My truck has had an issue pulling to the left under moderate to hard braking for some time now and I am completely stumped as to what it could be. I even gave up and took it to a shop to have them look at it. At this point, tires have been rotated, front tires swapped side to side, new drums, shoes, and hardware in the rear, and new calipers, rotors, and brake hoses up front.

The shop I took it to checked the front end before doing the brake work and although they said there is some slight wear, nothing is out of spec. They even put it on the alignment rack and it's perfect. They drove it by three other local shops to get their input; all of whom pointed to the brakes as the culprit. Once they heard all the work was done, they said rebuilding the front end is the next logical step.

The shop is actually sending it to the dealer tomorrow to get their input and the main mechanic working on it is thinking the only other thing it could be is the springs need to be rebuilt, as they are original and the bushings are shot and starting to fall apart.

Any other suggestions? I'm pretty far into it already money-wise. I don't mind spending more to get it fixed, but I'm tired of throwing money at parts that aren't fixing the problem.

Thanks!

 

if your spring bushings are bad, that very well could be your problem.
replace the 4 spring bushings, shackle bushings in the frame, and the center axle pivot bushings. then get the front end re aligned, and you should be good.

 

Thanks for the input Tom; hopefully this doesn't take too big of a bite out of the wallet.

The shop suggested getting the springs re-arched, as they are showing some sag, but, at that point, I'd likely need to do the same to the rear to keep it looking right. I'm sure the rears are sagging at this point, too. Eventually I plan on buying a camper, which means I'll need some heavier duty springs in the rear anyway; the ones that are on there don't even have any overloads.

 

i bet once all the bushings are replaced the "sag" in the springs will not be anywhere as noticeable as they are now.

 

Very well could be the spring bushings, also take a real good look at ball joints they are a common problem on fords and could cause this problem under braking. I don't know your experience or comfort level working on your truck but I wouldn't like anyone touching my truck if they have to take it to 4 other people for a "second opinion" just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I meant to post an update sooner, but got busy with the holidays and completely forgot. I took the truck into the dealer for a diagnosis and it ended up simply needing an alignment; apparently the caster was WAY off.

I still get a very slight pull under initial application of the brakes depending on the road crown, but it straightens right back out and tracks true all the way to a stop whether it's a casual slow down or emergency stop. The truck has never braked this well since I've owned it and the alignment got rid of a lot of the wander it used to have when cruising in a straight line.

Makes me glad I didn't give up and buy a new truck; there's just something about these old 7.3s that make them a joy to drive when they're running right.

 

Sounds to me like a ball joint problem for sure now. Bad ball joints will cause your alignment angles to change caster to be specific. Did they check upper and lower ball joints? Is this a ttb front suspension?

 

typical with a TTB suspension. nothing to be worried about.

 

Yeah, it has a TTB front suspension. Upper and lower ball joints on right side were replaced a couple years ago. The left side was inspected at the same time and determined to still be within spec. The left side was checked again during this last round of work by the independent mechanic I had do the brakes and the dealer. Both shops said there is some wear, but they are still within specs and I can get some more time out of them.

My guess is the slight pull I'm still noticing will go away once I replace the left side ball joints, but I will wait until they need replaced before digging back into it. Hopefully I can go another year or so since I know I'm on borrowed time for an injector rebuild and glow plug service, as none of it has been touched since new to the best of my knowledge. I actually think the left side ball joints are originals; not bad for 19 years and 197K miles.

 

I know I'm reviving a pretty old thread, but I thought I'd post an update for those that are interested.

I just got the truck back from some more front end work, as the left side ball joints gave up the fight on my 3K+ mile trip to Moab and back towing my camping trailer in February.

This time around everything that was replaced included left upper and lower ball joints, front leaf spring and shackle bushings on both sides, repacked front wheel bearings and seals (AGAIN!), all U-joints in the rear drive shaft, rear diff pinion seal, and another alignment to round it all off.

The truck is an entirely new animal and the front end feels as good as new! It tracks better than ever, there's virtually no slop in the steering wheel (something I thought impossible on these old trucks with TTB suspension), and it is much more responsive to steering input. It also now rides like an empty dump truck instead of a full one, which I attribute to the spring and shackle bushings that were worn away to virtually nothing. Who knew shot bushings absorbed bumps so well?

All in all, I'm very happy with the truck now that the brakes and loose front end have finally been fully addressed. Maybe I'll keep it around a few years longer.