98 brake issues
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98 brake issues
I have a 98 2wd single cab XLT 4.6 with 100k on the odometer. Truck runs good I use it to tow my race car to the track on weekends, but I have had brake issues for as long as I can remember. I have a soft brake pedal & my rear brakes lock up when I get on them hard.
I took it in & a local shop a while back & they replaced the master cylinder & it seemed to be better for a while. But now it’s back to the same old thing.
I have replaced the front & rear brake pads, drums & rotors. I also went as far as adding the high dollar racing fluid but no luck any ideas?
Rene
98 F-150 tow vehicle
84 Porsche 944 race car
I took it in & a local shop a while back & they replaced the master cylinder & it seemed to be better for a while. But now it’s back to the same old thing.
I have replaced the front & rear brake pads, drums & rotors. I also went as far as adding the high dollar racing fluid but no luck any ideas?
Rene
98 F-150 tow vehicle
84 Porsche 944 race car
Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 22,436
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From: Louisville,Ky.
Welcome to the forum Rene 
Does the truck have abs? Is the light on in the dash? It shouldn't lock up the tires if it does.
Are the front brakes working properly, no air in the lines, calipers not stuck?
It may be hard to diagnose but we will give it a shot.
You may also want to scroll on down the main forum page and check out the suspension, steering, brakes forum.
You may get better info there. You can also do a search in there, you might find the answer that you need.
Enjoy our great site
Jimmy
Does the truck have abs? Is the light on in the dash? It shouldn't lock up the tires if it does.
Are the front brakes working properly, no air in the lines, calipers not stuck?
It may be hard to diagnose but we will give it a shot.
You may also want to scroll on down the main forum page and check out the suspension, steering, brakes forum.
You may get better info there. You can also do a search in there, you might find the answer that you need.
Enjoy our great site
Jimmy
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,821
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From: South Dakota
seems to me that I'd question the brake lines, since it seems to be the only thing that you havent touched.
Are you losing any fluid that you know of?
Are the brake lines and fitings covered with oily crud?
I'm suspecting that there may be a small pin hole in the front lines, but thats only a guess.
Or possibly weak front calipers.
Are you losing any fluid that you know of?
Are the brake lines and fitings covered with oily crud?
I'm suspecting that there may be a small pin hole in the front lines, but thats only a guess.
Or possibly weak front calipers.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,297
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Or the brake hoses are shot, ballooning up when pressure is applied and creating a mushy pedal.
If it has ABS, bleeding air out of the vicinity of the ABS solenoids can be difficult. Ford has a function on their NGS Star Tester (+/- $2,000) that works the solenoids during a brake bleeding procedure to push the air out of that area.
If it has ABS, bleeding air out of the vicinity of the ABS solenoids can be difficult. Ford has a function on their NGS Star Tester (+/- $2,000) that works the solenoids during a brake bleeding procedure to push the air out of that area.
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Joined: Dec 2003
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Brakes
Hey RMJ,
I have a '98 F150, 4.6 V8 S/C.. have 143K on the clock. Had the exact same brake senerio as you. The brakes worked "OK", but was never happy with the soft pedal. Recently I replaced the pads and shoes in the rear, dressed the rotors and drums, replaced all the bearings and seats. Put it all together and still had a soft pedal. Bled the darn things till I was just plain tired of it, and still soft pedal. FIXED IT!!! Finally took a clean hand pump oil can, and put a piece of clear tubing on it (got the tube from the pet store) and filled the can with new brake fluid, put the tube on the spout and on the bleeder, and pumped the brake fluid "backwards" from the bleeder to the master cyclinder. I now have a nice firm pedal, and I am very happy!!! Hope this might work for you too, Rotorman
I have a '98 F150, 4.6 V8 S/C.. have 143K on the clock. Had the exact same brake senerio as you. The brakes worked "OK", but was never happy with the soft pedal. Recently I replaced the pads and shoes in the rear, dressed the rotors and drums, replaced all the bearings and seats. Put it all together and still had a soft pedal. Bled the darn things till I was just plain tired of it, and still soft pedal. FIXED IT!!! Finally took a clean hand pump oil can, and put a piece of clear tubing on it (got the tube from the pet store) and filled the can with new brake fluid, put the tube on the spout and on the bleeder, and pumped the brake fluid "backwards" from the bleeder to the master cyclinder. I now have a nice firm pedal, and I am very happy!!! Hope this might work for you too, Rotorman
