Short version. It felt like a bad master cylinder, but it was the rear anti lock brake valve..

Long version ...it all started out with a leaky wheel cylinder. Easy fix huh? Especially when you get lazy and let a shop do it. <img src="images/smilies/happy0161.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Smilie" smilieid="1" class="inlineimg" /> So after they installed some re-manufactured wheel cylinders, new shoes and turned the drums followed by the obligatory system bleed, the pedal was spongy icky nasty. Just wrong.

Hmm.... So, thinks I, perhaps it's some air in the fronts...haven't touched them in YEARS (like never since I brought the truck home) so I'll bleed them. I get everything ready, get under the truck and put the wrench to the bleeder screw. Oh ho, this is TIGHT. I better get a 6pt socket and loosen it up. TINK. Sigh. Off to the parts store for a pair of calipers. I got them installed, bled bled bled and bled the brakes. Still spongy nasty icky.

Ok, must be the master cylinder right? Back to the parts store, put on a master cylinder ( after bench bleeding of course). I got the rest of the ports bled, 5 of 'em yes, no change.

GRRRRRR.......

So while letting the truck sit in time out I'm reading all over FTE and remembered the zero travel loss brake booster (P/N F5TZ-2005-CA). To the Ford house!! Just for putting my credit card in the lil' reader they let me bring home a shiny new booster! It made NO difference.

GRRRRRRR........

So I put the truck in timeout again and went back to reading and reading and reading and reading. Then I found this

<a href="http://www.brakebleeder.com/diagnosing-excessive-pedal-travel-on-rear-wheel-abs-vehicles-rwal-rabs/" target="_blank">Diagnosing Excessive Pedal Travel on Rear Wheel ABS Vehicles - RWAL &amp; RABS - Phoenix Systems</a>

Yup. I did this procedure with a "custom tool" (an old broken screwdriver, I really ought to clean up more often) and yes! It did EXACTLY what the article said it would do if the valve was bad. So, I felt pretty confident and got a new valve coming my way.

The r&amp;r of the valve was pretty easy, just a lil' messy with all the drips present on a 21 year old truck. I grabbed a helper, bled the rear brake system and Lo and behold! I HAVE BRAKES. GOOD BRAKES. HIGH PEDAL BRAKES!!!!

In retrospect, I believe the valve was bad when I got the truck since it never really had THAT good of brakes. I just thought I'd share this in case someone else might find themselves in this same spot.

( Putting RABS in here so search will find this post using that keword. )

 

ill be checking mine soon, thanks

 

Nice narration haha... And I've definitely got my truck in time out right now too

 

ARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!! BACK IN TIME OUT!

Went to the store this evening, was backing up and hear a POP! It was the booster.

 

By any chance was your ABS light on? Mine has been on for a while, got tired of throwing money at it as the shop has gone trough about a grand and only gets the light to go out for a couple of days. I've changed the sensor, brain box and master cylinder and still have the light.

 

mkeith54 I never got an ABS light in error. Only at self test at startup.

 

Thanks Harold,

Little things like this drive me nuts. Lots more troubleshooting to do.

Mike

 

For the ones that do not know. The proper bleeding procedure is
RR
LR
RABS
RF
LF

 

I thought MC was first?

 

When you change a MC you bench bleed first the start at the furthest point then work to the MC

 

Gotcha, will be doing this soon on mine.
Lil spongy but can stop really good still but pedal hit floor when pressed hard
has a newer booster with a 97 label on it so hoping its just bleeding

 

this is an old thread yes, I know, but this is severely wrong information that I felt the need to tack on a “um actually “

that information is likely accurate to your truck. Brake bleeding order is determined by braking system and how it’s split. A Bosch 5.0 ABS on a Diagonally split system is not the same as your trucks for example with Kelsey Hayes RABS on a front/rear split system

also I imagine being integral or non integral has something to do with fluid and reservoirs and keeping filled and thus possibly bleeding or bench bleeding.


best to refer to a vehicle and it’s system specific information