Maybe the right front caliper is defective or the rotor and pads have some sort of contamination on them. The hoses can also be shot and one or the other is expanding more than the other. The left hose might also be shot internally and not releasing pressure as it should.

 

my old chevy started pulling real bad to one side and like zman said, it was the brake hoses.

 

I too have had some issues with the RWAL and Front ABS. No real mechanical problem just problems when off road or in snowy conditions. There are times when off highway you would really like to have full braking power to actually be able to lock up the wheels to creat a widge of dirt or snow to help slow you down without the ABS pulsing and sending shockloads through out the drivetrain when in 4 wheel drive. And to be able to actually FEEL the breaking force and manually control the lock and unlocking up of the brakes and manually control the vehicle in these situations. Granted ABS can be life saving for emergency braking situations however the ability to turn on or off for needed situations would be great. On my 2001 Dodge ram 4x4 sport auto trans, I attempted to unplug the ABS relay and found that the speedo quit and i only had 1 and 2nd gear. I had thought about incorperating a switch such as Jeep owners have done for many years to have the on off option of the ABS but found it didnt work the same on my ram- resulted in same no speedo and only 1st and 2nd gear. I too also agree that the rears barely help in most braking events and would like to have a more of a 40/60 breaking ratio rear/front with my Ram. If anyone out there could help with the idea of have the option of ON/OFF switch for my ram's abs i would greatly appriciate it. I understand that most mind their Ps and Qs when it comes to something as serious as ABS systems however any modifications that i complete is solely my resposibiltiy not the person that provides the advice or info.
Thanks in advace for all your help!

 

The left is locking, and the right is not, so, either the left side is locking prematurely, or, the right side is not applying enough force. The fact that you have a pull, tells me that there IS a problem there. Rip off the front tires, have a look at the calipers, guides, pins, etc.

How old are your soft lines? They can fail internally, such that they won't pass fluid, and look just fine on the outside.... (they can also fail, such that they HOLD pressure in the caliper.... and won't let them back off. That's always fun.)

Try prying the calipers open a bit, make sure they move easily on the guides, then have someone step on the pedal, and watch what happens.....

 

Just to add to the one wheel locking situation, If your wheel is actually locking- it seems that the ABS may not be working properly. I cant remember what you had stated you had just replaced before you found the one wheel locking issue but maybe something happened during the install or you received a faulty replacement part. I had also heard of this happen when a ABS solinoid/motor had went bad, i beleive there is two in the system. i also had that issue when i first bought the truck. it turned out to be that one of the calipers was hanging up just a bit. i could force it back in with a C- clamp but it would lock and stick and barely release. changed out the caliper and problem fixed.

 

Thank you all for the fast responses. I will try to answer the different questions as best as possible. Ummm, first off, I only have RWAL so there is nothing in the system for the front brakes. The hoses were replaced when I did the rotors,calipers etc. Yes, I agree about the hoses. I had a car that did that once and it surely was the hoses.It has been raining here for a couple of days, so just as soon as it clears up, I will go out and rip the front wheels off and see whats going on. It does seem though that this front wheel problem started after changing the proportioning valve. Some brake fluid may have splashed up on the rotor during all the bleeding processes. You guys have certainly given some good direction and advice. As soon as I can go out without waders on (LOL) I will do it and let you know the results. Thank you ALL very much...spoc.

 

Hi guys;
Back again!!! Well I re-bled the system 2 more times and did get a bit more air out of the r/f caliper. then I tore apart both sides and inspected rotors/pads and cleaned everything.There was really nothing wrong with the rotors/pads. Seems the pulling and L/F lockup has stopped. I think it was the air in the R/F side. Funny thing about this truck. Seems that when you first start to drive it,the brakes really suck. The longer you drive it and the more you use the brakes, the better it gets. The next day when its cold,same thing all over again. Still does not stop good,but is much better than it was. Appreciate all the help. Thank You...spoc.

 

Have you tried replacing the check valve on the booster? Seems like the system is losing pressure either hydraulic wise(when it sits) or the vacuum is not rising as soon as it should. Maybe check for a vacuum leak.

 

I don't think it has a vacuum leak. You can go out in the morning and get a couple of easy pushes on the pedal like when you first shut it off. When I say the brakes get better, I meant the stopping power itself(I should have been more clear). The pedal always remains the same. It just seems like when you first start going down the road it is like you just drove through a stream or something and the brakes are all wet. Then the more you use them, the better they grab. Actually thats a good scenario of how these brakes always have been, driving through a river then them drying out. Thanks...spoc.

 

how about a brake system from a different make of trucks, like Ford, or someone? some make that has a good reliability, as far as braking systems go?