97 f150 ext cab 4x4 5.4. New upper and lower ball joints, tires, drivers side brake caliper, hose and rotor and just had a 2nd alignment done on it. Still pulls hard to the left and has a bad wobble at 35-40 mph. Tires dont have 10,000 miles on them and went back and had them rebalanced and still the same problem. Any suggestions?

 

you double check to make sure everything is tight? have you checked your centerlink? is it straight? what about idler and pitman arms. wheel bearings?

 

Ive checked all of that and its all good but I also get a weird sound and vibration. and at certian speeds it seems to make a sound like a brake pad dragging but its not. I v=even tried it without a brake pad in it.

sorry not trying to thread jack. just thought it might be the same problem.

 

did you try spinning your tire by hand? there should be some drag. you shouldnt have to muscle the tire to spin it. CV joints could cause a hum. chekc em for any visible grease outside the boots or if the boots are cracked.

 

yes I tried that, theydont spin at all, as soon as I stop making it turn it stops, as in there is much resistance on both front wheels, boots are good and cv joints are good. could it be the hubs? I just had the passenger hub replaced tho, and the noise is coming from the drivers side.

 

if the tires arent spinning on their own and you have to force them i would take a look at your calipers or brake lines. make sure the pistons on the calipers release, also check your rubber brake lines at the calipers to make sure they arent twisted or pinched or plugged with lining from the hose. you may not be getting a return flow of fluid when you release the brake pedal.

undo the bleeder screws and get a pair of vice grips or channel locks and try squeezing the piston back into its bore. grease the slides/rails and pins on the calipers.

could also be a bearing problem. wiggle the tire at 12 and 6 just like you would a ball joint.

going to have to do a process of elimination.

 

there is no slack or movement in the bearing and the caliper is just fine. with the pads removed it still takes some muscle. and driving down the road even going down a steep *** hill if I let off the gas it slows down pretty fast. could it have something to do with the front transfer case? could it be making that sound?

 

Any chance ive got a bent rim or bad tire???

 

Wouldn't think it would be a bent rim since it only does it at a certain speed ...if it was the tires the shop should have been able to notice it when they tried to balance them...maybe take it to a different shop and have them double check the others work, I know a lot of shops that will screw their customers.

 

Im sure if it were a bent rim, they probably would have let you known when the tires were balanced.