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As I continue to restore my dad's 92 GMC pickup, I've got a brake problem that has me stumped. It pulls to the left under hard panic braking, then slightly to the right when the pedal is let off. I've replaced the calipers on both front brakes but it still pulls. Would the next logical step be to replace the brake lines? They are 19 years old. Or should I be looking at the rear brakes, could they cause pulling like this?
Thanks for any suggestions or ideas.
Alignment?
Drives smooth and straight as an arrow except when braking, although there may be some worn out suspension components.
How are the pads and rotors??
Had the exact same problem on my 92. Changing the lines is cheap and easy, but I suspect you'll still end up with the problem. I found it was more related to bearing play and suspension wear. I would change-out the rotors/hubs (integrated), brake lines and all of your ball joints. The problem is probably a combination of those things. BTW - The vehicle will pull in the opposite direction of the bad side.
Rear brakes are not the issue, I'd wager. Also look for steering play. My steering box was a bit loose on mine, adding to the effect.
A $400 investment in the front-end of this truck might seem pricey, but anything less is really just a band-aid. Its a heavy vehicle with worn-out suspension. Do it right and you won't regret.
New pads, calipers and rotors turned. It might be my imagination but after a hard braking and the pedal is let off, it feels sluggish, like it may be dragging.
It was definitely dragging, I could pull up to an incline and after braking, it wouldn't start to roll back and then slowly. Put on two new front brake hoses and complete fluid bleed and now it drives like a champ, straight and true. No pulling or grabbing and rolls freely now. Next time when dealing with brake pull, I would definitely look at the age of the hoses and replace them first.
I see you figured it out, but I'll confirm that this generation of Chevy/GMC trucks have failure problems in the front flex lines for the brakes. Just had the same issue with the drivers front on my 92 Chevy after full brake job last fall, turns out it was mainly the $12 brake hose (they collapse internally).
Yeah, after replacing everything else, it was just the hoses. Funny how I got so used to the pulling that even now when braking I grab the steering wheel tightly anticipating it to swerve to the left. I actually prefer tooling around in it rather than the F250, not to mention gas mileage improved dramatically now that I'm not driving around with the brakes on all the time.