm and it's not much at all.

[milliard431]

Did you bleed the right front caliper?

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

Yeah, everything was bled using a vacuum bleeder.  I used most of a 1 quart bottle making sure everything was bled and flushed out.

Additionally, the problem existed before I did the brake work.  I did the brake work first because I knew it needed to be done, and I initially thought maybe the passenger side caliper was seized up.

If I slam on the brakes hard enough to lock up the tires it seems that both sides lock up at the same time, judging by the skid marks.

Maybe I need to jack it up and go over the front end again.  I'm suspicious of the ball joints, I know the lower ones are originals because they're riveted to the control arms.  They didn't have any obvious play in them when I grabbed the wheel and shook it though.

[milliard431]

sounds like they need help anyway but you could also check the right line for any kinks that may be restricting flow. The whole front suspension can be bought as a kit for around $200-$300 if you want the springs to from ESPO or springs and things and if you have original equipment still on there than that can't be good, especially if you or someone you love will be in the car. I don't if the rotors look even or not.

[Jurjen]

Did you check the sliders on the calipers? You should be able to move the calipers by hand from left to right (without the pads).

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

Yeah, the sliders seemed to be working pretty smoothly.

[mach1mustang351]

 Make sure to check all suspension components.  Also go to a flat place and check ride height.  If the vehicle is sagging drooping etc it can cause alignment changes when the front end dips under braking. 

[Bird-o-Prey]

Are your rear shoes in good condition?  Also, are they adjusted properly?  If one of the rear shoes has slack in it, the other side of the car will brake harder.  Make sure that all 4 of your brakes are in order.  I had a pull to the left while braking as well.  Last week I replaced the front pads and lubed and cleaned everything up front up.  Still had the pull.  couple of days ago, I did the rears and adjusted the slack so both rear wheels had the same amount of drag when moved by hand.  Put it back on the ground and did 10 hard stops in reverse to fully set the automatic adjusters and no more pull when braking. 

Worked for my situation because I had to replace both calipers a couple of years ago, so I knew they were new.  I also rebuilt my rear wheel cylinders at the same time I did the fronts.

Worth a try.

Cheers

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

At this point the rears are in unknown condition to me.  I have a very detailed maintenance log from the previous owner though, and it says at 131k the rear wheel cylinders were replaced and the shoes were at 60%.  The time before the car was at 119k and they were at 90%.  Doing the math, at 40k miles later, they're probably due for replacement.  I've been avoiding that because I don't get along well with drum brakes.  Any drum brake I touch is destined to never work properly again.

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

just a thought. what about control arm bushings? they can allow a little deflection to make the tire tip outwards uppon braking. (62 rambler classic had this problem) also, have you made sure the control arms arent bent, and strut rod also? dont forget to check the strut rod mounting bracket. they can bend.

Other than a quick visual inspection of those things, I can't say much about their condition.  If any of the aforementioned things are slightly bent or worn, how would I know?  There doesn't seem to be much for specs on them.

[Alcology]

Definitely check the rear brakes, more often than not, a change in steering is due to uneven brake pressure

[carnuck]

Could the opposite caliper be stuck OR maybe even a different size piston?

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

I don't think that would be possible. I replaced the pads and rotors and everything seems to be wearing evenly. The back brakes are unknown though, and i absolutely hate working on drum brakes so i'm really not thrilled about trying to get that mess apart.

[carnuck]

Just pop them open and dump the dust (carefully)

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

The trouble i always had (with gm's) has been getting them adjusted properly and getting everything to go back together without dragging.  I don't know how AMC's drums are set up, maybe i'll have better luck.

[carnuck]

I wish my old posts from the AMC-list (back in '97 or so) on drum brakes hadn't got the nuke (thanks to a careless "tech support" at Webtv that deemed I had too much email at only 10% max volume and nuked the works without even asking. Lost her job over that one too)
   Maybe one day I'll get around to rewriting it (I've been working on cars since just before discs came out and they were voodoo back then)