i've had this minute on-going problem with the ole brave blue naTII... the passenger side front brake pulls slightly stronger than the drivers side... my brake lines arent bent, plenty of pedal pressure (original master cylinder from 170k miles ago) etc.

i've noticed that the passenger side wheel always has more brake dust on it, and the pads seem slightly more warn than the drivers side...


so my question is... is this a brake CALIPER issue? or some other kind of brake issue? i'm about to redo my brakes anyways (buying parts off of rarestRX) but i need to know exactly what is causing the problem so i can know what to buy!

 

sounds like a caliper issue to me. sticking piston maybe. the 4 pots are easy to rebuild.

 

but a sticking piston would mean that the one would always be grabbing..

 

for any reason would the driver side need to be bled? has it always been like this? have the rotors been machined or replaced at different times?

 

A sticking piston just means that the piston(s) don't receded all the way back into the caliper, therefore the pads exert slight pressure on the rotor causing excessive brake dust, and more than normal wear. Not enought to cause a complete binding...Yet. Pull pads and try and push the pistons back in. Chances are the lower pistons are the "tight" ones as contamination lives in the lower part of the caliper.
Time to rebuild both front. Fairly easy, not very expensive, but give yourself some time.

 

The passenger side caliper is hanging up, very common for any caliper on an old car. You can take everything apart and clean them up real well. You can try some penetrating oil around the piston and move it in and out a few times (may need a vice). If the calipers are original, they probably need replacing. New replacement calipers aren't very expensive and generally come with everything you need, but they will not last as long as OEM. My advice, get new front calipers and decent pads (Hawk, Endless etc...). When you receive the calipes PAINT THEM before you install them. They look painted when new but it's a very thin coating that the heat will wear off in a matter of days and then a couple weeks later they will be all rusted. Trust me on this, I've replaced calipers a few times on the FC in the past 7 years We offer a few pad choices for the FC if you're interested...I run the Hawks with great success:
http://www.z1auto.com/submodel.asp?m...x7&cat=braking

 

my friend has hawk HP's on his TII and we hate them because the squeak like a nervous mouse in heat.

 

need's new brake hardware/backing plates then. my hp's don't make a sound up front. the rears, i threw the backing plates out, do squeal a bit. with all good brake hardware they should be fine.

 

Bought time you replace the puppy don't you think???

 

Brake lines would also be a good thing to look into if they have 170K on them...a set of new stainless lines and a new master would give you a nice solid pedal since it's likely your brake feel is a bit mushy as is.