I think I know this answer but I'm going to ask anyway. I was on my way to a meeting this evening when I started to smell a brake odor, then the truck started to pull to the right when I touched the brake pedal. Since I was only 100 yards from my meeting I went in and figured I would worry about it later. 2 hours later I leave the meeting and drive home cautiously and it doesn't act up the whole drive home. So, I think I need to lube the caliper slides based on the way it acted. What do you guys think?

 

That would be the first thing I would check, and one of the easiest to repair if it is sticking.

Welcome to guzzle's Front Caliper Slide Pin Upgrade Web

 

just had a similar problem, but i did do the brake pin lube this summer...ended up replacing both calipers and lines. they must have been dragging a little for some time, because not at certain speeds and rpms i see more boost than i did before and less black smoke. im guessing the drag on the drivetrain with the calipers dragging caused a "lag" of sorts. yeah, but definately try the pins first. when i did mine, i could even get them out. finally with a little MAP heat was able to remove them. the cleaned the braket really good with a homeade sanding stick and lubed up new pins and installed new pin boots. good luck

 

Thanks. My truck sits a lot and I just had new calipers put on about 12k miles ago. Looks like I will be doing that job this weekend. The reason I thinks it's the pins is because of the fact that it didn't act up 2 hours after I drove it again.

 

It didnt act up cause ya werent on the brakes hard on the way home. When slide(s) freeze, they make the caliper-side brake pad do all the work - which puts 2x the heat on that pad. Also, since the other wheel is still using both pads, it grabs harder and 'pulls' that way.

Stuck caliper never lets go and smokes pads to the metal...

 

That's why I was thinking slides. But I do disagree with one thing. Even though I was not using the brakes quite the same on the way home. I did have at least 2 people jump in front of me where I had to get on the brakes hard or run into them. So they did have the chance to get heated up good. Oh well, weekend project!

 

How are the brake lines,they can collapse inside and cause similar symptoms.

 

I will need to look at those also. I am pretty sure they were replaced when the calipers were done. I had that happen on my 81 Corvette. It wasn't very fun driving that one home. I used the emergency brake to slow down. I would have tried that last night with the truck, but these parking brakes are for crap and I haven't done the adjustment yet to them.

 

Just had the brake line go that runs behind the gas tank 75 miles from home.I made it but the nyc traffic didnt make it easy.That was not fun to change,and it rusted clear through,never heard of that problem until it happened,seems common in our trucks from what i read here.