Brakes pulling to the passenger side
 

I just got my car back on the road after being down for a very slow year and a half vortech install. I took the car out for a spin on the weekend and when I hit the brakes for the first time from around 40mph the car pulled hard to the right, it was surprising and I really needed to hold the steering wheel hard to prevent hitting the curb. After I got back home I did a brake maintenance on the front brakes including deglazing the pads and rotors, lubing the slide pins and flushing the fluid. I haven't had a chance to do the same to the rear or drive the car since but I wanted to know if anyone has had similar issues before? When I took the brakes apart I didn't find any issues, the calliper pistons seemed to return into their bores easily (not seized).

Hmm, did you take it out and hit the brakes again to see if it still does it?

Need to test drive it again before anything else. Did you perform a good check of the brake lines?

I did a visual of the lines, they do seem fine, I have read of the interior lining delaminating, but that is usually when the brakes are dragging, my problem is almost opposite of that. I have been considering upgrading to stainless lines...

Answer to this question is in my first post.

When you test it again,,, the next time it pulls to the left of right,, EXAMINE the DIC and see if you have ANY DIC messages,,, like:

ACTIVE HANDLING ACTIVE

IF,,,,,,,, your steering wheel wasnt properly centered to the steering rack when they did your vortech install , your car thinks you have a LEFT or RIGHT driver steering input appiled and the car is going STRAIGHT and its ATTEMPTING to correct the steering angle of the car by applying counter brake to the FRONT TIRE/s

Do you have any EBTCM DTCs

Use the DIC DTC code reading routene and list ALL the EBTCM DTCs

READING YOUR Engine Diagnostic Codes



The Diagnostic Display Mode is entered with the following procedure:

1) Turn on the ignition but don't start the engine. NOTE! You can read the DTCs with the engine running and or driving down the road but it can distract you. BE careful! Some DTCs clear themselves when you turn the ignition OFF!

2) Press the RESET button to turn off any warning messages. (i.e. door open, trunk open ect)
3) Press and hold OPTIONS
4) While holding OPTIONS, press FUEL four times within a 10-second period.


Initially, on-board diagnostics go into an Automatic Mode which shows diagnostic codes in a pre-set sequence: PCM - TCS - RTD - BCM - IPC - RADIO - HVAC - LDCM - RDCM - SCM - RFA. All codes will be displayed for each. ( i.e. PCM = 4 codes) If none are present in a given module, you will see No More Codes on the display.
There are two kinds of diagnostic codes, Current and History designated with a letter suffix, “C” or “H”. A current C code indicates a malfunction is present and active in the module displaying data. A history code indicates a problem existed sometime in the last 40 or 50 ignition cycles. When not accompanied by a current code of the same number, it's potential evidence of a previous problem, now resolved, that was not removed by clearing the codes.
More likely it's an indication of an intermittent malfunction.
Intermittent codes are the most challenging of the diagnostics. An intermittent code may have happened once, may have happened more than once but is inconsistent or may be happening on a regular basis but not at the time the codes are displayed. History codes can also be caused by a current malfunction in a system that is not operating at the time codes are displayed. An example is the rear window defogger which doesn't operate until the Body Control Module detects engine rpm. For history codes set by a module that does not operate with the key on and engine off, a special diagnostic tool called a Scan Tester is necessary to properly diagnose the malfunction.
Once the system has displayed all modules, it goes into the manual mode which allows selection of each module using combinations of Driver Information Center buttons. Manual mode can also be entered during the automatic sequence by pressing any button except English/Metric (E/M). Once the display shows Manual Diagnostics, select a module by pressing the OPTIONS button to go forward or the TRIP button to go back. Once a module is selected, a code is displayed, and if more than one are present; press GAGES to go forward or FUEL to go back.
To exit the diagnostic mode at any time, press E/M. If you want to erase codes in a given module, press and hold the RESET button To reset the codes once in manual mode, press and hold RESET until it displays NO CODES Press OPTIONS to go to the next module. Repeat the steps until you have reset the codes in all the computer modules.
NOTE!! Only reset the codes IF you want to - it is NOT necessary to do this. Clearing a code does not repair a problem. You are simply erasing the evidence of it in the module's memory. If you clear the code/s, and extinguish the Check Engine Light, your emissions status ready will NOT allow you to pass an emissions test until you have completed the required driving cycles.
Once you have the codes, the next question is: What to do with the information?
First, consult the factory service manual. Any serious C5 Do-It-Yourself owner should invest in the Corvette Service Manual of the appropriate model year. The Service Manual is really a requirement if you want to understand and work on your C5. You can GOOGLE the DTC and also find information on it.




Here is very good site that explains the DTCs:


http://www.corvette-web-central.com/C5DTCcode.html


http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_cod...d-ii-codes.php



Make sure to include the H or C suffix!!

Does it feel like it was pulling hard in the front or more like a the rear?

If it pulls to the right, check the Left calipers compress it and see if the pistons goes in and then put the caliper back on the car and see if the piston comes out. might be a bad caliper or a sticking piston in the caliper. sounds like one of the caliper pistons are not opperating so you are only getting brakes on one side of the car. and if its that much effort to keep straight i would suspect the front caliper.

you said you flushed the fluid, did one of them bleed out fluid really slow? a friend of mine bought a older A4 and it would pull hard.. we flushed the brake fluid and 2 of the calipers would not bleed fluid untill we pumped up alot of pressure and keep bleeding (8-9 times) and then shot out this NASTY white goop then would bleed perfect and the car would stock correctly again... you would know if it was not bleeding right... (use a pop bottle with a hole in the lid, run a rubber hose over the bleeder screw and bleed into the bottle)

S

Bill, thanks that is something I hadn't considered but if I didn't put the steering rack back in properly I don't think the wheel would be centred anymore.
I will check DIC's

RedZ, I used a motive pressure bleeder, and I didn't get as much flow as I thought I would, It took quite a while to get a 1L bottle 3/4" full, 20 mins of bleeding at 10-15psi

It really sounds like a sticking caliper, despite your findings with the bore. Did you hone the caliper and install new seals? Or was it that pristine looking?

Ive see numerous steering wheels that were 360 Degs out and they were perfectly centered. Its Something to consider.

Bill

Take a look at your rotors; a warped rotor can cause a pull to one side. I learned that the hard way.

:lurk:

I've found the same, when a car pulls to one side the issue is on the other side.

Check the pistons, also make sure the pads aren't getting stuck in the caliper.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I pulled the codes and I don't see anything that applies to steering misalignment

P0141c - headers
P0161c - headers
P0300h
P1518h
C1235c - I have the rear right abs sensor unplugged while I examine the rear brakes
B0432h
B0503h
B0508h
U1000h
U1016h
U1096h
U1160h
B0446h
B2282h
B2284h
U1064h
U1076h
B2283h
B2285h
U1255h

I don't think it's a problem with the pistons as they seem to move fairly freely with c clamps

Also it doesn't happen at low speeds or light braking, only when I go wot and need to come down to legal speeds does it pull to the right.

I am considering trying to pull the abs fuse and go for a test run and see if the car still pulls one way, if not that proves the car thinks its the steering input and is braking more on the other side, I assume this is controlled via the abs pump?

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks

If the Traction Control or antilock is kicking in,, you should see a message in the DIC stating that it activated.

The next time you have an event, see if there a message in the DIC.

Bill

Your tire pressure is the same on both sides? Could be contributing to the pull to the side.

Have someone pump the brakes hard with the engine running. Have them release the pedal and then crack a front bleeder. Repeat on the other side. If fluid squirts out of one side. Replace both front hoses.

Replace ur abs module that happens to my buddy's c5 very ... Or disconnect ur abs an test drive it

This is usually a caliper sticking. Many vehicles, the 2 haves of the caliper float on pins. The rubber seal start to leak and the the pin connecting the 2 halves siezes.

I recently did a full brake service when I noticed this problem and the caliper slider pins are all good, I relubricated them with hi temp synthetic brake lube, they slide fine with the pistons compressed, I didn't have to use much pressure to compres the caliper pistons either.

If the brake lines are internally cracked and acting like a check valve then I assume the brakes would be dragging all the time and the wheels would get hot, that isn't happening. And my problem is under heavy braking only the steering wheel is very hard control and it pulls HARD to the passenger side. I'm leaning towards an ABS problem.

I haven't noticed the DIC indicating ABS active because I'm too busy holding on for dear life...

Maybe this could be a good time o upgrade to c6z front brakes :)

Update: I found the culprit

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/p...861d990d2f.jpg

I should have never doubted the great minds of the corvette forum!

So I got the stuck piston moving by clamping the other piston and applying the brakes and repeating a few times and I pulled the dust boot back and lubed the piston with brake fluid. I got it to the point when I applied the brakes and both pistons moved equally. But when I went for a drive it still pulls to the right. Any ideas? Should I pull the piston out and try and clean up the bore and end of the piston?