No we havnt figured out the problem yet behind the soft brakes and dirty fluid. We are going to flush out the whole system. The only thing we could suspect is bad booster or when the PO did the front brakes he did something wrong.

We also noticed the passenger side rear brake dont really lock up because you can hold the brake and hit the pedal and do a burnout in one spot without moving. I pretty much want to put all new hardware on the rear and go through what the PO did to the front.

 

I would read the brake warning light, soft pedal, and dirty fluid as being indicative of a related problem and find that. I wouldn't worry about the booster just yet.

 

Well we tried to reset the proportioning valve today but no luck, we also bled out the brakes real good. I went up and down the drive way forward and reverse slamming on my brakes, and still light is on. So Im done messing with it, I am going to get a new switch for the proportining valve.

Also noticed and figured Id ask but on the bottom side of the proportioning valve there is something that looks like a adjustment or a screw or something. Anyone have insight on this?

 

You are trying to fix the brakes in the wrong order.

Forget about the brake booster.

Start from ONE project at a time, and go from there.

Your brake fluid was dirty for the front brakes right? Start with the front brakes first.

Check for leaks, bad calipers, shoes, rotors, etc, change and bleed the brake fluid.

Then got to the rear of the truck.

Inspect wheel cylinders. Check for leaks check the shoes, and drums. Replace the parts as nessecery. make sure everything is clean and is adjusted properly. Flush and bleed the brake fluid for the rear.

AFTER you get both brake systems working properly on both axles, (the most important thing) then try and reset the porpotioning valve. If it fails to reset, you may have a bad master cylinder, or porportioning valve, or porportioning valve switch, itself.

Don't try and fix the warning system first, look for the problem it may be trying to tell you to fix first.

Think of it like a warning system on your body. your brain say's you got a hang nail on your toe. You dont go straight out and try to fix the brain for telling you there is a problem with your toe now do you? You look at the toe first.

Look for a problem with the brakes on the axles first, and move up.

good luck.

 

I GOT AN UPDATE

Well I got a new switch for the proportining valve and we put it on and now the brake light will go out when you apply the brakes.

Also we bled out the whole brake system again. I noticed that when you slam the brakes hard the light will go out and stay out for a few seconds. One time I got it to go out and stay out but came back on when the brakes were applied again.

 

That could be caused from a defective master cylinder. It could have a pin hole leak in it.

Had the same problem before.

This causes the light to keep coming back on.

Also make sure there are no air bubbles in the fluid, as you probably are already aware.

Keep going, you are making progress.

And good luck,

 

its a new master cylinder...Well could still be bad even though its new. right?

 

I had to return a just-purchased (rebuilt) master cylinder because it was leaking
fluid out the back; exchanged it for a NEW one as a replacement. Parts can be
defective out of the box.

-chris