bleeding brakes= wheel cylinders

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williaml

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I replaced all my shoes all around. I was hoping to find out why when I step on the brakes the car pulls to the left. I was hoping the drum was out of round or brake shoes worn or such. I'm going to replace both wheel cylinders in the front. Do I have to bleed all brakes or just the two front ones?
 
Whoa,....Stop,...(pun inteneded),....but seriously folks,...Before you open up the system,...Didja adjust the brakes??? Usually the self adjusters don't,....raise the wheels offa the dirt and give those adjusters a couple of turns till you just start to feel the drag while spinnin the wheel, then pump the brakes a couple times to "recenter" the shoes. Repeat untill the drag on all four feel the same. This is probably the most forgotten step in 90% of all brake jobs. If all is good you'll have a much higher and firmer pedal and staight line stopping...
 
If you have to open up the system, take a good hard long look at the rubber lines for the brakes,...they have a tendency to "close up" on the inside,...they'll let fluid pass thru under braking pressure, but won't release,....lots of poeple replace calipers and wheel cylinders to no avail cause of bad lines...
 
Perfectly said! right when I read that it pulls, that was the first thing I thought of!

Whoa,....Stop,...(pun inteneded),....but seriously folks,...Before you open up the system,...Didja adjust the brakes??? Usually the self adjusters don't,....raise the wheels offa the dirt and give those adjusters a couple of turns till you just start to feel the drag while spinnin the wheel, then pump the brakes a couple times to "recenter" the shoes. Repeat untill the drag on all four feel the same. This is probably the most forgotten step in 90% of all brake jobs. If all is good you'll have a much higher and firmer pedal and staight line stopping...
 
I know if you have drums up front they have to be adjusted the same or it will pull all day
 
Thanks all but the car pulled to the left before I did the brakes. All new shoes all around and adjusted as to set drag and such.
 
Incorrectly torqued spindle nut will sometimes cause pulling, as well as worn front end parts. Also front end alignment problems and incorrect tire pressure can cause pulling. Mismatched brake drum diameters, rather if one drum is new, and its sister on the same axel has been turned, this can cause pulling. Also any contaminants on brake shoes or drum will cause pulling.

Defective flexible brake lines can cause pulling by delivering unequal fluid pressure to wheel cylinders, and problems allowing fluid returning freely to master cylinder once pedal is released.

Flexible brake lines should be replaced if dry & stiff, cracked, chafed, pulled from fitting, or over ten years old. If you don’t see a date stamped or printed on a flexible brake hose its replacement time is way past due. Change out all three, they are relatively inexpensive, and a big safety concern.

Where you were experiencing pulling before brake work, I suspect bad flexible lines, front end parts, and or alignment problems.

If you have a single pot master cylinder, you will need to bleed out all four wheel cylinders starting with most distant from master cylinder and bleeding to closest. That is starting with: left rear; right rear; right front; and lastly left front.

If you have converted to a duel pot 67 and newer master cylinder, you can bleed a single axel without disturbing the other half of the system.

Pulling brakes need to be corrected ASAP. One can deal with a pull under gentle dry braking conditions. Under wet conditions if hard stopping is attempted the car will most likely become uncontrollable shooting you into oncoming traffic, or out into the pucker brush, same for full lock-up on dry pavement.
 
If you have self-adjusters, back up and stop hard many times. That should tighten all the shoes. Jack up each wheel and try turning it while an assistant gently presses the pedal, just to make sure you get some braking.

Insure parts were assembled correctly. I just removed my 64 Valiant drum brakes and found all adjusters installed on the front side of the plates, even though parts are clearly marked "L" and "R". Short and long shoes were all mixed - 2 short linings on LF, 2 longs on RF, short & long reversed at rears. But the real reason it pulled is that some yokel thought the "grease catcher" cup on the backing plate was supposed to be packed with grease and it got all over the LF shoes.
 
If you didn't have the drums turned....The same with disks. Grooves, grease , brake fluid; out of round. Then start adjusting(you can adjust them the same, but until you press on the brakes, which centers the shoes, then re-adjust, won't be adjusted). One drum larger than the other=pull; the shoe is getting a bigger/smaller contact pattern.
 
Well I was driving the car today and afterwards went and felt each drum. All were warm except right front which would indicate or lead me to beleve that is why the car pulls to left when braking.So do I have to bleed all brakes or just the front ones after replaceing the right wheel cylinder?

Thanks as always
 
Bleed them all - if anything it would remove "air in lines" from the equation.

right rear, left rear, right front, left front.
 
I never thought it was an adjustment issue.... Since it pulled to the left before a I changed the brakes. I think it is the wheel cylinder because the drum was cold and those brakes were adjusted as well.

Thanks guys
 
Yep, it was a bad wheel cylinder replaced it last night. No more pulling to the left.
Thanks to all that weighed in.
 
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