EDIT: fixed subject line. :)

Ok.. Well this is my 2039424382 time posting about my brake pull from hell!!!!

I took the car to someone that knows corvettes.. We'll leave his name out for now.. He check things over.. He doesn't think I have air in the system. He bled the brakes... He replace the 2 front calipers and replaces both SS lines, new pads (3rd set on the car)... He thinks that I have a bent caliper mount, because the pull to the right (always to the right) is only on light pressure.. If you put all your weight behind the pedal and lock up the brakes, the car doesn't pull... Only happens on normal braking.. It starts to pull to the right and then it stops and seems to correct itself.. Like the caliper mount is bent and the pads are making initial contact with the rotor in a "V" Angle on one side.. Hmmm... The passenger side has a new Knuckle, caliper mount, spindle, etc.. Installed by the same person that I Just picked up the car from. The driver side might be bent... ???

But.. Here is something new. I have a clank sound coming from the front. I've heard the sound the whole time but it was never as loud as it is now. I was told by several people the sound is shifting pads.. Almost like a bad ball joint sound in a way, a metal popping sound. The sound happens when you let the brakes go. Kind of like the pads are shifting inside the caliper, but today the temps outside are in the 90+'s so I decided to drive with no shoes and socks on and when I heard that clank I could feel it in the floor board!! Hmm.. So, I'm thinking that it has to be the something contorting?? Maybe? My dad also drove the car today and the clank happened a few times at stop lights but something new happened. We where at a light and he went to straighten the wheel and we heard clank!! VERY loud. The car wasn't moving.... But the clank doesn't happen when you are going over potholes or speed bumps!! I would think a bad ball joint would make a sound going over speed bumps??? The clank happens when you let go of the brakes pedal and you apply the gas, when the weight of the car gets pushed back. If you push on the gas while you are driving you don’t hear clank, clank, etc… Its just brake, car pulls to right, turn wheel to the left, stop, green light, let brake go, give gas, clank.. or that one time while standing at the light and he turned the wheel just a little. I drove the car into Washington DC. CAPTIAL CITY FOR POT HOLES!! I couldn't make out the clank sound while driving. Only the normal stop and go clank. The sound is getting louder so I'm hoping whatever it is will go ahead and just break or fall off so I can find it!! :lol:

I'm going to check the ball joints and tie rod ends once the car has had a chance to cool down... I'll let you know if I find anything... The ball joints and tie rods have about 1700 miles on them.

I'm thinking the A-arms are contorting when I apply the brakes which would cause the clank sound when my father moved the wheel, or when the brakes is applied.. I checked the nuts on the studs.. Hmm.. I don't know..

Here is another odd thing. After I replace everything; the car pulled somewhat but not as bad as it did before the rebuild, and then it just stopped.. I didn't do anything other then just driving the car. I wanted something to break on the car so I drove it with the pull.. The pull stopped for a few hundred miles but started up again when I replaced the front driver side hub and rotor because you could see an irregular wear pattern on the rotor like the hub was bent, and I had some vibration at high speeds. I fixed the vibration and the wear pattern but the car started to pull again to the right!!

Whatever is causing the pull I know it can be fixed but I just need to find what’s causing the pull.

OH and yes.. I had the rotors checked for runout this past weekend and there was some runout but it was removed....

thanks for reading...


[Modified by Bluewasp, 4:46 PM 7/28/2002]


[Modified by Bluewasp, 4:48 PM 7/28/2002]

 

Check your A-arm shims. I heard the same and checked everything but. When the car was in the shop they found two shims missing and to make matters worse the frame had a 2" crack in it from the shock of braking and play between the upper A-arm and the chasis. They welded it and problem gone but be careful. hopefully I'm wrong.
David

 

It definately sounds like a hardware piece in the front end. Just a hunch but look at your upper a-arm bushings and mounts real close, I was getting an intermittent "thunk" and it turned out to be upper bushing in a-arm. If a bushing is worn the arm will "twist" under braking. Good Luck

Scott

 

Hi, I replaced the bushings last year with poly bushings... I checked the arm nuts that go on the studs and they are snug... I can see some space between the bushing and the arm the drivers side... Its the upper arm and it goes the nut, washer, bushing, some space, then the arm.... I also noticed the passenger side lower a-arm bushing has more bushing showing towards the bottem then the top. Like it was twisted inside??!!??!?! Hmm.... Maybe I should try to take some pics...

 

ALSO. when you brake you can see the passenger side the car dive down as it pulls then the car kind levels out and stops pulling (somtimes)... Other times the car just pulls and dives to the right...


[Modified by Bluewasp, 6:28 PM 7/28/2002]