Crazy brake problem.

F

fblainen11

New member
I have an 02 and a 97. Did TB upgrade on my 02 several months ago and all was well. My 97 has been pulling to the right a little lately and I figured it was an alignment issue. Yesterday I'm driving and start to get a little jitter at 65. Hit the brakes to start slowing down and my 4runner pulls wayyyyyy to the right. So I pull over and my right wheel was way hotter than my left....obviously this is a brake. So today I get all the parts I need to upgrade my 97.
I take it out after the upgrade and it stops better, but when I hit the brakes hard enough a weird sound happens...like a fast dun dun dun dun dun sound. I guess that's ABS.
Just after that it will pull to the right again.

Is something causing this caliper to stick after ABS?
Anyone know what's going on?
 
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look up a post i did about brakes. my truck was having a similar problem and i remedied it by replacing the LCA bushings. not saying that that is your problem, but you should look that way. it's almost 20 years old. bushings deflect a lot after time and cause a lot of movement. look there first.
 
What did you change in the upgrade, pads and rotors? You could have a stuck piston or two, there could be crap in a brake line, worn out suspension, faulty abs, any number of things. I would purge the brake fluid and make sure the pistons are all free before getting too crazy. When you have it in the air give the corners a good shake and see if anything moves/has play to make sure nothing is too worn out.
 
I'll take a closer look at suspension. I'm thinking it may be related to ABS since it doesn't pull until I press them hard enough. I'm going to try disabling ABS.
 
Ok if the abs does not engage do you still experience this issue? Abs should not activate or step in under normal driving conditions. Could be worn suspension but I feel like that is something you ought to notice. Perhaps the pump is clogged.
 
I noticed my truck pulling to the left while breaking hard but it ended up being a rear brake issue caused by a leaking rear axle seal. If you're pulling to the right, it could be a problem with the left rear brakes not grabbing as hard as the right rear. Just another thing to consider as to the reason it's pulling to the right. It wouldn't take long to jack up the left rear, take the wheel off and pull off the drum to see if there's anything wrong, like the pads coated in gear oil, which was my problem.
 
updates?

I'm curious to hear what you find. With what you describe, clearly the right caliper is not releasing... could it be something as simple as a caliper or abs control? I'd probably start by pulling the caliper and checking if the pistons are free and if they're free, maybe check the abs? Let us know what you find.
 
I drove it last night briefly. Roads were wet and I didn't want to end up wrapped around a tree or in a ditch, so I didn't push it too much.

It seemed to be fine under normal braking conditions. I am currently looking into the ABS disable threads to see which option is best for me.

I will keep you guys posted. I was told I do have a leaking drivers side seal, so that may be what is causing it as well. I was pretty shocked at the amount of pool so I figured it must be front passenger. More investigation is necessary at this point.
I do know I can rule out caliper sticking... At least to the point that its the calipers fault. Maybe something else is causing it to stick and that is what needs attention.
 
fblainen11 said:
I drove it last night briefly. Roads were wet and I didn't want to end up wrapped around a tree or in a ditch, so I didn't push it too much.

It seemed to be fine under normal braking conditions. I am currently looking into the ABS disable threads to see which option is best for me.

I will keep you guys posted. I was told I do have a leaking drivers side seal, so that may be what is causing it as well. I was pretty shocked at the amount of pool so I figured it must be front passenger. More investigation is necessary at this point.
I do know I can rule out caliper sticking... At least to the point that its the calipers fault. Maybe something else is causing it to stick and that is what needs attention.
Click to expand...

Well, that was exactly why my truck was pulling because once I got the axle seals replaced and replaced the rear brake shoes, my truck no longer pulled while breaking. It makes sense when you think about it. If one side on the rear isn't braking as well as the other, the truck will pull towards the non-affected side because the breaking is stronger on that side. I originally thought it must be a front braking issue as well, but the rear brakes ended up being the problem.

Pull your driver's side rear drum and see if the shoes are coated in gear oil. If they are, it definitely could be causing your truck to pull to the right.
 
fblainen11 said:
I drove it last night briefly. Roads were wet and I didn't want to end up wrapped around a tree or in a ditch, so I didn't push it too much.

It seemed to be fine under normal braking conditions. I am currently looking into the ABS disable threads to see which option is best for me.

I will keep you guys posted. I was told I do have a leaking drivers side seal, so that may be what is causing it as well. I was pretty shocked at the amount of pool so I figured it must be front passenger. More investigation is necessary at this point.
I do know I can rule out caliper sticking... At least to the point that its the calipers fault. Maybe something else is causing it to stick and that is what needs attention.
Click to expand...

Well, that was exactly why my truck was pulling because once I got the axle seals replaced and replaced the rear brake shoes, my truck no longer pulled while breaking. It makes sense when you think about it. If one side on the rear isn't braking as well as the other, the truck will pull towards the non-affected side because the breaking is stronger on that side. I originally thought it must be a front braking issue as well, but the rear brakes ended up being the problem.

Pull your driver's side rear drum and see if the shoes are coated in gear oil. If they are, it definitely could be causing your truck to pull to the right.
 
Brought to a customer of mine who owns a Meineke across the street from my office. They checked rear drums and didn't see any leaking oil on drums. He said that there may be a collapsed line or a bad valve in ABS module (Paraphrasing here). He said if there is a clogg in one of the release valves that could cause the pressure to not release after ABS kicks in.
Also he advised not to spend any money on ABS repairs. Says he's never owned a car with ABS and has no trouble stopping.
Looks like I'm going to look into ABS disabling.
 
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