brake porblems

When you replaced the calipers did you make sure to get them on the right sides of the car? If they are reversed the bleeder screw isn't at the top of the caliper and you'll never be able to bleed them.

The short answer is to find the leak in the brake lines. Most likely one of the steel lines let loose and you haven't seen the oil stain yet. What I don't understand is why they would need to take your car for a test drive after an alignment. The people I take my cars to for alignment use a computerized alignment rack and I've never had a problem in 15 years of doing business with them.

...Ron

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Ditto.

On my '77 I heard a similar bang on a test drive, complete with the lack of stopping power following it. Unfortunately for me I was doing a test and tune and was flogging the car pretty hard when the brakes let out. Scary moment.....

It turns out the rubber hose that connects the steel brake line from the front of the car to the tee on top of the differential, popped like a balloon. I suggest you check all the hoses.

Jay S

Every Alignment I have done, I have done a test drive afterwards. I used the lower tech methods. 2 home made swivel plates for the front tires, and 'olde school' frame and alignment measuring sticks, as well as an old caster camber gauge.

The I would test drive the vehicle over to some one with a laser alignment rack. I got them prerdy damn close :) Charles Wanted Dead or Alive: All tool thief's.

As long as you have those tools at your disposal I say great. For $40 and an hour of my time, I'm quite happy to take my cars to Auto Alignment World. It also helps that the head mech. is also a friend of mine too. I usually get my alignments done right after I replace front tires and the alignment shop is right next to the tire shop. When I was a teen I used the string, tape and stick method to align the front end. No where near as effective as a computer alignment.

...Ron

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I agree. I test EVERY repair I do with a test ride. I'd rather have it fall out around the block than 50 miles from home :).

No matter how many times you've been doing something or how many times you've done it, you ALWAYS take a vehicle for a test ride. It also allows you to see if the condition you are trying to fix IS indeed fixed. Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

Joe:

I like to take a test drive before the repair, and after. Some customers don't give me the chance.

Such as last month I did brakes on a 99 Ford Windstar The rears were toast. Right Rear was 100% in-op. The fronts were servi-ible. The rotors looked ok, so the front just got new pads. The rears got new hardware, bendix shoes, new adjusters, and new drums. I was taken on a test ride by the customer. Who proceeded to no listen to a word.

That customer called me up last week, having bought new rotors (cheepones at that), and now expects me to change them, because the brakes shimmy. Ontop of that they expect me to do it for free. Ice water in Hell anyone? Charles

When your replacing damaged suspension items, going straight to an alignment shop is out of the question. The tools I used were the same profession measuring sticks for frame alignment. Which put you as close as a laser does 90% of the time.

For the regular guy it'sno big deal to have a car towed somewhere for an alignment. For someone likeme it is. That means the car has to leave my custody, be towed on a flat bed, then probably will sit at the alignment sop for a few hours. From there some goofball will call me claiming the car needs this & that, even though those parts are either fine, or brand new. All with out it ever going on a rack.

I have taken a good number of cars in after my primary alignment to be rechecked. Only with me standing there, watching. 98% of the time I got them right on the money. out of the 2% that weren't they were both I-beam Ford 1/2 tons. Charles