All,

First - Thanks for your help in the past. I have a 99 f350, v10, 4wd, reg cab that has a pull to the right. Even on a flat road you can't let go of the wheel for more then two or three seconds before the truck drives off the road. I've replaced all of the front linkage, ball joints and 1 hub bearing so the front is nice and tight. Had it aligned twice. New 265/75/16 Revos didn't change the pull (at the reccomendation of the forum - Thanks, nice tires). Calipers are free. Pull is the same regardless of speed, load or brake application. The alignment shop is at a loss even suggesting the frame may be bent.

Last weeks alignment has it at:

0.1 Front Camber 0.0
2.6 Front Caster 2.5
0.01 Front Toe 0.09
8.4 Front SAI 8.2
8.5 Front Inc angle 8.2
0.22 Front lateral offset -0.02
0.01 Cross Camber
0.0 Cross Caster
0.2 Cross SAI
0.09 Total Toe
-0.11 Set Back
0.38 Wheelbase Diff
-0.24 Track width Diff
-0.02 Rear Camber
0.21 Rear Toe 0.02
0.01 Rear Cross Camber
0.23 Rear Total Toe
0.10 Thrust Angle
0.27 Set Back
0.10 Axle Offset

Does anything in these reading suggest the frame or an axle may be bent? Are these numbers pretty normal for one of our trucks?

I'd appreciate any comments anyone may have. I'm pulling my hair out and I don't have much left.

Thanks!

 

Did you check the rear brakes also. A rear brake dragging can also cause a pull and also another place to look would be the power steering box.

 

yes - I did check the rear brakes also. They are nice and free. I thought about the box but really didn't know how to check it. What I did do was jack up the front with the engine running and noticed that it stays where you leave it. That is if you leave it on the jack and watch the front wheels they don't move.

Thanks.

 

Did you lube the caliper slides and put a dial indicator on the rotors front and back?
Also when have the pads been changed ?
We have seen the wrong brake pad material (hardness of the pad itsself cause this problem) There was a tsb out on the problem from Ford there parts supplier had mixed up the types of material in boxes being sold at dealers.

If you had a bent frame the truck would drive of the road at anytime not just when you hit the brakes.
Also is the trackbar bushings tight or the mounts?
Rich

 

I remember seeing that TSB when I researched the site prior to post. The truck had new pads and rotors put on before I got it. I don't drive the truck a whole lot so they are still in good shape. I did lube the pins when I was checking to see if the calipers were free. Doesn't matter anyway I don't think because the pull is the same whether or not I'm appling the brakes.

Someone suggested that the trackbar mounts were sticking so I replaced them with a set of daystar polys. They are nice and tight.

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

What kind of shape are the spring clips in that hold the pads off the calipers? There are 2 clips that slip into tiny holes in the pads and they apply slight pressure to keep the pads off of the rotors when the pedal is not being pushed.

If they are on the truck make sure they are in good shape and both have the same amount of spring in them. NAPA sells them in the hardware kit for about 15 bucks per side.

My truck had a bad right pull and one of these was missing completely causing the pad to drag on the rotor all the time. I changed them and also noticed the drivers side springs did not have the same amount of tension, and sure enough the little bit of mismatch in tension caused the pads to wear differently from top to bottom.......

 

Check to see if the locking hub is disengaged.

Swap the front tires...sometimes even the simple things can prove as the culprit - and, yes, even new tires. Just switch them and see what happens.

One more thing: On these '99 models it really does make a difference if the lug bolts are snugged properly in sequence.