My guess is some brake fluid getting on brake pads. Your truck should have strong brakes so I think it's a leak.

 

^how would the fluid be getting onto the pads. I didnt remove the calipers today but the brake lines themselves looked fine. I was expecting to see one side with considerably more pad than the other, but they were even.

I havne't checked the drums yet, but since the pull is so obvious I'm assuming it must be in the front brakes...

 

Well if you did not see any brake fluid then my guess was not good. Now I am thinking you have a warped rotor that is causing a bind.

 

Hmmm.... I don't get very much vibration when braking though. Dont warped rotors usually cause vibration when braking?

 

One thing that can cause pull when braking is when caliper piston(s) in one side are frozen, causing poor brakes on one side while the other works good. But typically pad wear while be uneven, which you don't seem to have. On the flip side, frozen caliper pistons are not uncommon on Toy trucks.

 

And yes, warped rotors typically cause some sort of vibrations or pulsations when braking.

 

Have seen loose wheel bearings cause brake pull too!

N.E.O.

 

^How can i check the bearings. I was thinking something like this as well as i seem to have a lot of looseness in my steering, yet the tie rods seem fine...

I was thinking frozen caliper, but like i said, the pads are even...

 

Loose wheel bearings can also affect the steering too. Not sure which hub setup you have but this link should give you some help: http://www.ncttora.com/fsm/1990-199....4Runner.1990.1995/FSM/95toypdf/95rmsour/1995/954runne/sa/frontaxl/frontaxl.pdf

Post any questions you may have, someone will probably be able to give you an answer.

N.E.O.

 

Myself if it was my ride I would find a good repair shop to really find the problem and fix it. All the guessing and could it be posting is not going to solve the problem. GOOD LUCK.

 

Well, they are not necessary guesses, but merely suggest areas to look into. It is up to the OP to check into it further. Furthermore, a good repair shop will still have to start from the basics and through a process of elimination to determine the cause.

N.E.O.

 

So what is all this "could it be this" stuff really worth?:headbang:

Oh maybe going to Church and praying it will get fixed is the way he should go.

 

^Yep. I'm going to try checking the bearings and a few other things first. Paying for expensive diagnostic time at a repair shop can get very costly very fast, especially if it takes them a while to find the problem.

There doesn't seem to be a problem with braking. I was just off roading yesterday and had no troubles stopping when descending a steep inlcine... which is all the more reason I would be leaning towards a bearing as opposed to a problem with the brakes themselves.

That being said though, is there any easier way to check the bearings besides disassembling the whole thing? I've heard that if you get excessive horizontal play it coudl be a sign of bad bearings?

If not I will take it apart, just might not be right away...

 

With the front wheels off the ground, grab hold of the tires/wheels at 12 and 6 o'clock, see if you can feel any looseness when you rock it back and forth.

N.E.O.