front end on my 95 tang seems loose....tends to pull to the left when I brake...no brake noise and the pads look ok. anyone got any suggestions?

 

probably a seized caliper on the right side.

 

If it was a seized caliper the car would continue to pull for a short period of time after the brake was released. Sounds like a worn out shock/strut or bad alignment to me.

 

um... no it wouldn't if the right side was seized (which is the most common side) that means it wouldn't move when you press the brake so only one front wheel would brake causing it to pull.

2nd if it only pull when pressing the brakes IT'S OBVIOUSLY the brakes. and the only brake problem that makes it pull would be either pads worn to metal on one side in which case it's usually a seized caliper again or a seized caliper that won't compress.

 

Sorry, to disagree but yes it would (continue to pull after the brakes are applied). Its more common for a piston in the caliper to be sticky (yet some people still incorrectly call it a seized piston). When a piston is sticky, when the brakes pedal is released it won't move back off the rotor as fast as it should. So the brake will be applied to one wheel longer then the other. This will result in the car pulling to the side of the car that the sticky piston is on. While a completely seized/stuck piston will result in the car pulling to the opposite side.



When brakes are applied, the front end will dive which results in the suspension compressing. When the suspension compresses, the wheels will toe-in slightly (point inward towards the front). If one strut or spring in the front is worn out one side of the suspension will compress more or faster then the other. This results in either one wheel pointing in towards the motor at a different angle or at a faster rate. Either will result in the car pulling to one side. So no, its not OBVIOUSLY the brakes.

btw, I didn't say it couldn't be the brakes. I just said that it sounds like suspension or alignment issue to me.

 

just to point out your the one who said "If it was a seized caliper the car would continue to pull for a short period of time after the brake was released." so no it wouldn't that's not a seized caliper that's a "sticky" caliper.

also usually when it gets to the point that a out of spec suspension is affecting braking to a noticeable point the driver would notice other things wrong before the braking... i would hope anyways, things like excessive tire wear, bad road handling, wandering, head slamming the roof on small bumps. i can personalty tell my caster has been thrown off by negative 0.5*-1* because the steering wheel is acting limper in the middle than it was before and is easier to turn but still is for the most part just as responsive, also lost a little bit of straight line stability.

you are right about it not being the obvious thing (i was in class when i posted last message and wasn't thinking into the whole picture) but in most cases it's the more common one. on my mustang I've gone through 3 or 4 front right calipers cause they all seized, 2 from dealer 1 or 2 from auto store. this last one is a dealer caliper and so far it hasn't seized *knock on wood* for some reason it is ALWAYS the FR one never any others.

brakes are also the easier to check, jack the front up have a friend press the brake lightly, try to spin wheels both, wont spin? good. one spins other doesn't? seized caliper. let the brake off, both spin with a lil friction? good one still stiff or won't spin? sticky caliper. if brakes check out fine then suspension like petrock said but then you have to go to a shop and pay a diagnostic fee, usually they remove the fee if they fix it too. alignments are running about $80 now i think.

 

I doubt most people are that in tune with their car. The front strut went bad (leaked fluid etc) on my girlies 'stang and she and I both didn't notice. I finally noticed dirt covered oil sliding down the inside of the strut when rotating her tires. There was no excessive/noticeable wear on her tires etc.


Disagree there too. Its fairly simple to test your suspension. Just bounce each corner of the car up & down a couple times and then let go. If the car doesn't stop moving after one or two extra bounces then the shocks/struts are on their way out. Another indicator is if you see oil covering the shock/strut, and that oil goes up into the covered area of the shock/strut, then the shock/strut is bad. Both tests do not require jacking the car up or taking the wheel off.

 

that's only part of the suspension. that doesn't check the Caster, Camber, Toe, Steering Axis Inclination, Included Angle, Scrub Radius, Set Back, Thrust Angle, Steering Center, or Toe Out on Turns. Granted not ALL of them apply to a standard alignment but if something got bent it could also make a major affect on handling and offset one of the very important angles like the scrub radius. the suspension consists of a LOT more than just the shock/strut. Spring, control arms, braces, end link, sway bars, ball joint, even bushings going bad can cause a major problem. if the alignment is bad then there's no telling by looking at it or bouncing the corner how far off the alignment is and to check that you need (by current standards) one of those laser/light machines that probably cost $100,000

i stand by my statement brakes are easier to check than a suspension.

 

alignment?

 

You both are going way too far with very little information to go on. OP, does the front end vibrate when you apply the brakes? Does it pull every time you brake? You two need to get over your ego's and ask probing questions to really diagnose what's going on, instead of text battling back and forth whether or not it's brakes or suspension.