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Looking for some input to see if anyone has had a similar problem. 97 f250 7.3. So 2 years ago my brake pedal started want to stay when I let off the pedal. If I pull up on the pedal it completely releases. My brother who has been a mechanic his whole life immediately said brake booster or master cylinder. So I replaced both and it changed very little. I sort of just dealt with it for the remaining bit of Summer since I don't drive it in the winter. Which brings me to last summer when I started driving it again I then replaced calipers pads wheel cylinders shoes all the hardware and all new rubber hoses and brake lines. At that point everything from start to end is new. And again it didn't really change it and I dealt with it for the summer. Then come this spring it got worse. To the point where if you push the brake you could park it on a hill in neutral and it won't roll. My brother along with several other mechanics all went back to brake booster. So I bought a brand new instead of a reman. That made it better more like it had been the last two summers to where it releases enough the truck will roll but it's still playing brakes unless you pick up on the pedal. If I pull the vacuum line from the booster it immediately and completely let's go. So once again everybody said break booster so I replaced it yet again with another reman being brake booster number four and it did not change. I have tried adjusting the linkage between the master cylinder and the booster and it changed nothing. The year before this all started my vacuum pump failed and I put a new one on I question if there is so much vacuum that it's simply not releasing. My wife's uncle was a Ford dealership mechanic for 20 some years working on these style trucks and he's never seen that though. Find it hard to believe for brake boosters the original to the truck to remands and one new all do the same thing. If anybody has dealt with something like this I'd love to hear of it.
Last edited by Rewestgate; Mar 24, 2026 at 05:36 PM.
So I bought a brand new instead of a reman. That made it better more like it had been the last two summers to where it releases enough the truck will roll but it's still playing brakes unless you pick up on the pedal. If I pull the vacuum line from the booster it immediately and completely let's go....
Is it possible the pedal linkage/bushings are worn and not allowing full pedal release? Does the booster have an integral actuating push-rod and is there any adjustment? How about the booster pin to MC piston adjustment?
Did you buy a quality booster or a box store version? Did you keep the OEM booster or core it?
Is it possible the pedal linkage/bushings are worn and not allowing full pedal release? Does the booster have an integral actuating push-rod and is there any adjustment? How about the booster pin to MC piston adjustment?
Did you buy a quality booster or a box store version? Did you keep the OEM booster or core it?
I checked that pedal moves freely when not connected to the booster. There is adjustment between mc and booster and i played around with it on the last booster to no avail. There is no adjustment on the pedal side. I did turn in the original as a core. I think this weekend im going to swap the good working one off my brother truck same year to see. Since I know his works and has zero problems it would narrow it down. If that dont work im going to swap his vacuum with mine as next step.
