GM-GMC: 1993 Silverado Brakes, pitman arms, grit sandpaper

Question
Hello Mr. Gerhard:

My wife's girlfriend brought me a 93 Chevy 1/2 P/U with the Right brake caliper frozen.  The brakes were smoking...  I replaced both calipers and pads then bled the system with the engine running.  I measured the rotor, but it's still flat.  Now every time when the brakes are applied the truck makes a slight left turn.  It's not quite strong enough to pull the wheel out of my hand, but it's a girls and I'm not sure how she drives…I've used a whole quart of Dot 3 bleeding the system, but haven't gotten out any more air bubbles.  What do you recommend I replace or check next?

Thanks in advance for your time and assistance!

I'm going down to help the folks in Port Charlotte clean up from Charlie on the 24th, but would greatly appreciate your insight on solving the trouble with this crazy brake system.

Sincerely,

Bob Walther
813-789-2077 Cell


Answer
Bob,

 Is the truck equiped with ABS, I'm guessing No since you did not mention it, also since you were getting good flow through both the Brake bleeders that rules out a faulty hose. I have seen these hoses come apart inside and create a blockage. One thiing to check is take it for a drive and check if one wheel is getting hotter then the other, this would indicate that one caliper is working harder to make up for the other. Also make sure the rear brakes are adjusted evenly and in good contition. If one side is adjusted tighter then the other I have seen this create a slight brake pull. You did not mention if the rotor was resurfaced, if not the surface must at least be scuffed-up with some heavy grit sandpaper or else the new pads won't have anything to grip on. I have also seen play in either the idler or pitman arms or perhaps a tie rod end cause a brake pull, this is often miss-diagnosed as a faulty caliper. Simply have a helper wiggle the steering wheel back and forth just enough to take up the slack on both sides, while you visually inspect the joints. Any up/down or excessive side/side play could be your problem. These trucks were really bad for Idler/Pitman arms, they create slack in the steering and will usually show some adverse tire wear aswell. Hope some of this helps!