Hey guys, I've got another question about my 78 f250 ext cab 4 speed 400. I'm having two issues, first one is that my brake pedal goes all the way to the floor sometimes, then I pump it a couple times and it feels fine. It is full of old fluid. I bled the front brakes and one side would squirt out fluid, the other side barely dripped out. The other issue is my e-brake likes to disengage s itself and seems to be getting worse. Any ideas on where to start on these issues would be great, thanks a lot!

 

Might be crap blocking the fluid from coming out. Not sure what you can do to fix that... maybe stuff something in the bleeder hole?

I'd start with a new or rebuilt master cylinder and replace parts along the way to your calipers or wheel cylinders.

Hopefully someone can pip up and impart some knowledge. I'm the kinda guy the replaces everything and hope it works

 

I would try to further bleed the side that is dripping and try to flush it out. If you can get it bled then the soft pedal should resolve itself as long as the master cylinder is good.

On the ebrake if the pedal is disengaging you might need a new one. If you mean it is not holding you probably need to adjust the shoes out.

 

Thanks for the input guys, so should I completely unscrew the bleeder and try to Clean it? So I should get a whole new e-brake pedal assy? Does all of the hardware the pedal is connected too come out or just the pedal itself?

 

I'd bleed out all the old fluid. Might need a new wheel cylinder on whichever one is barely dripping out. Sounds like you definitely have a blockage.

Does the e-brake pedal release itself and rise or do you mean that the brake won't hold it in position...two different issues.

 

I push the e-brake down and it snaps back up. Sometimes it catches but the slightest bump and it releases again

 

Then in that case I believe the pedal assembly comes as a unit, not just the pedal. I'd check a junkyard so that you can take exactly what you need.

 

for the bleeding, take the bleeder out of the side that's barely bleeding and clean it out very good. Then put it back and try bleeding again.

For the pedal, look up under at the lever that actually catches on the pedal assembly. They get pretty gunked up with grease/dirt/etc over the years and the catch doesn't want to move. Easiest way is to take the pedal assy out of the truck and really degrease/clean it all, then spray some white lithium grease or something on the joints and work it a few times. Betcha that will fix your problem. Doesn't hurt to spray some lube down the cable between the housing and the actual cable as well.

 

Well I got the e-brake figured out. The release lever was loose and would move every time I pushed the brake. This would cause the brake to release. So I put a rubber band on it (temporary fix) to hold it in place and now it works perfectly. I did notice my bronco has a spring doing this job, maybe the spring flew away??

 

My 78 has a small spring .
Take the bleeder out and clean the passage out. Will the peddle sink to the floor while holding at a stop light ? If so the master cyl. is bypassing . Mine went a few years ago , would have good peddle one time , little to none the next .

 

The peddle will sink to the floor, then I'll pump it once or twice and it will feel fine. So I'll try cleaning the bleeder and if that doesn't work then I should grab a new master cylinder? That's too bad, my master cylinder is all painted and looks great

 

Bleed the brakes and check the adjustment of the rears first ...