C5 Pulling sideways under braking

AntonD

AntonD

Member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
143
Location
Boorowa NSW
Hi all,
I have had a problem with my C5 series 2 for a while in that it pulls to the left when I brake. During normal driving the steering wheel is slightly turned to the right and would veer slightly to the left if let go. But when braking the wheels pull initially to the left but then tracks straight.
I had the issue with the shot rear suspension bearings which was worse on the left than the right and the LH back wheel was quite angled in more so than the RH, and I thought that once that was fixed it would fix the tracking problem but thats not the case.
So far I have replaced the front calipers, greased the sliding caliper pins, replaced the brake fluid and replaced the brake pads, but no difference.
Does it need a wheel alignment or something?
Any other ideas? I have run out of ideas. I have owned many many cars over the years but never experienced this one.
Thanks for any help
Anton
 
AntonD said:
Hi all,
I have had a problem with my C5 series 2 for a while in that it pulls to the left when I brake. During normal driving the steering wheel is slightly turned to the right and would veer slightly to the left if let go. But when braking the wheels pull initially to the left but then tracks straight.
I had the issue with the shot rear suspension bearings which was worse on the left than the right and the LH back wheel was quite angled in more so than the RH, and I thought that once that was fixed it would fix the tracking problem but thats not the case.
So far I have replaced the front calipers, greased the sliding caliper pins, replaced the brake fluid and replaced the brake pads, but no difference.
Does it need a wheel alignment or something?
Any other ideas? I have run out of ideas. I have owned many many cars over the years but never experienced this one.
Thanks for any help
Anton
Click to expand...
Anton, correct wheel alignment is essential for a vehicle to track straight. But to do so, it needs good tyres and a flat road. Do not expect it to track straight ahead on the side of a cambered road surface.
Nevertheless, as you have stated, the steering is not level, unless it has been removed and placed in the wrong spot it should be unless the wheels have suffered some humongous potholes to the extent that suspension steering linkages have been damaged.
John
 
The failure of the rubber bushes on the strut lower control arms can lead to bad tracking. The only wheel alignment adjustment is the toe in/out as everything else is dependent on rubber.
 
Yes I figured that the only adjustment is the tie rods. I will check the rubber bushes on the lower control arms. The question though is why does it pull to the left when I start braking?
 
AntonD said:
Yes I figured that the only adjustment is the tie rods. I will check the rubber bushes on the lower control arms. The question though is why does it pull to the left when I start braking?
Click to expand...
Easy, that's when the "forces" start doing their job and place loads on all of the suspension components.
 
Ok so new control arm rubber bushes. I'll keep you posted if that fixes the problem
 
I think bad tracing can also be caused by bad wear patterns on the tyres that have been used with damaged suspension.

So if the bushes appear to be firm, try putting your flattest tyres on the front and see if the situation improves.

Ken
 
Thanks Ken. Yes I think new tyres are in order anyway. The tyres must have been wearing unevenly because of the angling in of the rear wheels prior to fixing the bearings.
 
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