Brake issues need help

Hey, joined not long ago when I bought a 2008 PreRunner V6 auto. It has 76k on it and I'm having some weird brake issues. When I stop suddenly the truck will pull to one side or the other. It is like one caliper is sticking, but it will switch sides. You can sometimes feel and here the calipers releasing with a clunk when you are taking off from a light. None of this happens all the time, just sporadically. I took it to my mechanic who is very good and had him replace the front pads and adjust the rear. They didn't have an issue when they took it for a test drive to break in the pads. It seemed to work fine for a few days and then some jerk pulled out in front of me and I hit the brakes hard and fast and it pulled to the right hard. So I tried a medium hard stop when no one was around and it pulled to the left this time. It's driving me nucking futzs.

 

Aloha and Welcome Glenlou!! Lot's of info and help here so here's some of my two cents.

Lots of threads about our clicking brake pads. It is very common for our pads to shift in the caliper when going in forward or reverse. You'll here a click and those are the pads slightly shifting. What kind of pads did you replace with, sometimes the clicking is worse with aftermarket pads (OEM will probably be the least noisy.

Now for the pulling from left/right when braking hard did you let the mechanic know? Could be a number of things but do a basic check of tire pressure, check fluid level (might need a brake bleed), were rotors cut and turned or just pads replaced?

 

Welcome to the Forum. You have a problem with the brake caliper on the Left side. Your Taco pulled hard to the right when you braked, this is your working caliper, and the left caliper is not working ans causing the brake pull.

I would suspect that you need to change out the flexible brake hose that goes to the caliper. You need to change both flexible brake lines and that may cure the problem. If it doesn't help, then I would suspect the left caliper being bad. Good Luck.

 

Don't look too hard into a caliper being bad... Much more likely that this could be an alignment issue or as suggested, the lines need to be bled (this is easy and can be done in your driveway, don't pay good money for a shop to do a ten minute job, just do your research first and go at it).

As for the alignment, when you're just driving down the road does it pull either way at all? Good way to test this is to find the flattest section you can and briefly let go of the wheel, the truck should continue in a straight line (I can take off from a light and drive nearly a mile without ever touching the wheel in my car...aka good alignment). If the truck does pull either way, check the tire pressure first and if that doesn't fix it get it aligned.

Hope that helps!

 

AMO
The pads were from AZ top of the line they had, rotors were in very good shape and a very little was taken off them when turning. Whole brake system was flushed with new fluid, I do that everytime brakes are changed. they are not clicking in any way or making any noise. I did let my mechnic know about the issues I was having. Of course it didn't do it for him.

GA
I don't think it is the calipers as it changes sides that it pulls to. Sometimes left and sometimes to the right. I' ve had bad flex hoses before and they would pull at the start of braking then even out when preasure builds while pushing the rest of the way.

New
Alignment is fine no issues at all and tire preasure is checked every week. Preasure is even.

Is there a proportional valuve on these? I read on a nother post where someone had there ECU reprogramed for something like this. But couldn't find the orignal post to confirm.

 

Little confused by your question here.. Proportional value to what? And ECU programmed for what?

 

Most likely talking about proprotional valve which I believe the 2nd gens don't have. Maybe somehting to do with ABS?

 

Makes sense but the abs shouldn't be causing the truck to pull to on side or the other..if so you've got some bigger problems and from my minor knowledge of the full workings of abs you'd be in the market for a new ECU.. Not fun

 

Yes, a porportional valve for the brakes

 

No rear load proportion valve for 2nd gen tacomas.