ok fellers, thinkin time. the B2 sat for a while, things got kinda nasty, so decided to replace it all, and just start over with new stuff. SO it has a new master cyl., new booster, new front brake lines, new pads..shoes..etc. etc. ight. we've (my friend and i) bled the brakes at least 4 times now. we did it in the correct way. no more air is being expelled. bled the MC too (just so you know i did). the problem is that, i have NO PEDAL whatsoever. i do have the ability to stop it. i can lock em up no problem, its not like i have to stand on them at all to get it stopped. but like where its supposed to kick in around half pedal............mine goes almost to the floor before it starts doing anything. i dont really know what to call it..........excessive travel or spongy. i can sit there and pump the brakes real fast and it feels like its building pressure, but when i quit, it goes back to that ****ty way. i always heard when it does that, you still have air in the lines. but theres no more air comin out. help me out guys, id like to stay away from the brake shop.....they'll want to replace everything.

 

OK This is easy, Make sure your rear brake shoes are adjusted so that they just barely touch the drum. You want a very slight rub. Or, if your adjusters still work, head on out to the local WalMart when the parking lot is empty and start backing up, then hit the brakes. Do this about a dozen times. I like to adjust mine by hand initially and then allow the adjusters to do their job.

 

hey man ,, mabye you got a bad master cyl. i know not too long ago i had kinda the same thing . only way it would stop is if it was on the floor and when there it almost locks up. it feels almost like your stepping on a wet sponge . did you listen for a sucking sound in the mc .. sometimes the o-rings that are inside get set weird from the factory /manufacture that makes them .. thats my guess

 

ok beefy, man i have done that about 50 times now and it hasnt changed. it does feel like its getting stronger the more i do it....but when i put it back in drive it goes back to same feeling.

as for the master cylinder, its brand new, but thats not to say it isnt bad. it does make a kinda sucking sound, havet really listened for it that much.

 

Change the brake fluid! Complete change. Went through the same thing on a Nissan. I could never get enough pedal or solid stopping power. The fluid was 76000 and 6 years old. That did the trick.

 

here we go Bart,
get one pair of rounded nose style vice grips or hose crimping pliers, you will also need the plugs that fit the master cylinder outside housing tubing threaded holes,
Here we go.....
At the master cylinder, take off one line and install plug into master cylinder where you took the line off from, press brake pedal, if the pedal gets hard, the problem is in that section of the brake system you blocked off, if it still goes to the floor, remove other tube from the master cylinder, install other plug in master clyinder tubing hole,(leave other plug installed) press brake pedal, if pedal gets hard, that is the section of the brake system causing the problem, If the pedal goes to the floor, either you have air in the master cylinder or the master cylinder is junk. reinstall brake lines back on master cylinder.
step two if needed:
use step two if the brake pedal gets hard in either step from above diagnostics:
Take your crimping pliers and crimp off the a front hose at the front caliper, press brake pedal, if the pedal gets hard, rebleed air from that caliper, if pedal still is not hard, crimp of off other side of vehicle caliper with hose crimp and press pedal, if hard, bleed air from that caliper, if stiill nor hard, crimp off rear brake hose and try one more time, if brake pedal gets hard now, bleed or readjust rear brakes, one other item here is that the push rod in the booster to the master cylinder is to short, wrong master cylinder or booster. Does the pedal come up to the underside of the dash to the rubber block? Is there excessive travel from dash to master cylinder freeplay?

broken wire

 

ok, MJB, man its got new fluid already in it.

broken wire, thanx alot man. i talked about this with a guy here thats real good with brakes, he told me exactly what all you just said. he said he thought the MC was junk, wanted to know if i bench bled it..................which i didnt, he then said he thought thats what messed it up. so i got a new one, i DID bench bleed it this time, stuck it in the truck rebled all the brakes, when i was pumping this time it felt like it was getting a pedal to it. i didnt get to start it and drive it though, neighbors don like the v8. lol. after i go check it out, ill let ya know how things went. thanx.

 

ok, no. nothing has changed. im gonna have to beat something with a large stick i guess.

 

not entirely sure about this, but are you sure the master cylinder is correct for this application? Like was it manual brakes before and you converted to power? what I'm getting at is the pushrod might not be right for that master cylinder, and therefor is not working properly, i.e. no pedal until it's on the floor almost, then it locks up. Just a suggestion

 

A soft pedal on a BII is usually because the rear drums are not adjusted properly. On a standard/stock BII, if you set the brake and you can still move the truck or spin a wheel, the drums are not adjusted properly and you will have a soft pedal.

 

no way?? really. well **** i can do both of those. guess i need to go check the backs out. ill try it out and let ya know how things go.