andyman32

Hi all - first post in a few years. I recently acquired two '05 LS430s, both one-owner, excellent near-perfect condition, one blue with 43k miles and has Navigation, the other starfire pearl with 46k, which has the Ultra Luxury package.

BOTH of these pull to the right under moderate braking. I've read an awful lot of reports of this happening on 400s and 430s and the typical advice is, worn tires / alignment issue.

That would be true if the car GENERALLY pulls one direction or the other - i.e., if you drive in a straight line and take your hands off the wheel. This is specifically only under moderate braking. Light braking and very hard braking both pull straight. Further, both of these cars have mostly-new tires, one just got an alignment, balance and rotation and the behavior is unmodified. I have had a lot of older luxury cars, including, formerly, a '99 LS400, and never experienced braking pull due to alignment or tire wear, and have eliminated that possibility on one of these cars. Typically this is a result of a stuck / frozen caliper piston. But it beggars belief that two completely different cars, and so, so many out there on the web, all have precisely the same issue.

Does anyone here have experience with this problem - and with a solution more than just "alignment"? Is it typical to have the left caliper freeze for some reason? Something funny in the ABS valve block? Not really sure anything other than the caliper either with reduced function, or stuck, could cause it

Thanks for your ideas!

rkw77080

All speculation here - but if you were testing the pull-to-the-right on neighborhood streets, it is likely due to how the road is sloped for drainage. For confirmation, try to drive on the wrong side of the road and see if the car will pull to the left when you apply brake. Just a thought...

andyman32

Yeah, good thought - but, already done, and the pull to the right is consistent. It really isn't just an alignment or road surface effect - it's a forcible tug to the right. You have to push the wheel to the left to keep it straight when braking. Just find it weird - two '05s, different parts of the country, but low mileage, well maintained, displaying the same odd behavior.

rkw77080

Other common causes can be worn brake pads, warped rotors, kinked brake hoses, or worn ball joints.

alanchad

iTrader: (1)

One long shot possible solution is to sell the ultra to me.

Then you would only have one pulling.

So I have solved half your problems.

(Okay, okay, I said it was a long shot)

Alan

tradosauru

Just going to have to inspect brake pads, rotors, ball joints, etc.

andyman32

lol - innovative solution, maybe a little less "mechanical" than the kinds of things I was thinking of...

andyman32

Yeah - good thoughts. Bad ball joints could be a possible factor, although I don't have any other symptoms of bad ball joints - sloppy steering, alignment problems, clunking noise. I just don't want to start throwing parts at it, was kind of hoping there was some sort of common knowledge about what tends to cause it since both of my cars have it with very low mileage, and there seem to be a fair number of mentions elsewhere on the this forum and on others. I guess not...

Thanks!

rkw77080

Here are a couple of tests you can try to troubleshoot...
1. Make sure all tires are the same size and design, and are inflated to the same pressure.
2. Jack the car up so that both front wheels are off the ground. Grab the tire at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position and rock it back and forth. If you feel any free play, you may have a worn tie-rod end or rack-and-pinion. Now grab the tire at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock position and rock it in and out. If you feel any free play, you may have a worn upper or lower ball joint.
3.Take off the LEFT front wheel. Remove the brake pad pin and slide out the brake pads. Examine both brake pads for any oil stains or shinny spots. Note that pulling-to-the-right may be caused by the right brake stopping the car more than the left brake, or put in other words, the left brake slips.

Coulter

This is where I would look after confirming there's no problems with the pads or rotors.

Also might want to flush the brake lines, probably needs it anyway.

rkw77080

Here's a Technical Bulletin about vehicle pulling to one side...

swegyptian

I'll second checking the tire pressure.

Jabberwock

If the lateral movement only happens on braking it may be that one or more calipers (or pads) on one side has some issue where it applies either more or less pressure than the corresponding caliper on the other side. I'd thoroughly inspect calipers, rotors, and pads, and maybe since pads are not expensive and easy to do, replace pads just to be safe.

andyman32

Thanks for the advice - very helpful. All stuff I would certainly do sorting it out. I'll just need to get the cars up on stands and inspect everything. Just gonna have to dig in, I suppose!

hlheaton

Also have a look at the REAR trailing arm bushings on the LEFT side. I had the same problem on my LS 400. When the bushing is worn, braking causes the rear wheel on that side to swing out, causing the rear to swing out to that side, which points the car in the opposite direction (to the right in this case). Took me a while to figure it out. Replacement split bushings are available aftermarket (ebay) if you don't want to spring for a new trailing arm ($$$) like Lexus says you have to.