Brian Beathard
You have tried everything. You have replaced the drum, the slack adjuster, the s-cam, etc. and still the driver complains that the truck pulls to the right or left when braking.
When I receive these calls, I can feel the frustration coming from the person on the other end who has seemingly done everything right – and is still having issues with the brakes on one position.
I鈥檓 fond of the statement: 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 fix what you don鈥檛 know is broken.鈥� 聽Meaning, if you can鈥檛 see the problem, you probably aren鈥檛 going to repair the problem.
So, here is a tip you can use when you have tried everything else or, ideally, before you have tried everything else: Purchase a self-leveling cross-line laser to identify those brake issues you can鈥檛 typically see with the naked eye.聽These lasers aren鈥檛 expensive and can be purchased at places like 国产麻豆 Depot or Harbor Freight for less than $50.
Most technicians think they can visually check for a bent spider. Often, you cannot.聽 And at the end of the day, if you鈥檝e tried everything else, a bent spider is most likely your issue.
Look at the picture above and ask yourself if you honestly could have spotted the alignment issue without the benefit of the laser. On the right side, a zip tie is used to extend the visual out past the center of the s-cam head. Note that the laser does not extend through the zip tie. When the laser was set up on the opposite side, the beam continued through the center of the s-cam and through the zip tie.聽 Now consider the fact that, prior to using this laser, the owner had spent a year and a fortune taking this vehicle to shops and specialist without solving the issue.
Brian Beathard聽is a Wheel End Specialist with RevHD, LLC. He can be reached at (844) REV-SEAL.