Front brake is really grabbing.

[ant]

i like messing with stuff on my van, engine, suspension blah blah blah... what i don't like messing with are the brakes.

The bus under braking goes left pretty badly, In my wisdom i figured that it must be the right frt not adjusted/braking properly. So i adjusted the right side but it has made no difference.

Bus is 68 non servo drums all round.

so to all you brake gurus out there
what should i check/try next?

cheers

ant

 

[chill 71]

Hi Ant, dont know the answer i'm affraid but mine does exactly the same thing, only mine is a 71 with discs and servo!
I wondered if it might be to do with the tracking?

 

[ant]

Forgot to say that the tracking has been done very recently. Also everything seems to be free moving and not seized etc

 

[dna]

had the same thing... changed my flexi hoses and all was well. apparently one had collapsed internally and wasn't letting the brake fluid through.

 

[ant]

had the same thing... changed my flexi hoses and all was well. apparently one had collapsed internally and wasn't letting the brake fluid through.

There is a good chance that could be it. The flexi's on the van were replaced about 4 years ago but over the last year the frt suspension has been stripped many times(long story) and because i don't like messing with brakes i always left the flexi's attached so there is strong chance one side could of got damaged.

cheers dude

 

[noddy]

Its only going to be one or two of a few things.

1. collapsed flex hose.
2. Ceased wheel cylinder, on opposite side to side thats grabbing
3. Badly adjusted brakes
4. Out of round drum on side thats grabbing (symptom is pulsing under braking).
5. Contaminated pads on side thats not grabbing.

Drums can be a pig to get adjusted well, its a case of adjusting both side to as near as equal as you can then working out which side is pulling and either back pads off a click at a time on that side or wind pads out on the other side.

It usual take me about 3 short test drives and readjustments to get the brakes adjusted correctly.

If its a front brake grabbing it will make the steering wheel try to tun in you hands.

 

[ant]

cheers noddy..... all the brake were replaced in 05. The van on average 2000 a year. i'm going to start with the flexi's

 

[futbus]

We can supply full stainless flexi hoses, although not on the website, will be on soon.

 

[Araon]

how much

 

[noddy]

Ant

I would check the wheel cylinders, if you had cheep ones fitted they seem to be a bit hit and miss on quality, had one of my cheep front ones keep jamming on me.

Got it sorted by using rubber grease under the dust cap seems to have been ok for about 12 months now, you can get rubber grease from halfords, it red in colour, a bike mechanic I know says it the only thing he uses now on brake rebuilds.

 

[ant]

front brakes are bled properly and it helped but its still pulling, need to replace the shoes now as thier a little low. So i will have to see what its like after i've fitted the new shoes.

 

[aogrady]

Hi!

Check wheel bearings? Too much play could cause the brakes shoes to grab too much when brakes applied. Happened to a friends Landrover.........

Alistair

 

[meowdmucker]

Deffinitely change the brake hoses. I had a similar problem a few years ago and a local 'specialist' said it was a sticking caliper. Changed this with no improvement. Ran out of ideas as the hose looked new but changed it and bingo no probs. I since have changed to the braided type front and back and fix most things myself!

 

[ant]

wheels bearings are new and the flexi's have now been replaced. I'll get some new shoes and see what happens then.

 

[noddy]

Ant if your still stuck give me a shout Im not that far from you.

Ian

 

[ant]

cheers dude, will bare that in mind

 

[ant]

Put new flexi's on bled and bled and bled, then some new frt shoes and we have brakes again

 

[noddy]

Good news dude. Nothing better than having brakes, I dont trust the anchor on a chain method