Hello Everyone,
A friend and I replaced the front brake pads on my 2001 Lexus ES300 with 133,000 miles on it. We bled the old brake fluid and put some new fluid in. We bled out the system and made sure there was no air in the system, no leaks, and fluid levels was in-between the minimum and maximum level. Braking is still soft so I have to brake further back than usual. The brake light was on but that turned off after the system was bled through. When I do brake the car it drags to the left a bit, especially if I hit the brakes hard at a higher speed (around 40mph). Tires are straight and tightened properly. It didn't do this before the job. I'd go to my mechanic, but he's closed on the weekends. Could this be warped rotors or something else? What are some things I should check for? Any help is greatly appreciated.
I found out that I my buddy didn't bleed the brakes all the way on the passenger front side. Once that bled all the way, the car is braking like it should now. And in a straight line! No more dragging to the left side.
Thanks Chuck - Doc
it could be bad brake lines/hoses
When you replace brake pads, you usually have to gently push the piston back into the caliper to account for the thicker shoes. As the piston is now in a new position in its bore, it may be stuck in the "on" position causing the drag. When this happens, I usually rebuild the calipers. I could be wrong about this but I believe you need a scanner to set the ABS module piston position to properly bleed this brake system.
