Hey all. I have a problem that I would like to rectify. My brakes especially. When pushing down on the brake pedal it goes near the floor before I get any response from the brakes. I just installed a new power steering pump and flushed the lines with new atf fluid. No change. There is no soft pedal or slow fade. It just eventually pressures up and I have brakes. I kinda have to push hard to get a good braking. The brakes don't lock up at all either. No leaks showing and all fluid levels are good. Only thing I can think of is my hydro booster. With the truck off, the brakes stiffen up a little but not rock hard like most vehicles I have driven. Pads are all good too. Just changed the front ones and they do squeak a little as well. I greased the calipers pins too. Any ideas?

 

Sounds like air in the brake lines.

Have you bled the brakes?

 

No I have not. Never touched the brake fluid. Usually if there is air, you can feel the little pop or sudden drop in the pedal. I don't have that issue.

 

Pop??? Air just causes a squishy, low pedal.

 

I have no squishy pedal.

 

Sounds like the master cylinder to me.

 

Could be, but MC usually 'bypasses' when it fails and ya get pedal near the top and it bleeds down - or slow pedal activation just allows it to go to the floor until no braking occurs.

This is likely going to be the problem if it is not already. A common mistake people make when bleeding brakes is depressing the pedal beyond its 'normal' range of travel. This allows the piston cups/seals to go into an area of the bore that often has some rust scale on it and damages them, causing leaks and/or internal bypassing. It is good practice to place a block of wood under the pedal to prevent excessive travel when bleeding brakes...

A low pedal is usually air or possibly moisture in the system.

My recommendation is to replace the fluid by 'gravity bleeding' the system by cracking the bleeders on all (4) corners and letting the fluid run out - be sure to keep the reservoir full!! Never use brake fluid from an open container. Open a fresh bottle every time and dispose of whats left - don't put a 1/2 bottle on the shelf...

If the pedal is still low, get an assistant and bleed the brakes the old fashioned way, use 'speed bleeders' (not my favorite) or use a vacuum or pressure bleeding system.

Or, replace the MC, hydrobooster, etc and THEN bleed the brakes.....

 

Found out this morning when pulling a trailer that it pulls to the left. Not too bad. Truck will pull left when driving. Just had a new wheel hub put on the driver side. And some new controller arms under the front.

 

Look for a stuck caliper on the right side. Was it hard to compress during brake job?

Btw, what did you lube the slide pins with?

 

It wasn't me who did the work. If I did do it I would grease the pins with white lithium grease from the tube.

 

Btw my truck has 333878 kms or 207462 miles.

 

While I'm not the mechanic that Sky Ski is, in my teenage years I did work for Brake Check for two years. It certainly sounds like air in the lines and a bleeding is in order. I'd at least start there, easiest thing to get out of the way.

 

As said above.... grease the slide pins. Brake pad may be sticking.

 

Common mistake... I would definitely find out what was used, eh? You only wanna use 'caliper grease' or silicone-based grease like dielectric grease (my preference). Petroleum-based lubes not only degrade the rubber boots, but tend to run out and leave the pins dry - and potentially contaminate the brake pads. I doubt this is your problem, but I see this all the time.

Sticking pins can cause a pull, but they typically just wear out the pad on the caliper-side of the rotor - since that pad is the only one doing any work...

Did you have the low-pedal issue before the brake pads? Since ya mentioned you have a squeek, I'll ask what brand/style pads you used. Stopping an 8-10k lb truck is no small task and there are many 'choices' at the local autoparts that are simply not up to the task. Actually, there are NO over-the-counter choices that I would use. I have found that most of these contribute to warping rotors and poor braking performance. (My preference is EBC pads )

 

Ill definitely check the pins and re grease with the proper stuff. I bought the pads from ford. Motorcraft I believe.