my 91 hardbody is having a problem with the brakes. they still work perfectly fine for stopping the car, but they dont seem to apply pressure until the pedal is depressed 3-4 inches. i believe the brake lines need to be bleed cause the reservoir is still full. i have no clue how to do this. is there some sorta valve i gotta open or what?
bleeding is a 2 person job, you need somebody to pump up the brakes ans then somebody has to release the bleeder valve while preassure is applied to the pedal... the person pushing the pedal should not let off the pedal untill you have the valve closed.. then repeat 2 to 3 times. start with the wheel farthest away from the master cylinder... btw i bet if you replace the master cylinder it might fix the problem just keep in mind you will still haved to bleed the brakes again.
does the pedal slowly go to the floor or does it maintain stiffness? is the pedal ever hard to push and has little braking power ? does it pull to one side? let m,e knows more details on what its doing.
the bleeder valve is located right on top of the brake calipers on the front wheels and the rear ar on the wheel cylinders on the back or the drum where thew brake lines go in.
Last edited by frankenssan : Nov 1st, 2004 at 03:30 PM.
does the pedal slowly go to the floor or does it maintain stiffness?
goes down 3-4 inches then gets stiff and is consistanly stiff till the floor
is the pedal ever hard to push and has little braking power ?
pedal always has the same resistance and the braking power seems to be the same (can still lock the wheels)
does it pull to one side?
doesnt seem to.
also when the truck is shut down it seems to loose the pressure faster. i used to be able to pump it a 3-4 times and still have the pressure from the power brakes but now half a pump and its like having non powered brakes
Good call Frankenssan. The air in the system is usually a symptom, not the problem. Master cylinders are often the culprit if no other evidence of leaks can be found. Ensure that the rear wheel cylinders/front calipers and associated lines are not leaking. I have found that brake bleeding is best done with a kit found at any discount parts store. It is a simple bottle with tubing and an adapter. Instead of: Pump up pressure, hold pedal down, release bleeder, wipe off face, tighten bleeder, release brake pedal, repeat until neighborhood smells of brake fluid, I fill the bottle half full, connect hose to bottle and mount bottle (with included magnet) to inside of fender above bleeder, loosen bleeder til fingertight, insert adapter into bleeder, atach hose, loosen bleeder to allow flow, and have associate pump brakes until no more air bubbles are seen in line. Tighten bleeder, move to next wheel. This $5 apparatus has always worked first time, everytime. As long as the master cylinder is kept full, it is fairly foolprooof. It is also a good way to change the brake fluid in your car as the discharged fluid can be safely disposed of. No muss, no fuss, no mop, no brake fluid on your paint. However, it does use a lot of fluid, so be prepared with the quart bottle size of brake fluid. You would be amazed at the amount of rust and other gunk that will come out of your lines
__________________
Aaron Ford
95 2WD Nissan PU E
2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX
"The hard part about playing chicken is knowing when to flinch" Scott Glenn in The Hunt for Red October
this kit to bleed the lines does it have like a real name? im already going to the store tomarrow to get the fluid and if the kits only 5 bucks itll save my from having to get a friend to help me.
If the brake pedal isn't sinking to the floor when applying steady pressure then I'd check the rear brake adjustment before doing anything else. Is the hand brake functioning properly? Try this...
1: Go to an empty parking lot and drive at about 25mph.
2: After shifting to neutral (for a stick, leave an auto in drive) SLOWLY apply the handbrake. If it won't stop the truck completely before you have pulled it half way out, adjust the rear brakes.
Good call, adjustment is made at the equalizer that connects both rear wheels to the main cable. Crawl underneath and you will recognize it by tracing the cables from the rear brakes. The bottle and tube is called a one man brake bleeder.
The rear brake adjuster may also be culprit. This can be checked by removing the rear drums, finding the toothed wheel, pushing back the actuator bar, then checking the wheel for binding. There should be some as it pushes the shoes out, but it should be moveable. Make sure you do not overadjust the parking brake cable. In my experience, I have found that if the parking brake no longer works, then the rear shoes likely need replacing. The shoes on this truck cost 12 bucks.
__________________
Aaron Ford
95 2WD Nissan PU E
2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX
"The hard part about playing chicken is knowing when to flinch" Scott Glenn in The Hunt for Red October
Last edited by aaronford : Nov 1st, 2004 at 11:54 PM.
[quote=beany]does the pedal slowly go to the floor or does it maintain stiffness?
goes down 3-4 inches then gets stiff and is consistanly stiff till the floor
ok you say stiff till the floor.... your pedal goes to the floor ?? meaning no more pedal left all the way down correct?
if you hold preassur to the pedal does it slowly go all the way down ? if it goes to the floor and you hold it there and dont let up and the pedal becomes easier to push down at any time you probabally need to replace the master cylinder. that or you have a leak in your lines.. id start with the heart and doi the master cylinder... 30 bux or so and easy to change.. also brake fluid will screw up any painted surface so be carefull. is your brake fluid rust colored? or kind of dirty looking? if it is id say your master cylinder is worn out... and i bet the calipers and rear wheel cylinders are getting to be wonn as well. any kind of dirt aand rust will cause wear its very similar to dirt in the engine block the pistons move up and down and dirt causes the walls of the cylindrrs to get scrathed up and allowing compression (air and oil ) to escape robbing power.. same basic principal with the brakes except for its brake fluid .
Good call, adjustment is made at the equalizer that connects both rear wheels to the main cable. Crawl underneath and you will recognize it by tracing the cables from the rear brakes. The bottle and tube is called a one man brake bleeder.
The rear brake adjuster may also be culprit. This can be checked by removing the rear drums, finding the toothed wheel, pushing back the actuator bar, then checking the wheel for binding. There should be some as it pushes the shoes out, but it should be moveable. Make sure you do not overadjust the parking brake cable. In my experience, I have found that if the parking brake no longer works, then the rear shoes likely need replacing. The shoes on this truck cost 12 bucks.
Actually, that's correct if you were only adjusting the handbrake. To adjust the service brakes, you need to have the wheels off of the ground, the truck in neutral and the handbrake released. There are 2 oval holes in the backing plates for the brakes. Ideally, you would use a brake spoon but you can substitute a long flat bladed screwdriver. Have someone slowly rotate the tire while you tighten up on the adjuster. When the person turning the tire feels steady (over 1 full turn) resistance, go a couple of clicks more and then match the other side to that one.
Go drive the truck and try the handbrake. If it stops the truck before coming halfway out, all is good. If not, then adjust the handbrake cable accordingly.
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