brake help
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Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 119
Likes: 0
From: Rock Hill, SC
brake help
so I have been having some issues for a while now with my brakes. Both the parking light and the abs light come on in the dash and the pedal feels spongy.
I have replaced the front pads, rotors, etc... rear shoes, drums, and wheel cylendars...master cylendar...have a new vacuum pump... and still get the same ole spongy feeling then the lights come one together and remain on.
At this point, I am thinking RABS module or brake booster. Not sure though.
Thanks
I have replaced the front pads, rotors, etc... rear shoes, drums, and wheel cylendars...master cylendar...have a new vacuum pump... and still get the same ole spongy feeling then the lights come one together and remain on.
At this point, I am thinking RABS module or brake booster. Not sure though.
Thanks
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 435
Likes: 1
From: troy, Mo
ok "breezy" I am going to go through what I had to do cuz I had a very similar problem! Now when you did all that work and bled the system did you fill the master cylinder and start at the RR? Then go to the LR? Then do the RABS?Then RF, LF? I ended up replacing my RABS because it was the only thing not replaced. However I think the reason I still had spongy brakes was cuz I had air trapped in the system. After each wheel I refilled the MC and the RABS. I went through 2 1/2 quarts of fluid. Why I don't know but it took me that much fluid to make the truck have a solid pedal again. It was VERY frustrating. I was on here and every where trying to figure out the problem. I am getting this tool here to try the next time I have to do my brakes, because I don't always have a pedal pusher to help me.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Motive-Product...oductId=753543
http://www.jegs.com/i/Motive-Product...oductId=753543
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
Likes: 103
From: Ashland City, TN
Yeah, I tried the gravity bleed thing when I was having issues.
I cracked them all open just slightly and went inside and had a beer.
Came back out and the whole system was flushed with air and it all went out the drivers side front.
I cracked them all open just slightly and went inside and had a beer.
Came back out and the whole system was flushed with air and it all went out the drivers side front.
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 10,121
Likes: 3
From: Orrville, Ohio
Here is the kit I use. Nothing fancy but it does the trick every time. I have probably had this kit for 10+ years and it has held up really well on my vehicles, my family's vehicles, etc. Not a professional kit, but for the shade tree mechanic it is a good value. I used it last night actually after I blew out a brake line on the way home from work. 
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
Likes: 103
From: Ashland City, TN
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 20,419
Likes: 197
From: AZ
Ya, I used one a couple of months ago when my IPR stuck and the motor quit. I sucked the oil out of the HPOP res before pulling the IPR, no mess!!
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Butt-Head
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 9,453
Likes: 2,936
From: Reed Point, MT
One trick that I have used with great success is tapping the front calipers with a small hammer while bleeding....the casting is very rough on the inside and air bubbles will cling to the casting flash.
Another thing to check is the rear shoe adjustment. If the shoes have to travel farther to contact the drum, the brake pedal will travel farther to push more fluid.....and the rear brakes are actually "commanded" first hydraulically for this reason. If your shoes are not adjusting themselves as they should, then it's time for new brake hardware.
Something a lot of people don't think of is the extra travel required by the front caliper piston if you have thickness variation issues (commonly referred to as "warpage"). As the rotor rotates through the caliper, it pushes the inner pad back into the piston bore a little as well as forcing the outer pad away from the inner pad. This increases the pedal travel necessary to "engage" the pad onto the rotor friction surface when first applying the brakes.
Another thing to check is the rear shoe adjustment. If the shoes have to travel farther to contact the drum, the brake pedal will travel farther to push more fluid.....and the rear brakes are actually "commanded" first hydraulically for this reason. If your shoes are not adjusting themselves as they should, then it's time for new brake hardware.
Something a lot of people don't think of is the extra travel required by the front caliper piston if you have thickness variation issues (commonly referred to as "warpage"). As the rotor rotates through the caliper, it pushes the inner pad back into the piston bore a little as well as forcing the outer pad away from the inner pad. This increases the pedal travel necessary to "engage" the pad onto the rotor friction surface when first applying the brakes.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 119
Likes: 0
From: Rock Hill, SC
okay, so I replaced the RABS and man - I actually have a firm brake pedal and there are no christmas lights on display in my dash! I ended up having to replace my brake lines too because I rounded the durn nut that holds the flare on at the MC and at the RABS module. Just fyi.. for anyone who needs to replace brake lines, if you have a baseball or softball bat, wrap the line around that instead of going to by all the tools that you really don't need except for the flaring tool.
I also replaced the zirk fittings with the speed bleeders on all wheels and at the new rabs module.
I also replaced the zirk fittings with the speed bleeders on all wheels and at the new rabs module.
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