buggy problems about steering/brakes

[orangechallenger]

I got the 1995 Mark 8 three weeks ago, i didnt find problems at first ( but i didnt have a test drive on higher speed, since i didnt have license then) but now the car pulls to the right after hitting the brake at medium ( it's all okay when it's fully pressed, or just a bit) and when the car is parked, the steering wheel doesnt pull back from right for a certain amount ( it pulls back from left though )

i went to few shops, and one younger guy told me it's probably the problem of ABS unit, since they didnt find anything wrong on mechanics parts , calipers ( which after replacing them ... previously, it's improperly installed ) is okay, and they adjusted the brake oil pressure, along with suspension height check, rotors are fine. he suspects it's from ABS giving wrong pressure to left and right brakes, making the car pull to the right after hitting brake in the middle.

in the same shop, a much older guy found the steering wheel doesnt pull back from right ( today. he replaced the worn out front suspension arms for me earlier ) and he says there is definitely something wrong with steering parts. he says maybe the problems come from rack and pinion, or hydraulic system ( he suspects the pressure isnt enough to pull back the steering wheel ) but i feel the car right now just doesnt steer in a balanced way, so i suspect rack and pinon more. the older guy doesnt recommend me replace the parts, as he knew from a call that those could cost $2000 to fix. and he feels that's the reason why the previous owner traded the car, despite very clean and very low mileage ( and i just paid $4500, it's around the value from Kelley blue, if slightly lower or so. excellent example is listed at $5000+ ) and thats where it needs to be fixed.

i feel, unbalanced brake pressure could be true, and it could damage the rack and pinion. im not sure about the hydraulic system, so far it just works fine despite not pulling back from right. i just suspect the problems could be fixed temporary by replacing the rack and pinion. on usual driving conditions, the steering works very fine, so im not sure if it's the problems from rack and pinion. mechanics tell me if that part is broken, it can be felt more clearly ( the car just pulls to right very little bit when drive straight. and sometimes it pulls to left, i guess it could be from the road ) but the steering wheel pulls to right very clearly when brake is hit ( oddly, in very rare cases, it pulls to the left) but the steering problem mostly comes with brake, as steering feels all okay on highway, unless it can be seen when parked, it doesnt pull back from right.

any ideas?

 

[97MarkJA]

What do you mean the caliper is improperly installed? Who installed them and what's wrong?
A worn rack could do strange things. Bad inner and outer tie rods could also cause issues.
Stuck caliper would pull as well.
I've seen a bad alignment do just as you described also.
If the car pulls left and right.... And dives right when you hit the breaks I would guess alignment or severely worn parts.
The abs part only comes into play if it is activated so I call BS on that one. Now if someone replaced the calipers and didn't bleed the abs pump/lines correctly that could cause issues as well.

J

 

[chris2523]

the ABS system is completely inactive until wheel lock up occurs. the ABS is not interfering on a normal stop.

it needs lower ball joints, and it needs an alignment.

the lower ball joints get loose and cause the pull when braking.
this looseness causes friction, keeps the wheel from returning to center.

then get an alignment, the caster is crucial to getting the steering to want to return to center.

been there done that.

get new front lower control arms. check the uppers, it probably needs those too.

 

[97 Octane]

:W to :V


+1

I had similar issues when I first test drove my ' 94.

First, you want to make sure all of your four tire's air pressure are at the factory recommended 30 psi if you still have 225x60-16s. Dissimilar tire pressure makes chasing your gremlins more difficult.

My suspension bushings were the culprits. They were the original bushings and were so worn, it allowed one of the lower control arms to be severely off caster making the car pull to the right.

It also affected my braking, causing the front wheels to pulse or wobble. It was mis-diagnosed by a professional to be a warped brake disk. Sold me ones they had in stock along with up selling me brake pads and it did not fix the problem. Lesson learned.

There may be more issues that needs to be diagnosed.

Congratulations on your purchase. Joining LVC is the best thing you've done to help get your car back in shape and avoid losing your sanity to shops who don't know the Mark VIII very well.

 

[orangechallenger]

i see, thanks. in a bodyshop near BP Gas station, two repairmen replaced the calipers, since the previous right caliper was stuck ( that my car almost pulls to the right lane! even it still pulls right now, but it doesnt pull that much ) , that caliper was installed either by the Chevrolet dealer, or the previous owner.

alignment was performed already with one whole day's check and adjustment, bleeding lines plus new oil pipes, and ABS unit problem was the repairman's thought. I can clearly see how frustrated he was, since he didnt charge me for labor despite really tough work. but that guy doesnt believe rack and pinion is worn.

 

[orangechallenger]

i see, alignment was performed, and the frustrated repairman thought about the ABS unit stuff like that.

i will look up the joints, it's definitely something new to me, repairmen didnt mention that neither. and i will look up the lower arms.

the upper arms were just replaced, the ball joints almost fall apart! it took the older guy really many hours and tough work to get them replaced, since it's needed to disassemble brake oil pump and many sensors for his tools to reach the screw to replace the upper arms. btw, it has really loud squeezing sound....

 

[orangechallenger]

oh ya, thanks. i need to check up the pressure too, we all forget it...

i will see the bushings too, i think it makes sense too.

i feel the hydraulic system is all right, and thats quite a pricy part, and i think that's the part i cant afford repairing ( plus ABS unit )

it's indeed a nightmare for all claimed professionals ( and that's kinda a good way to figure out how good a bodyshop is ... lol ) and i came to that bodyshop after seeing there is a '94 Lincoln Continental parked outside, i feel maybe they know more about those older luxuries than others....

 

[orangechallenger]

ya, other minor problems to count, but i guess those could be just fine...

the electronic seat on the right is stuck sometimes, mostly it will be just fine. radio on/off button is too worn to hold itself sometimes, i have to rotate to another angle to switch it off, and previously the door ajar problem, now fixed by WD40+silk lub, and tape player has one motor broken ( too weak to rotate fast enough ) and thus i have to use the remaining one to play tapes ( and manually flip all tapes )

btw, it's my first car. it's really a beast, and i think it needs a lot of care. i drive chevrolet cruze and vw passat MKII before, it's quite a different model to me...