After replacing the front brake pads on my 2000 SD 4WD, the truck pulls really bad to the right. Thought the right caliper was sticking (had a broken boot) so replaced with new caliper. Still have the same problem. What is strange is when you apply the brakes, the pulling stops. As soon as you let off on the brake it starts again. Jack it up and the wheel drags only slightly. Could the ABS system be causing this? Or something else in the brake system?

 

Given the age I would look at the hub bearing on that side might be going out.

 

It only started after replacing the front brake pads. The bearings have already been replaced twice and are tight and roll free. I'm wondering if it has to do with the bleeding sequence and the ABS brake system.

 

Is the right side hub unlocked? Just a thought.

 

Hub not locked. This is the first thing I looked at. I also disconnected the vacuum line to be sure there was no residual vacuum locking hub when engine was running.

 

it is possable that the rh. brake flex hose is collapsed trapping pressure in the caliper, usually with a collapsed hose the pressure will bleed of gradually so by the time you jack it up the wheel may spin unless everything is red hot from the brakes dragging.
rubber brake hoses deteriorate over time and just by handeling the caliper may have caused the hose to collapse. this is only one possability

 

Sounds like a good place to start. Most rubber brake hoses have an inner liner that can separate... and essentially clog the brake line. The brake booster has enough force to push past the clog - but fluid gets trapped on the other side... essentially keeping the caliper closed. How old are your hoses?

 

The hoses are the original hoses.

 

Could there be a mis-match of rotors and hub bearings between pre-march of 99 style and post march of 99?

 

I would check the hoses. If you have a non-contact infra-red thermometer you can temp readings from each side right after driving to see if heat is the same. The hotter side would be the side of the problem. Don't forget the caliper slides as well. If it were an ABS problem I would think that one would have a pulsating in the brakes.

 

If the pulling stops when the brakes are applied - it would lead me to believe that it was the brake, as opposed to the bearing. The next step I would take is to figure out why the brake could be dragging.

The easiest (and hopefully the most likely) solution would be to just replace the brake line and bleed the brakes. You could have it done in a couple hours, it's not too expensive (compared to just having replaced the caliper) and in all honesty it would be good preventative maintenance even if it doesn't turn out to be your fix. It's also a lot less work than tearing the caliper down.

If the 4wd uses similar banjo fittings as the 2wd, ask for the brass washers that the banjo seats against. (they're cheap) Also make sure to go oem on this one. I wouldn't want to trust Chinese craftsmanship with stopping a truck I'm going to be driving. :-)

Does anyone on here think it would help to set the front end on jack stands - and have one person press and let off the brakes while another turns the front wheel to see if it drags more just as the brakes are released?

I haven't had an excuse yet to tear down the caliper on an SD yet - does anyone know of any likely rub points that could be causing the pad to stay closed, or know of any possible problems getting everything aligned so that one side doesn't drag when the pads are new?

 

What is odd is the only time it stops pulling is when the brakes are applied. Looks like the pressure would eventually bleed off while driving if the hose had a restriction.

 

If it stops pulling when the brakes are applied, then you have a stuck caliper or a sticking slide pin on the side the truck is pulling towards.

 

Brand new caliper and slide pins. All slide freely. It's like they are not releasing.

 

one thing you can do is see if you can get to the bleeder on top of the caliper without taking the wheel off, you may have to crank the wheel all the way to the right or left. if so get your jack and bleeder wrench ready. take the truck for a spin untill it is pulling, bring it back home and jack up that wheel and see how or if it spins. if it dont spin or has alot of drag crack open the bleeder, if the wheel now spins freely you have back pressure in the line.