i'll save the long story and tell you the problem.

my car was pulling slightly to the right, but i assumed that it was just the road. then it started to pull really hard to the right, enought where you had to keep force from it pulling itself over. i also noticed that when i let off the gas it would slow down considerably; so i pulled it over right away.

well i get out of the car and the front right wheel starts emiting smoke from the brakes. the pads are relatively new as well as the rotors (3,000) or so and the rim was extremly hot to the touch.

I drove the car home after it cooled down (no other way) but i'm not sure what the problem is or where to start so any suggestions would be great.

 

sounds like maybe your brake cylinder got stuck in the pushed out position. when letting off the pedal, the pads stayed engaged on the right side, causing your car to pull, and slow down when letting off the gas. also why it was hot as hell,,,the pads were probably riding the rotors the whole time.

i have no idea what would cause the brake cylinder to fail like that, maybe it just got stuck and u can push it back in with a c-clamp, maybe not. when u fix it, you'll probably need new brake pads, maybe new rotors. even tho the left side was ok, change brake parts in pairs, unless the left was like very new, you might be able to get away with just changing the right side.

 

It could also be that the brake hose collapsed internally, and actually sealed the pressurized fluid inside the caliper. Commonly, if a +10 yr old brake hose collapses, you'll get the car "jerking" to a side when you hit the brakes, since the hose delays pressure.

But, my dad had that caliper-lock-up problem on our old Oldsmobile. He replaced the caliper, and had the same problem right away. He changed the brake hose, and all was well.

I bet if you replace the brake hose (as you should, by now!) along with the caliper, everything will be fine. And definately replace the other side's hose!


------------------
-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

thanks guys, those are great suggestions; anyone else?

 

I had the same thing happen on my old chevy van, i replaced the caliper and the problem was gone. The piston was just frozen.

 

Replace both of the calipers ($13 each!!!) and the flex hose ($~20?) A similar thing happened with my Talon... smoking pads and a cherry red rotor, all was fine once i replaced the caliper.

 

13 a caliper are you serious?

 

Wow, any other feedback guys???? seriously, i think this is what happened with me, my cars out front on stands, how hard is it to replace that rubber hose? and the calipers, what torque bit is it like size? it wouldnt by chance be the same as the seatbelts?


ugh, ,so aggravated, yea the rotors are so frekin hot, burned hand, and the pads look a quarter inch thick plus,

13 bucks... crazy,


Thanx!

 

Same thing happened to me and my brothers camaro. I had to let the car sit for an hour or so and then it was OK again. I replaced the entire brake system except the lines and it kept doing it. As soon as I replaced the flexible line everything was good as new. What happens is that the rubber inside the line corrodes and a flap will come loose and actually maintain pressure in the caliper after you release the pedal. After a while the pressure finally equalizes and cools and you're good to go for a while until it happens again. It is a VERY common occurance with these cars and should probably be in FAQ. Someone else had the same problem yesterday. Changing these parts is very easy.

$12/caliper Pep Boys with core

$100 pressure reg/proportioning valve. Pontiac dealer special order

$20/hose Pep Boys

 

sorry........forgot the update.

i replaced the caliper and followed all the necessary steps for bleeding the brakes. it seemed to fix my major problem.

it worked enough, but when i remove it from storage i plan on adding braided brake lines and possibly some better calipers.......granted these do work descent, but i want a lot more stopping power.


i'm still having a problem with the car pulling to the left now, the car is aligned and everything seems to spec. but, it seems to make a loud noise when i turn the wheel real sharp when parking. so i'm thinking it's time for lower ball joints.......what do you guys think?