Pulling to the right

[santacarl]

Hey all.

Looking at an 01 SSei.

So I'm 'truckin' out on the interstate at about 75 MPH and I notice that I'm pulling to the right. I ease over into the left lane which is slanted to the left and the car tracks back over into the right lane in about 5 seconds.

I kept driving and correcting the pull but is seemed (maybe just because I'm aware of it now) to gradually require more correction to go straight.

A few minutes later the "check wheel pressure" alarm goes off. Ahhhh, that would explain it! Pulled over checked all the tires and all were within 1 pound of pressure of each other.

Both hubs have been replaced in the past and currently the 'roar' of a bad hub isn't there.

About a thousand miles back I had the CV joints replaced with rebuilt (Detroit Axle) complete OEM axles. Front end was aligned.

I hadn't really noticed any significant pulling until fairly recently....

Any ideas?

[95naSTA]

I'm stating the obvious here but I would start by checking for play and drag at all for corners.

[santacarl]

I'm stating the obvious here but I would start by checking for play and drag at all for corners.

Thanks for the response. I'm pretty sure about "play" but what would cause "drag"?

[95naSTA]

Drag meaning the wheels are hard to spin due to a seized caliper or wheel bearing issue. You would have to be in neutral for the fonts.

[santacarl]

Drag meaning the wheels are hard to spin due to a seized caliper or wheel bearing issue. You would have to be in neutral for the fonts.

Ahhh....well DUH on me...Haha... I should have realized that...

I thought about relacing the calipers the last time I did the brakes but at the time I replaced the master cylinder and the rotors along with pads on all 4 corners so the budget didn't allow new calipers...

These are the originals (22 years old....180K) so they probably are highly suspect given the fact the wheel pressure warning alarmed...

When I get a bit of time I'll go spin the wheels and see..

Doing a quick check on calipers about the only thing I find are remans....I usually try to avoid someone elses' worn out parts. The passenger (right) side is the most scarce. So far the only non-reman I can find with both front calipers are from Ultra-Power but I have never used their stuff and have no clue as to their quality... I'm hoping someone can chime in on them or recommend a supplier that's good.

[95naSTA]

I wouldn't jump on all new calipers unless they're seeping or leaking. A lot of times the caliper guide pins are what seize up. I've never had them so bad that they made the car pull but it's possible.

[analogkid455]

Cradle bushings could cause it, too. Have you heard any creaking up front?

[santacarl]

Drag meaning the wheels are hard to spin due to a seized caliper or wheel bearing issue. You would have to be in neutral for the fonts.

Ahhh....well DUH on me...Haha... I should have realized that...

I thought about relacing the calipers the last time I did the brakes but at the time I replaced the master cylinder and the rotors along with pads on all 4 corners so the budget didn't allow new calipers...

These are the originals (22 years old....180K) so they probably are highly suspect given the fact the wheel pressure warning alarmed...

When I get a bit of time I'll go spin the wheels and see..

Well....the last brake job (a couple or 3 thousand miles ago) I relplaced the pins with AC Delco pins (P/N 18K943). Didn't pull at that time. Even now when you hit the brakes there's no notable difference in the pull. So the only thing I can think of , regarding a pin, would be that the pads don't retract (or back off to neutral). I can't imagine a new pin would suddenly start sticking as it has new lube too. It's possible I suppose but I wouldn't think the probability of it being a "failure mode" very high.

Doing a quick check on calipers about the only thing I find are remans....I usually try to avoid someone elses' worn out parts. The passenger (right) side is the most scarce. So far the only non-reman I can find with both front calipers are from Ultra-Power but I have never used their stuff and have no clue as to their quality... I'm hoping someone can chime in on them or recommend a supplier that's good.

[santacarl]

I wouldn't jump on all new calipers unless they're seeping or leaking. A lot of times the caliper guide pins are what seize up. I've never had them so bad that they made the car pull but it's possible.

Well I replaced the pins on all 4 corners when I did my brakes last (2-3K ago). Used AC Delco P/N 18K943(front) and 18K207(rear). Didn't pull afterwards.

So I'd think the pins being a 'failure mode' isn't a high liklihood. But, like you said, the pins would cause such a drag moreso than the caliper itself.... I suspect if the brakes are dragging I'll see pad wear when I get the chance to pull the wheels.

BTW....stupid question. Does a right rear also cause a pull to the right?

[santacarl]

Cradle bushings could cause it, too. Have you heard any creaking up front?

Nope...not so much as a peep....The front end was aligned less that 1K ago so I'd think a bad cradle bushing would have made itself known then?

[nos4blood70]

I've had wheel hubs fail "quietly" but have play and causing pulling.

[zombie112]

Did the pull start happening right after the alignment? or shortly after? Possible they did the alignment incorrectly or left something loose? I'd take it back and see if they can give you an idea.

Did you happen to check your front struts/coil springs for failure or a snapped spring? It doesn't seem to be super common but does happen, I had an 02 about 10 years ago and I was driving around for a few days with a snapped spring thinking it was an alignment issue. Also, my wife's Kia managed to snap one of her springs a year ago because the roads in our area are wonderful lol

[santacarl]

Did the pull start happening right after the alignment? or shortly after? Possible they did the alignment incorrectly or left something loose? I'd take it back and see if they can give you an idea.

Did you happen to check your front struts/coil springs for failure or a snapped spring? It doesn't seem to be super common but does happen, I had an 02 about 10 years ago and I was driving around for a few days with a snapped spring thinking it was an alignment issue. Also, my wife's Kia managed to snap one of her springs a year ago because the roads in our area are wonderful lol

Well, it was several hundred miles after the alignment. So if they didn't tighten something I suppose it could take a while to show up. I still haven't been able to pull the wheel yet....it's blistering hot right now....I don't drive it a lot so I thought I'd wait until it cools down a bit. If I can't see any wear on pads or find anything else that seems off I'll take it in to the shop to check the alignment and see if they can see anything.

[santacarl]

UPDATE:

Ok....pulled the right front wheel. Pads evenly worn....pins like new. Regreased and buttoned it up. Still pulling.

Jacked up the back and gave the rear wheels the old spin test. I get a good 3 revolutions out of the right rear tire. On the left I only get 1.5 revolutions.

So....sanity check....if the left rear were to be 'dragging' which way would the car pull?