My daughters 2006 Ford Focus base model has brake problems. When I was taking off the snow tires I noticed the front rotors were rusting out from the inside. At that time the brakes worked fine.
I ordered pads, rotors and hardware and picked up the car a few weeks later. This time the brakes were almost useless, and they needed to be pump up to stop and they pulled. I changed the parts and bled the brakes. When I got done the brakes still needed to be pumped up. I pulled one of the drums and I found the shoes had delaminated. I put it back together and drove it home. It pulled to the right and then to the left when braking hard. I figured it was the missing rear brake.
Today I changed the rear shoes. The brakes no longer need to be pumped up but it still pulls to the right then to the left when braking hard. Both front brakes also drag for a few seconds after braking. They release enough to be pushed with a foot. Now I have to figure out what parts to change next. My thought is that both front brake hoses are bad.
What are your thoughts?
TL/DR I changed the brakes and it still pulls both ways. Hoses?
In reply to pjbgravely :
have you adjusted both rear drum shoes already?
if you haven't done that already I'd start there and just also take the front brakes back apart and relube everything and make sure there's not a defective part somewhere.. like a hardware piece or something
I had a caliper go bad on the passenger front. I think the rust finally got to it. After I put on new pads and rotors, I tookit out and did some high speed bedding of the pads. Afterwards, and intermittent, the car would shudder, violently with the wheel shaking as well.
I think the panic stop bedding finally borked the piston in the caliper. I replaced it, and all has been good.
I'd give the calipers a serious look over.
Also try gravity bleeding the brakes, make sure you don't have a collapsed line.
When I changed the rear brakes I freed and greased the adjusters. I also greased the front pads and sliders correctly. I tried the shock treatment, the left front locked up when I did it. There was no change afterword.
If it pulled to just one side I would change the caliper and the hose on that side. Pulling to both sides, one after the other is what I don't understand. Also the dragging of both front brakes at the same time. Both brakes release completely after a few seconds so I don't think it is a caliper. It may be a hose, actually both hoses, which is strange but not impossible. I will get 2 hoses from Napa for round 3 next weekend.
How easily do the pads slide in the pad carrier? They should fall in and out with zero effort.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
How easily do the pads slide in the pad carrier? They should fall in and out with zero effort.
I wire brush the caliper brackets and I grease the sliding part of the pads when I change them so they slid easily. It pulled before I changed the rotors and pads, just worse after because the rotors were now good. I have had pads decide they no longer fit any more and they had to have the edges ground down. That makes sense for the dragging. I will have to re-check the fit on Saturday.
Ah, so the issue did not start with the new pads?
+3 for failing hoses.
Is there brake fluid in the master cylinder or has someone added an oil based fluid by mistake? I have experienced this at least a half dozen times over the years of doing brake service.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
Ah, so the issue did not start with the new pads?
+3 for failing hoses.
It pulled but the rotors were so bad I it could be barley felt. The dragging may have been there to but not felt. Two weeks before that the brakes were perfect except for the rusty rotors.
outasite said:
Is there brake fluid in the master cylinder or has someone added an oil based fluid by mistake? I have experienced this at least a half dozen times over the years of doing brake service.
I bled the brakes while changing the pads, and afterwards I did not have to add fluid. That means fluid was added at some point so wrong fluid maybe the problem.
At first when the brake pedal went to the floor I thought the it was the master cylinder until I found the rear brake problem. The pedal is normal now. The pull is only for microsecond. When I brake with a loose hand on the wheel it moves to the right, then quickly back over to the left. I am wondering now if it is something loose on one of the wheels effecting steering geometry?
I always change the rubber brake hoses when replacing calipers as I've been bitten by the "stuck" or dragging caliper caused by a bad hose.
did you check the suspension while you were under it? My wife had a Nissan Versa that the front subframe bushings were bad and it caused some weird pulling under braking and acceleration. I've also had bad control arm bushings(I have zero experience with focus's) cause pulling under braking.
rattfink81 said:
I always change the rubber brake hoses when replacing calipers as I've been bitten by the "stuck" or dragging caliper caused by a bad hose.
did you check the suspension while you were under it? My wife had a Nissan Versa that the front subframe bushings were bad and it caused some weird pulling under braking and acceleration. I've also had bad control arm bushings(I have zero experience with focus's) cause pulling under braking.
I did the normal quick check, I shake the wheel, check the tie rods. I didn't check for side to side movement in the ball joints, just up and down. I will have to really test the ball joints on the next repair session. It is normal under acceleration and hard cornering. There is no vibration that I can feel.
The problem is fixed. The left brake hose could not be blown through by mouth. I believe that is what caused the pulling to the right. When the pressure overcame the hose blockage the left brake came on suddenly causing the pull to the left. It is possible only the left brake was dragging but it never pulled upon brake release. I changed both hoses and the brakes work perfectly.
