Yes, I searched the archives.

The car rides fine and drives straight (aside from a bent rim).. but under braking it has a tendancy to want to go right - to the point where I have to actually compensate to avoid flying off the road. Visual inspection has revealed nothing out of the ordinary and I can't seem to locate the location where the problem is being caused - I'm assuming the corner with the bent rim (curb), however haven't had much luck locating the problem.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Your problem sounds like it is caused by uneven braking force being applied to the brakes. Several things I would check:

First I would check to see if one of the calipers on the right side is siezed, and not applying. Put the car on jackstands, and have someone apply the brakes to see if the wheels are locked, or still turning. Then I would check the hoses to see if they are blocked. It is not uncomon for a car this old to have a hose deteriorate from the inside out. Then I would check the porportioning valve on the master cylinder.

Good luck.

[This message has been edited by topcat (edited 05-27-2004).]

That could be caused by several things and these are what i would check for:

Right brake caliper binding early(grabbing before the rest)
Right control arm bushing
Worn tie rod ends
those I would check into for this problem.

One possibility is a bad brake hose, if the original hoses are still in place. They can break down internally and restrict flow. I had this happen on my '84. In my case, the car would initially pull to the right when the brake was applied, but eventually fluid would pass through the hose and the braking would even out if the pedal pressure was kept constant. Although it was less perceptible, there was a slight pull to the left when the brake was released, as the bad hose kept that brake engaged slightly longer. If this is the case, you can buy stainless steel braided lines (set of 4) for about the same price as standard brake hoses.

Another possibility is a stuck caliper.

quote Originally posted by AndyLPhoto: One possibility is a bad brake hose, if the original hoses are still in place. They can break down internally and restrict flow. I had this happen on my '84. In my case, the car would initially pull to the right when the brake was applied, but eventually fluid would pass through the hose and the braking would even out if the pedal pressure was kept constant.

Wow, thats new one I haven't heard before! I'll have to check on that, as my car has the symptoms described by both of you.

Another suggestion would be to have your alignment checked. It is possible to have the alignment such that the car will track straight, but on suspension compression, the geometry is all different causing the car to pull.

------------------
'86 Sport Coupe 5 speed w/ rally package, KYB shocks and struts, poly cradle and dogbone bushings, fierostore header, high flow cat, and timing 12 BTDC. Many more mods to come, incuding a real live SUPER DUTY!

start with a good brake bleeding, especially on the front left. If that doesnt help, jack the front, pull the tire, and check the pads & caliper on the front left. look for uneven pad wear, like all inner pad wear or all outer pad wear. if they are uneven, replace the caliper pins, and maybe even the whole caliper. Then do the same for the rear left.

^^^ What they said. I was in denial at first, but I have finally replaced all the calipers and brake hoses and my brakes work good now. As I said recently in another post, I've replaced more brake hoses on my Fiero than my last 40 cars combined!! Calipers too for that matter!

------------------
Three...make that four and counting...
84 2m8 in process
86 GT-?
85 GT-?

Have you taken your tires and wheels off yet to take a look? I had the same problem. Little did i know that I had a blown tierod end, (ball joint???) well i replaced it, and that didnt help the brakeing problem, so i took em back off (tires and wheels) and looked around, well DOH when the tie rod blew, it (the grease) got on the calipers, and thats where you start,

clean your calipers with some brake cleaner, and for the love of god man wear safety glases!! the cans are pressurized like no other, i got sprayed in the face (left eye) with some, that was scarry, only other time i screamed that loud was when i got shot in the eye with a paintball gun..... anyway lets recap, from my experience:: its due to greesy calipers.

oh, easy way to tell is if the stearing wheel yanks your hand(s) over when you brake. if so then its a caliper problem...

throw me a posative rating if that helps....

------------------
Cameron Hoag

~*I want more than this world has to offer.
AIM: CDubbZ111
Year: 1987
Make/Model: Fiero GT
Color: Primer grey and burgundy
Transmission: 5spd Manual
AC PL PW PM sunroof defrost

Thanks guys, I'll be checking it out this afternoon.

+'s around

Check the opposite side for a caliper hang. If you pull right, check the left side.

I just had the same problem on an 88, turned out to be a loose alignment bolt on the upper control arm. It allowed the control arm to move under braking and it would return to it's normal position while driving straight -

Or, it could be something as simple as brake dust buildup in the right front caliper. If there is excess dust trapped on the pads,
then it can cause it to pull harder than the other side.

I would try cleaning and scuffing both sets of pads before buying any parts, just to
make sure.