hi guys, first off just wanna say great work with the update!!ok back to the question at hand... i have a 71 2 door maverick with the origional drums all the way around. Now i am starting to have the issue of it pulling hard to the right when i push on the brakes. any ideas of what it could be and what i could do to fix it?? thanks, Jakob
Couple of things (a few actually) to look for from my experiences. Brakes not adjusted correctly. Brake wheel cylinder stuck. Brake hose is bad (can be internal and not visible). Upper control bushings have excessive play. Strutt rod bushings bad.
My first guess is a stuck brake cylinder on the left front, or that brake being out of adjustment. It could be several other things, as mentioned too. Drum brakes are just plain scary at times. I really would consider a front disk swap. Just about every other car on the road now can out-brake you. Never felt so helpless as after just having driven through some bad rain here and had to dry the brakes before they worked again. The faster I made the car, the easier it got to go past the brakes limits, too.
I like what Blugene said. I seen rubber brake line swell under pressure. Also measure drum inside diameter to make sure that it is in spec.
Excellent advise. Four wheel drums are so mediocre that I would consider a front disc upgrade a top priority.
I Have to agree.. WHEN there is a HP increase BUT IF you are running stock size tires the drum brakes are more than adequate. Unless you drive in an area with extreme changes in elevation. On the flat roadway the stopping power is limited to tire adhesion.
What Blugene said is certainly a concern but when this problem is present it usually will lock the brake when sitting still. Also Check the bladder under the master cylinder cap.
That's B.S.. And horsepower has nothing to do with it. Stopping a car with 100 horsepower is just as difficult as stopping a car with 500 horsepower. And if drum brakes were "more than adequate", disc brakes would never have been installed on cars. Where do people get this stuff anyway??
Disc brakes are flat out more efficient in every circumstance than drum brakes. Lighter pedal feel under mild braking, and vast difference in stopping distances in full use. Even Pintos ... very light car, very small tires.... came with them as an option. Drums cease to be "adequate" when everyone else has disc brakes ... the playing field changed. My comment about added HP stems from the gleeful use of it and more applied speed. Slowing a car down from 80 mph takes a lot more braking power (exponentially) than from even 60, no matter what motor got you there in the first place. It's just that the bigger, badder motor gives you so much more opportunity to get yourself in deep trouble.
Hello Larry. It is just my point of view. You may have yours. It is ok to get all the information out there for those who do not have the resources to make an informed decision. From Pintony If you are saying that disc brakes are safer? Then, so is my 2008 Ford 5 star crash rated Taurus.
