Ok, as the subject states, my gf's 99 Accord(4cyl) is behaving a bit abnormal when slowing down at 50-60mph+ speeds. The car has just had, within the last couple hundred miles, new front rotors/pads in the front, new drum jobs on the back, and brake fluid flush/replacement done. As she has also broke her knee-cap at the end of January, she hadn't driven much until recently, and I haven't driven her car much at all, so I'm not used to knowing how her car feels. After the above work was done and she was driving her car for the first time in months, she thought it was harder to turn the wheel...hard to say if it was or not from my perspective.

Anyway, now at highway speeds when slowing down slowly(as opposed toa quicker stop) the car will pull/veer slightly to the left, and then pull towards the right under unchanging pressure on the pedal. Not sure if the car or the frontleft wheel is still wanting to pull over to the left some too, or not. The place the brake work was done was new to me, and although I think they do good work, I'm not sure thatthey are overstating the problem and their diagnosisis really the case and they are trying to 'job' me or not. I know a bit about cars, and their inspection of what was causing this was only a test-drive. They came back and said it was a rack and pinion problem, which it may very well be, but I think it could also be a few other things as well. The car has 187K on the clock, so it has seen some time. No alignment has been done since she bought it at about 170K. Has anyone else experienced something like this, or are their any techs out there with any thoughts? Thanks :-)

-Also, there doesn't seem to be any play or looseness in the steering when driving straight or turning at highway speeds, or even slower speeds for that matter. Just this odd play during slow down.

 

I haven't actually experienced this but here's my thoughts.

Not really a rack&pinion problem. I'd lean towards alignment.

More specifically, since it pulls one way & then the other, I'd look for loose suspension stuff. Like loose ball joints. The whole business of suspension is keeping the angle & position of the wheels under proper control as you brake & steer & go over bumps.

From each lower control arm, there's a radius rod going forward to a frame member. When you brake, the wheel & suspension pulls on those things. If they're loose, or their rubber mounting bushings are shot, then the wheel/knuckle assembly can move aroundtoo much.

 

I would also bleed the brakes since they have been worked on recently. Unbleed brakes will sometimes apply uneven pressure and pull the car one way or another.

 

what about a bent or an un-lubricated slider pin?

 

Yeah, maybecaliper slider pins. Normally(?) the brakes have plenty of force to overcome sticky slider pins. It's when you RELEASE the brakes that one side drags because it doesn't release.

99Accord, does that fit with how & when it pulls?

 

No, thanks for the idea though. Initially upon pushing on the brake pedal, the car seems to pull or steer(?)to the left almost as thought the left front wheel was braking first, and then the right kicks in and it pulls it predominantly that way. It does need an alignment, granted, but it definitely isn't after the release of the brakes. I would have to say that there isn't a way to slowly apply pressure to the brakes and have it consistently pull to the left, as it always seems to come back to the right like it is 'going through a motion'.

 

The brake fluid was replaced with the mentioned work above. I do think it was highly needed...haha...I like to think they did it right!

 

So an alignment was done and the problem is still there. Anyone else have any ideas?