pulling when braking

M

mpfi3100

Registered
I did a search, but didn't find anything conclusive.

I took my car to get inspected and it FAILED. No biggie, I didn't expect it to pass.

It failed cause when you do hard braking, the car pulls hard to the LEFT.

I did pads and rotors on the front, checked the calipers and lines, and bled the front brakes. It is not as bad, but still not good enough to pass inspection.

Any ideas on what I should look for next, or anything I can do to get it to where it will pass?
 
Couple of things..... check left (F) caliper to INSURE it is RELEASING all the way. Check right (F) flexible brake line to insure that it isn't collapsing or have a kink not allowing full pressure.
 
The other thing that is glaring by not seeing it listed is the strut rod bushings. I had a 95 Supercoupe that was really pulling to the right on braking, and strut rod bushings were the culprit.
 
I'd bet your brakes are fine. Ball joints will cause those symptoms. In my case, it was the lower ball joint on the side it pulled to. Some people insist it's the uppers that always go bad, my experience was different. In any case, have those checked first.
 
1. Bad caliper
2. Bad brake line
3. Ball Joints
4. Sway Bar Endlinks
5. Strut Rod Bushings

These are all common ways a vehicle will pull to one side while breaking.
 
okay, I think suspension might be the culprit.

The front drivers side makes a CREAKING noise sometimes. It starts out sounding like rubbing, but goes away once over 10 MPH. When I get out of the car, you can hear it creaking as it raises back up (i'm a heavy, fat SOB).

When I did the brakes, I looked at my brake lines, and they are not kinked or collapsed. The drivers side suspension needs some work, I can tell, but not sure what is what (been a GM FWD person for too long).

Does anyone have a breakdown of the front suspension components?
 
If you go to Rock Auto and drill down thru the parts list you want to key in on the following parts from Moog:

Upper Control Arms (can use T'Bird units if running on coil suspension)
Lower Control Arms (use T'Bird units which are same but cheaper)
Sway Bar links
Strut Rod Bushings (Frame to strut rod)*
Strut Rod Bushings (LCA to strut rod)*

* some folks have had complaints about Moog's bushings and prefer OEMs

Also plan on a four wheel alignment after all the above are installed.
 
No no no!! Buy them from amazon and save 200 bucks. Same parts, free shipping and no tax. Just search for the moog part numbers.

We had a huge discussion about pulling and brakes. I'm still a huge believer that brakes (sticky caliper, blah blah) will not make your car pull like a bad suspension component. First check the strut rod bushings, then upper control arms, then tie rods.
 
tie rods seem to be fine, but the upper balljoint thingie (sorry, GM guy), horseshoe mount, the whole thing is loose, and shakes around.

I am just going to save up for a bit, and redo the complete front suspension.

There is nothing wrong with my brakes other than the fluid is REALLY nasty. I mean like BLACK/GREEN. I am planning on a complete brake fluid flush in the very near future.
 
that "horseshoe bit" is your "upper control arm," or "UCA." I have read that the ball joint at the end of it is in fact replaceable separately, but general wisdom seems to be that replacing the entire control arm is much preferred. (and in your case, required. based on your description.. )

I will soon attempt this on my own Mark, when time allows. Others here may have better information on this procedure. Otherwise a search for "upper control arm" yields some other very useful threads.

This is also the part referenced above that if you still have the air suspension, you have to be sure to order the Mark VIII specific UCA. If yours has been converted from air-ride to springs, the Thunderbird part is a less expensive substitute. This is because of the mount for the ride-height sensor. (it just clips onto a small ball, sticking off part of that arm)

And if I'm totally wrong here, I sure hope somebody corrects me. :)
 
See here.....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref...rds=moog&ie=UTF8&qid=1286901250&rnid=15690151

And if your car HAS the coil conversion, get one of these...(I'm assuming its the LEFT side that you're referring too)(Currently this is cheaper on RockAuto.com)

http://www.amazon.com/Moog-K8596-Up..._1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1286901587&sr=1-1

If your car HAS the stock suspension, get one of these...(Again, currently cheaper on RockAuto.com, but when I bought mine it was $55)

http://www.amazon.com/Moog-K8781-Bu..._1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1286901705&sr=1-1


I recently purchased all the components to rebuild the front end on my Dad's 97 LSC from Amazon and it was almost 200 bucks cheaper than RockAuto (even WITH the RockAuto discount code). Prices seem to have gone up so check back often as Amazon fluxuates frequently.

Here is my invoice:


Final Details for Order
Print this page for your records.

Order Placed: September 8, 2010
Amazon.com order number:
Order Total: $226.45

Shipped on September 10, 2010

Items Ordered Price
1 of: Moog K80053 Control Arm with Ball Joint
Condition: New
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC
$52.82

1 of: Moog K80055 Control Arm with Ball Joint
Condition: New
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC
$50.23

Shipping Address:

Jesse Mueller AROMAS, CA 95004-9753 United States
Shipping Speed:
FREE Super Saver Shipping
Item(s) Subtotal: $103.05
Shipping & Handling: $16.24
Super Saver Discount: -$16.24
-----
Total Before Tax: $103.05
Sales Tax: $0.00
-----
Total for This Shipment: $103.05
-----
Shipped on September 11, 2010

Items Ordered Price
1 of: Moog K8659 Strut Mount Assembly
Condition: New
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC
$41.14

1 of: Moog K8680 Strut Rod Bushing Kit for select Ford/Lincoln/Mercury models
Condition: New
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC
$21.99

Shipping Address:

Jesse Mueller AROMAS, CA 95004-9753 United States
Shipping Speed:
FREE Super Saver Shipping
Item(s) Subtotal: $63.13
Shipping & Handling: $6.49
Super Saver Discount: -$6.49
-----
Total Before Tax: $63.13
Sales Tax: $0.00
-----
Total for This Shipment: $63.13
-----
Shipped on September 9, 2010

Items Ordered Price
1 of: Moog K8782 Bushing Kit
Condition: New
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC
$60.27

Shipping Address:

Jesse Mueller AROMAS, CA 95004-9753 United States
Shipping Speed:
FREE Super Saver Shipping
Item(s) Subtotal: $60.27
Shipping & Handling: $7.94
Super Saver Discount: -$7.94
-----
Total Before Tax: $60.27
Sales Tax: $0.00
-----
Total for This Shipment: $60.27
-----
Payment Information

Item(s) Subtotal: $226.45
Shipping & Handling: $30.67
Super Saver Discount: -$30.67
-----
Total Before Tax: $226.45
Estimated Tax To Be Collected: $0.00
-----
Grand Total: $226.45

Final Details for Order
Print this page for your records.

Order Placed: September 8, 2010
Amazon.com order number: 105-1197789-8157823
Order Total: $64.47

Shipped on September 9, 2010

Items Ordered Price
1 of: Moog K8781 Bushing Kit
Condition: New
Sold by: I Need Stuff (seller profile)
$55.99

Shipping Address:

Jesse Mueller AROMAS, CA 95004-9753 United States
Shipping Speed:
Standard
Item(s) Subtotal: $55.99
Shipping & Handling: $8.48
-----
Total Before Tax: $64.47
Sales Tax: $0.00
-----
Total for This Shipment: $64.47
-----
Payment Information

Item(s) Subtotal: $55.99
Shipping & Handling: $8.48
-----
Total Before Tax: $64.47
Estimated Tax To Be Collected: $0.00
-----
Grand Total: $64.47
 
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