Brakes pull to left

[Mgardstr]

I just purchased a 1979 2000 5spd that had only been driven 3K miles in 10 years and otherwise has sat in a dark garage. The master cylinder was replaced 11 years ago and everything on the brakes worked fine. The seller said the brakes had been working fine, but during a test drive they suddenly locked up on the left front, getting real hot and caused the car to suddenly dart to the right. I replaced the left side brake hose and the lock up went away, but now, instead of darting the right, the car darts to the left. The brakes are no longer locking up as they did before I replaced the brake hose. I have tried bleeding the system twice. Once with the mityvac and once with my wife pushing the brake pedal. No more air comes out.

I'm just a hobby mechanic, so I have a few questions:
1. Is it possible the brake pad was damaged by the heat when the left caliper locked up and it is causing the brakes to pull to the left?
2. Could this be a bad master cylinder? Does the master cylinder work diagonal in case of failure, or does it always just work all four wheels?
3. I couldn't get the right side flex hose loose from the steel line. Is having a new flex hose on the left and an old one on the right an issue that might cause pulling to the left?

It's not drivable in this condition. Too squirrely!

[DieselSpider]

If it has been sitting mostly for 10 years and one rubber hose needed replacing than likely all the rubber hoses need replacing and all the caliper guides need cleaning and lubricating with silicone brake grease and the entire system flushed of all old brake fluid.

While your at it inspect the brake pads for uneven wear comparing the left side to the right and replace the entire set on that axle if they aren't all the same thickness.

Personally I'd treat it as if it had not been maintained and go through it from one end to the other. Don't forget to flush the coolant either. Even a seldom used car needs to have the coolant and brake fluid flushed every two years regardless of how many miles its driven.

Check the date codes on all the tires too as you do not want to be running on any tire that is over 5 years old especially if it had a hot brake situation to deal with.

[lglade]

When I bought my car, the bushings in the steering idler were missing (having worn out years before) and my car would pull badly under braking. If you jack up the front of the car and grab the passenger wheel, you can push/pull on the forward side of the wheel and feel about 1/4 inch of play, if your idler is worn out. The bushings are easily replaced and only cost about $10. Replacing the bushings fixed my pulling problem.

Lastly, there were two styles of idlers, the first ones were filled with oil and had bearings (I believe) and the later style which had bushings. I believe your car will have bushings, as mine did.

[DRUMMOND]

As DS said you need to go over all the braking/steering/cooling/lubrication functions of your car. 10 years is a long time and expecting the car to be drivable is not realistic,
the Spider is pretty basic, being a home mechanic should be no problems 90% of the time and you will find everyone here will chime in to help.

[Mgardstr]

Drummond,
I've been going over everything as you mentioned. Even though the car was seldom driven over the last 10 years, it was serviced and has had serveral new parts installed. It's not a barn find, but a lightly driven car.

[redcars]

I have had a brake pull when the caliper on the opposite side had corrosion under the sealing ring making the piston harder to move.

[Frog2Spider]

Not enough can be said about the importance of assuring the safety of steering and brakes, on any car!

Many parts of a car actually wear faster when sitting, than they do when driving, and the brake system is diffidently the most vulnerable.
As stated in another post, if one brake line was bad, ALL the others are ready for replacement also. This includes the rear lines.
Brake fluid is highly corrosive and absorbs moisture.
After 10 years, flush the brake lines, and replace the master cylinder. Use ONLY DOT 3 NON-SYNTHETIC fluid.
You mentioned that the front brakes had froze. This likely caused the rotors to get heated and they are most likely warped. Replace them.
The front stock calipers on the Spider are, at their best, archaic! They move on wedges that constantly get brake dust and road dirt in them, and only work evenly for a short time after cleaning and lubricating. If the budget allows it, I'd recommend 'biting the bullet' and buy the new style brake calipers that move on telescopic like cylinders. ($450 for 2 fronts, calipers and rotors. From Vick's) The difference in braking and reliability is amazing!
The rear calipers incorporate the emergency brake system. I'd recommend replacing them also, as rebuilding them is a PIA!
Don't forget about the rear propositioning valve and the linkage. Without it working correctly, you'll have no rear brakes.
Replace all the pads. You know they are at least 10 years old, and more likely hard, brittle and not evenly worn.
The lesson I've learned (I've owned 3 Spiders) is the more things that you can do to upgrade the car, the more time you will have enjoying it.
And the old rule of mechanics 'rings true': If you can't afford to fix it right the first time, you diffidently can't afford to do it twice!
They are a great car, and once you 'de-bug' it, you'll love it!

Dave.

[Mgardstr]

Dave,
Thanks for all of that.
Just curious, but I've always used Castrol brake fluid dot 4. It says it is compatible with dot 3.
What's going to happen if dot 4 is used? I googled it and there is no big warning not to use 4 in old 3 cars.
Just asking.

[Frog2Spider]

Mgardstr ...
DOT 4 is OK, as long as it is NOT synthetic! If you are flushing the lines, replacing calipers and master, its best to pick one (DOT 3 or 4 ) and stick with it.

Courious: where are you located?
Dave.

[Mgardstr]

I'm in Pelham, Al.
I thought all dot 3 or 4 brake is synthetic?

[Mgardstr]

Replaced all hoses, flushed fluid and lubed/cleaned wedges. Inspected pads.
Car stops straight now and no sign of warped rotors.
I think the original hoses had internally broken down.

[DieselSpider]

I'm in Pelham, Al.
I thought all dot 3 or 4 brake is synthetic?

Yes and no. Still a different base between the traditional ethylene glycol which can be considered a synthetic and a modern synthetic fluid. The older rubber lines especially will come apart internally with the newer formulations of brake fluid that the old formulation DOT 3 won't harm.

You also need to be concerned about compatibility issues if you mix the two different bases together as some of the rubber products in the older cars can have a even worse reaction when the two type of fluid are combined.

[Mgardstr]

diesel,
So, if the PO replaced the M/C and rebuilt the calipers, and I just replaced the rubber hoses, should all the rubber be modern rubber and compatible with Dot 4?

[DieselSpider]

diesel,
So, if the PO replaced the M/C and rebuilt the calipers, and I just replaced the rubber hoses, should all the rubber be modern rubber and compatible with Dot 4?

Not necessarily so unfortunately. The previous owner of mine had done that and had trouble bleeding the brakes so he took the car to Tire Kingdom who flushed the DOT3 and replaced it with DOT4. 6 months later the cups and seals in the new Beck and Arnley master cylinder had turned to mush. The calipers though did not appear to be affected while the hoses new and old delaminated internally requiring all to be replaced.

I would put it as a roll of the dice on the DOT4 unless each part supplier certifies their parts will hold up to newer formulation Full Synthetic DOT4. No absolutes here you might get lucky or not.

[Frog2Spider]

Mgardstr ...
Dot 3 and Dot 4 are available in both Synthetic and Non-Synthetic. Sometimes you need to look a little harder for the non-synethic, but it is readily available.

Dave.