mAdD MAX

Ok my dad was telling me that the Maxima tries to moves to the side when he applies the brakes on the highway.

I asked him about the roads conidtion and he said the roads were smooth so it can't be that.

My guess is the tires need to be rotated??

This is on our '99 Max with 36K kms. And hte tires have never been rotated.

Daniel B. Martin

Perhaps he is describing "brake pull". If one brake is not doing it's fair share of the work it will influence the direction of vehicle travel. This phenomenon is most pronounced when the defective brake is on a front wheel. The car may have a sticking caliper. Check all four brakes. If the car pulls to the left, pay particular attention to the right front brake, and vice-versa.

MaximaMan

So if my car pulls hard to the left under intense braking i should just go ahead and replace the right side brake pads? isthat the only solution? are there any other possible problems besides bad brakes?

d_98SE

I second what our nissan lord and saviour Daniel.B.Martin has to say about the brake pull. Go get new brake's real quick.

Daniel B. Martin

Don't be too hasty about replacing the brake pads. The usual symptom of worn out pads is a shrill squeal or scaping sound made by the wear indicators built into the pads. Brake pull typically indicates a different kind of brake problem such as a sticking caliper.

In any event, it is unadvisable to replace the right side brake pads. Always replace all pads on an axle at the same time. That is to say, if you have to replace any front pads you should replace all. Likewise for rear pads. The reason for this practice is that the new pads will have different friction characteristics than the old ones. Replacing only the right side pads is an open invitation to brake pull, even if you didn't have that problem beforehand.

One way to check for sticking calipers is to drive for a while (5-10 miles), park, and feel each wheel. If one of the calipers is sticking and the brake is dragging, that wheel will be noticeably warmer than the others. Another way to check is to press the pistons back into the caliper bores, just as if you were preparing to replace the pads. If the piston fights you, that is a bad sign. Please refer to the Haynes repair manual, page 9-5, figure 3.5b, for an example of how this is done on front calipers. Rear calipers are a bit more complicated.

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (1)

Yea....tell me about it.....if you don't have the Nissan "tool" you need needle nosed pliers and LOTS of patience....

riggy

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BriGuyMax
[B]

Don't be too hasty about replacing the brake pads. The usual symptom of worn out pads is a shrill squeal or scaping sound made by the wear indicators built into the pads. Brake pull typically indicates a different kind of brake problem such as a sticking caliper.


wow, exact problem im having. car pulls to sides when i brake. and the damn scaping sound. its like youre pulling a piece of metal and dragging it slowly. new brakes or something like that huh, damn, around how much am i looking at?

ps: i thought this had to do with my new wheels and tires that i put on because i got the problem after i put them on. guess not.

max808

Wouldn't the car pull to the side with the sticky caliper, since it would be doing less rotation? I may be wrong.

Daniel B. Martin

Probably not, but there is no firm rule. Here are the reasons the car would tend to pull toward the side with the good front brake.

Case 1) Caliper is sticking with the brake applied, so the brake is "dragging".
The brake runs very hot and is in a perpetual state of "brake fade". That hot brake doesn't work as well as its healthy partner.

Case 2) Caliper is sticking such that the pads never pinch the rotor.
That brake is cold but doesn't work at all because the piston can't move in response to pressure in the hydraulic system.

Daniel B. Martin

This shrill sound could be coming from the brake pad wear indicators. Here is a quote from the Owner's Manual.

Brake pad wear indicators
The disc brake pads on your vehicle have audible wear indicators. When a brake pad requires replacement, it will make a high pitched scraping or screeching sound when the vehicle is in motion whether or not the brake pedal is depressed. Have the brakes checked as soon as possible if the wear indicator sound is heard.

It's difficult to estimate repair costs without more facts. A brake inspection will tell whether you need new pads on two wheels or all four, and whether your rotors are suitable for reuse or they require resurfacing or they require replacement.

Please check into this situation promptly because delay may result in deeply scored rotors and a larger repair bill.

riggy

thanks for this, i have been sitting here on my a$s taking this lightly cuz i didnt think it was a big deal. i will go to nissan tom and get it checked out. thanks again.