Touchy brakes
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Joined: Aug 2003
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From: South Carolina
Touchy brakes
What would make my 86 150's brakes grab after the truck sits over night or longer? Doesn't matter if it rains or if it's humid, dry, weather doesn't seem to affect them. After a few brake cycles it'll go away. Kinda seems like you have to warm them up or dry them out, or something like that.
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From: Virginia
Fluid contamination, or the famous rear e-brake cable sticking.
If you use the e-brake, jack the back of the truck up, put the e-brake on, then take it off. Everytime you do this, the e-brake should release, and you should be able to turn the rear tires by hand. If you can't turn the rear tires, the cable is probably sticking on one side or the other. They are pretty cheap to replace.
If that's ok, you may want to pull the back wheels and brake drums off, and see if you have something leaking on the brake shoes.
If you use the e-brake, jack the back of the truck up, put the e-brake on, then take it off. Everytime you do this, the e-brake should release, and you should be able to turn the rear tires by hand. If you can't turn the rear tires, the cable is probably sticking on one side or the other. They are pretty cheap to replace.
If that's ok, you may want to pull the back wheels and brake drums off, and see if you have something leaking on the brake shoes.
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From: South Carolina
My E-Brake cable is adjusted loose, cause I thought it was sticking. You mentioned "famous e-brake cable" is this a common problem? Would it be sticking because of adjustment or age? Also I replaced both wheel cylinders a few months back. I don't beleive I have a leak, but I will check again.
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Joined: Feb 2005
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From: Missoula, MT.
do you drive it everyday. I have the same problem with my 94 ranger...the damn brake drums are rusty in mine, cuz its never driven at all. Might wanna look into that. just pull the rear drums off and take a peak and clean out anything in there and if theres any water in there that staying in the for some reason dry it out, and see if maybe one of the breaks is leakin in the drums. To find out which on it is, go onto a gravel road and hit the brakes so 1 tire skids and see which wheel is skidding, helps ellminate which breaks are messed up and which ones arent the easy way, lol.
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From: Virginia
You have new wheel cylinders, but also check and make sure rearend grease is not leaking on the shoes.
Yes the Fords are famous for the e-brake cables rusting up. It's probably because they put the mechansim on the outside of the frame rail where water and dirt get thrown up in it all the time.
Lets see if you have run into any of these other "famous" things these trucks do.
Power brake booster goes bad. I know this rates as famous, because every junkyard I talked to when mine went bad said they wish they had a truckload of those things. They could sell every one.
Keyswitch is hard to turn or will not return to the correct position, so half your electrical does not work sometimes. This happened to me, and pops up down in the electrical forum a couple of times a year.
You can't see your dash lights at night. They have little colored bulb covers and they turn dark over time, not letting much light through.
Yes the Fords are famous for the e-brake cables rusting up. It's probably because they put the mechansim on the outside of the frame rail where water and dirt get thrown up in it all the time.
Lets see if you have run into any of these other "famous" things these trucks do.
Power brake booster goes bad. I know this rates as famous, because every junkyard I talked to when mine went bad said they wish they had a truckload of those things. They could sell every one.
Keyswitch is hard to turn or will not return to the correct position, so half your electrical does not work sometimes. This happened to me, and pops up down in the electrical forum a couple of times a year.
You can't see your dash lights at night. They have little colored bulb covers and they turn dark over time, not letting much light through.
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how can you tell if your back brakes are working? ive got a 81 f-100 2x4, with new rear brake shoes, and axle seals. But it doesnt feel like my rear brakes are working...and the brakes are reallly touchy, ive just had the bled as well and the rear brakes adjusted. Can you tell by slamming on the breaks on a gravel road to see if all four tires skid? or would just the front brakes skid since there the primary brake? I really want to figure this out by winter...there even scary to use in the rain. Thanks.
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From: lino lakes, mn
back the truck up hit the brakes the back end should dive a little as the brakes set up the front will come up if they aren't working the front will just go down the proportioning valve is set up to apply pressure to the rear brakes first then to the front brakes to help with even stoping the big wine with a pickup is rear wheels locking up under hard braking because of the light rear end when unloaded wich is why pickups were the first to get anti-loc rear brakes in the early eighties
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From: Virginia
The proportioning valve delays rear brake application so they will not lock up during a panic stop.
On your rear brake problem, I would jack the back of the truck up, and manually adjust the brakes by turning the star wheel in the slot. Adjust them so you cannot turn the tire by hand. Then turn the star wheel the other way till you can turn the tire, but there is still a little bit of rubbing. Do this for both sides. You will like your brakes after this, and it will give you a nice high pedal.
On your rear brake problem, I would jack the back of the truck up, and manually adjust the brakes by turning the star wheel in the slot. Adjust them so you cannot turn the tire by hand. Then turn the star wheel the other way till you can turn the tire, but there is still a little bit of rubbing. Do this for both sides. You will like your brakes after this, and it will give you a nice high pedal.
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Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: South Carolina
Franklin2, Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad. My key switch is sticky after I start my truck. I just kinda turn it back to the run position. But all my electrics work fine.
I installed an after market tach in my truck. The dash lights didn't match the tach light, so I removed the colored bulb covers. So I can see my dash lights just fine.
I haven't had a chance to do anything on my brakes. I'm tied up with getting my Trans Am resto project running. It's nice to know about the infamous things to keep an eye on though. This is only my second truck I've owned, both being Fords though.
Mark C.
I installed an after market tach in my truck. The dash lights didn't match the tach light, so I removed the colored bulb covers. So I can see my dash lights just fine.
I haven't had a chance to do anything on my brakes. I'm tied up with getting my Trans Am resto project running. It's nice to know about the infamous things to keep an eye on though. This is only my second truck I've owned, both being Fords though.
Mark C.
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Joined: Jan 2005
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The brakes on my 94 f150 are touchy. They grab when I touch the pedal but seem ok in a hard stop. I noticed when stoped in park the pedal will go down part way with a lot of pressure and then when I release I can feel the pedal push up. Could this be a booster or abs system?
