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1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks 1987 - 1996 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350 and larger pickups - including the 1997 heavy-duty F250/F350+ trucks

Weird brake problem

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Old Oct 21, 2017 | 06:31 PM
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Weird brake problem

Hey guys
I have a 95 f150 5.8 auto 4x4 and having a brake issue. When i hit the brakes there nothing it the top of the pedal and when i get closer to the bottom the brakes start to work but if i go too far then i lose almost all braking power. Ive replaced the front rotors, calipers, pads and master cylinder trying to figure out the problem. I talked to my dad which knows his way around a ford and he thinks it might be the proportioning valve. What do you guys think?
 
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Old Oct 21, 2017 | 06:51 PM
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What have you done with the rear (disk/drum?)? ABS?
 
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Old Oct 21, 2017 | 07:09 PM
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I havent done anything in the rear as it all looked good but its drum and im not sure it it has abs
 
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Old Oct 21, 2017 | 07:30 PM
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Just looked under the hood and didnt see a abs module so i believe that it doesnt have abs
 
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Old Oct 21, 2017 | 08:37 PM
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The rear self adjusters are known to not work right. Either because of mechanical problems or people don't drive the way necessary for the adjusters to work.

Did your problem happen quickly or over time?

Have you inspected the rears and adjusted the shoes?

The rear brakes have to have some pressure built up before the fronts will get pressure. If they are out of adjustment it will require more pedal travel to build pressure. Sounds like they are way out of adjustment.
 
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Old Oct 21, 2017 | 08:57 PM
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I got the truck on trade and it had the problem i will take a look at the rear brakes agian tomorrow and see if i can adjust them properly
 
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Old Oct 21, 2017 | 09:26 PM
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Take the time to pull the drums and give a good visual.

When I put new shoes on my truck I didn't even use the star wheel for adjustment. I would slide the drum on feeling for drag then adjust repeatedly until the drag felt right. Then I would tighten two lug nuts on the drum and verify the feel of the drag. (On my truck the nuts would not go on far enough to touch the drum so I used 1/2" CPVC couplers for a spacer.) This saves a lot of frustration and FN around with the star wheel. When the drum is off make sure you learn which direction is tighten on the star wheel and write it on the backing plate with a paint pen. This will help if you need to adjust later.

My truck has a locking differential so I had to pull the axle shafts so the drum would spin freely.

Let me know what you find out.
 
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Old Oct 21, 2017 | 10:07 PM
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Yes, your truck has rear wheel ABS. Haven't you noticed the amber ABS light in the instrument cluster when starting the truck?
 
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