I finished up the ball joints, calipers, tie rods, pads, and rotors yesterday. I had what seemed like decent brakes before. My rotors looked like they had seen better days and were so warped they would not come off of the hub without some help from a hammer. I was guessing the calipers were sticking. All that to say this. Since I finished the work, the antilock (4 wheel) seems to be working overtime. If I use the braked very hard at all, you can feel the system kick in. The only thing that I question is the inner pads fitting very snug in the bracket when they were installed. Other than that, there was very little fluid leakage, only a few drops, and I am sure that no air got in the system and that I have all of the air out from the new calipers. On a gravel road, if I hit the brakes hard, I can get the steering wheel to turn to the left. I looked at the rear brakes and everything seems OK other than the left shoes being wore more than the right. I can hold the pedal to the floor and start pushing easy on the gas and cause both rear tires to spin without much effort. I know something isn't right. It is a 3.0. I have done this before and been able to hold it to full throttle. Have I made other problems come to light or caused new ones? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Question #1
The rotors are antilock rotors?
Question #2
Did you bleed all 4 wheels?
Question #3
Did you inspect the right wheel cylinder rubber boot for fluid?
Question #4
Did you adjust the rear shoes up while you checked them.

Sounds to me like you have a leaky rear wheel cylinder and/or shoes that need adjusted
Check it out and let us know.

 

#1 Yes, they arw 4 wheel antilock.
#2 No. I thought that the front was all that was needed since that was all I opened.
#3 There was no signs of fluid on either side, but I didn't poke at them or bother them in any way.
#4 No. I put everything (drums, shoes, springs, adjusters) except cylinders on the rear about a year ago. The drivers side was badly worn but the passengers side looked good.

What can you deduct from that? When I bought the truck a year ago it had major brake problems. I did the complete rear and just changed pads in front because of a tight budget. Since I had to go so deep in the front end, I decided to go ahead and finish the job. The rear shoes have about 15,000 miles on them. Like I said, they seemed to work OK before, and I knew they had problems. Can I gravity bleed (open the master cylinder and open the bleeders in the rear and let it sit) the rear brakes? I'll have time tomorrow, but I will be alone. Thanks for the help.

 

From what you said about the rear brakes not holding I am thinking that either 1, they are not adjusted up, or 2, the wheel cylinder is leaking, or 3, both are the case.

I believe that the right rear is the culprit because you stated that the left was worn more that the right. You also mentioned that when applying the brakes the wheel pulls to the left. To me that means that the right is not working properly.
You did not bleed the rears so we are not sure if there is air in the fluid in the rear.
But we know they are not holding well from your test with the brake and gas.

I would
1 Check the wheel cylinders, pull the pins out or peel the rubbers back, and look for fluid/crud. If there is fluid then the cylinder is leaking and air is getting in. Repair or replace.

2 Make sure the wheel adjusters (star wheels) are adjusted out enough that you can feel the tire drag when you spin it by hand.

3 Bleed the system (especially if the wheel cylinders where leaking) starting at the passenger rear, then the drivers rear, then the passenger front, and finally the drivers front. Any time air is allowed into the brake hydraulics I do a 4 wheel bleed. Safety first.

You said that when you had the rears done that the left side was real bad compared to the right. Now the left is worn more than the right. Check that right side real close. Look for the leaky wheel cylinder, leaky bleeder, brake line, or even a crushed brake line.

When I asked about the front rotors I wanted to make sure that the rotors were for an ABS system. There is a difference between ABS rotors and non ABS rotors. I'm sure you know that but i try to be thorough.

Sorry for all the numbers and the long post but it helps me keep on track in my old age. I must say that you are very observant in your descriptions. It hopefully will really help narrow this down. If you do end up doing a gravity bleed be carefull not to let that master cylinder run dry.

Good luck with it. Let us know how you make out.

 

Well, I have new cylinders, shoes, and springs on the rear brakes, but I still have the same problem. The left rear cylinder was wet inside the boots but the right was dry. I have bled the brakes twice and am not getting any air, only fluid. I'm ready to pull my hair out on this one. I'm going to try to get it into a shop tomorrow and see if they can find anything. I don't know of anything else I can do. Any thoughts?

 

No Luck. The shop pulled all four wheels, checked all of my work and could find nothing. I had my wife drive it to make sure that I wasn't loosing my mind. She says the same thing that I do. I guess I'll try to get it in at a dealership and see what they can find. I jacked up both front tires and didn't notice anything wrong as far as dragging. I am clueless. How about you guys?

 

Is everything from your first post still happening? The same way and time?

 

Unfortunately, yes.

 

The ABS has a fluid resevior that is only used when it is activated. When air gets in it is a pain to get out and can cause these types of problems. The pro's use a special scan tool to cycle the ABS on while bleeding the system. The rest of us have to bleed, drive, get the ABS to activate, bleed, drive, get the ABS to activate ad nauseam.
Good luck and let us know.

 

Well, got back from the dealership today. Not a clue. The mechanic seemed very honest. Other than changing fluid and seeing what happened, he had no suggestions. He said that he had a 2003 model that would do the exact same thing. The longer that I drive, the better it seems to get. I guess I'll either drive it or trade it. Probably drive it considering the price of a new one.