weak brakes
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weak brakes
i have a 97 mazda b4000, 4x4, 4L, 5 speed.
a while ago i had to slam my brakes on pretty hard.
ever since then my brakes have been realy weak. it almost feels like i have no brake pads left and my brakes are metal on metal.
(i checked the pads and they have lots of life left).
i tried locking my brakes up on a dirt road and checked the skid marks to make sure all my brakes where working and all the wheels had skid marks. i also noticed that the abs didnt come on. i have tried locking the brakes up a few more times and the abs hasnt come on.
i would like to have full brake power during the winter and abs would be great aslo. any ideas of what is going on?? if you need more info to help me fix this problem then let me know.
thank you very much!
a while ago i had to slam my brakes on pretty hard.
ever since then my brakes have been realy weak. it almost feels like i have no brake pads left and my brakes are metal on metal.
(i checked the pads and they have lots of life left).
i tried locking my brakes up on a dirt road and checked the skid marks to make sure all my brakes where working and all the wheels had skid marks. i also noticed that the abs didnt come on. i have tried locking the brakes up a few more times and the abs hasnt come on.
i would like to have full brake power during the winter and abs would be great aslo. any ideas of what is going on?? if you need more info to help me fix this problem then let me know.
thank you very much!
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Check ABS breaker or fuse. Bleed the brakes, especially if you have drum rears. You are not looking for bubbles so much as water or signs of contamination. If rear drums, check the adjustment and tighten them up if they aren't tight enough.
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about 250000 kms on the truck. i dont know what that is in miles.
not sure the millage on the pads or shoes but they where on my truck when i got it (i got it at 190000km). pads look good, i will check the shoes tomorrow.
fluid level is good. i topped it off a while ago to be sure and it hasnt gone down.
i checked the lines and everything for leakes but didnt see anything.
the check gage light does come on from time to time but it has done that since i have owned the truck.
thanks for the reply
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i checked the fuse for the abs and its good.
i will bleed the brakes tomorrow. is bleeding the brakes pretty straight forward? i blead my old f150s brakes but i read on here that on a ranger with abs you need a special tool to bleed the brakes. is that true?
thanks for the reply
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From: SW Va
If the brake pedal feels spongy during braking, suspect air in the lines, or a high brake fluid water content thats allowing the fluid to boil when it gets hot & that'll cause a soft pedal that'll drop during hard braking. So as has been suggested, flush & bleed all the wheels with new DOT-3 Motorcraft PM-1 brake fluid.
If the brake pedal is still firm, but with weak brake action after the panic stop, it may be caused by glazed pads, shoes, disc rotors, or drums, or maybe leaking wheel cylinders allowing brake fluid to get on the disc rotor, drums, or friction material, OR, maybe you have weak/soft rubber brake lines to the wheel cylinders, that are expanding during braking. The latter would manifest itself by having the pedal feel firm, but the pedal height slowly drop while braking hard.
If the master cylinder piston is leaking/bypassing fluid during braking, it too can cause the pedal height to drop.
More thoughts for consideration, let us know how your trouble shoot goes.
If the brake pedal is still firm, but with weak brake action after the panic stop, it may be caused by glazed pads, shoes, disc rotors, or drums, or maybe leaking wheel cylinders allowing brake fluid to get on the disc rotor, drums, or friction material, OR, maybe you have weak/soft rubber brake lines to the wheel cylinders, that are expanding during braking. The latter would manifest itself by having the pedal feel firm, but the pedal height slowly drop while braking hard.
If the master cylinder piston is leaking/bypassing fluid during braking, it too can cause the pedal height to drop.
More thoughts for consideration, let us know how your trouble shoot goes.
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