Help, no brake pressure!
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 108
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From: Wisconsin
Help, no brake pressure!
When I started my truck up yesterday morning I noticed that my brake pedal went to the floor and felt like it had no pressure. I have to press the brake pedal to the floor to stop and it tends to lock up then. I checked under the truck and did not see any leaks or dripping. I checked the master cylinder level and it appeared to be about a half inch below the top. I have always had perfectly working brakes since I bought the truck last year. Where do I start troubleshooting? It's been in the negative teens and twenties here in WI the past few days and I am wondering if that is to blame?
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,690
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From: Delhi, Iowa
first off, start with basics. Are you low on fluid? if so, top it off, and pump it, looking for leaks. Blown lines are common this time of year.
After passing the visible leak test, then its time to pull the wheels and look at the calipers, wheel cylinders, and hoses. Still no leaks?
check where the master cylinder bolts to the brake booster. is there a stream of fluid running down under it?
that should get you started.
After passing the visible leak test, then its time to pull the wheels and look at the calipers, wheel cylinders, and hoses. Still no leaks?
check where the master cylinder bolts to the brake booster. is there a stream of fluid running down under it?
that should get you started.
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Wisconsin
No visible leaks around the master cylinder. I am having the shop next door to my work take a look at it this afternoon. Hopefully they can give me an idea on what it is, I am no stranger to replacing master cylinders or fixing brake lines.
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Broken lines or other problems like leaking wheel cylinders and hoses will cause a loss of fluid. He said it was only a 1/2inch below the top of the master cylinder when he checked the level.
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Wisconsin
The shop didn't get a chance to look at it today. I just went under the truck myself when I got home with a shop light and didn't notice any wet spots on the lines or the connections. The pressure seems intermittent, it will build sometimes but then go down, the brake light on the dash goes on and off too. I will have a partner push the padal with the truck running and see if find any squirts underneath. Would it be a bad idea to give the brakes a basic bleeding with the screws and see if that helps??
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Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Wisconsin
I had my brother cycle the pedal with the truck on while I went around underneath the truck with a light. I didn't spot any leaks or squirting fluid. The only likely suspect in my opinion is the master cylinder.
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Wisconsin
I drove the truck to work today and still had no brake pressure intermittently with no leaks or loss of fluid, I bought a new master cylinder from Oreilly's and will hopefully be able to fix this this weekend.
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Joined: Oct 2013
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Couldn't help but ask follow-up to this thread. I too am in Wisconsin, have suddenly developed same issue, although I do not get the brake light on the dash. I also have no leaks and am not losing fluid at all. Master cylinder has not gone down at all. This happened once about two weeks ago on a very cold morning, but pedal pressure came back before I got to work. Today it is soft pedal again but can "pump" them up with 2 or 3 pumps. Is this issue just the master cylinder or is this the power booster or both. This is an 85 F150 so at 29 years old... Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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