So I just joined today because my brakes are sluggish and i couldnt get the truck to stop hard if my life depends on it and it may. It has 68k and i replaced the brake booster and master cylinder and its still unsafe. Their is no air in the lines and no leaks. The abs sensors seem to be working fine as well. Im out of ideas. Has this happened to anyone else?

 

Do you have quality fluid in the lines? If the brake fluid is crap then your braking will be crap too.

Inspect your calipers first and foremost. Your front brakes do way way more work than the rears do. If your calipers are shot then you'll want new ones. Don't bother rebuilding.

Check your rotors. If they, too, are crap then well it's a wonder you're stopping at all.

Check the pads in the calipers. If they're worn down then it's time for new ones.

Check and grease your guide pins in the calipers too. The guide pins are what allows the caliper to move. If the caliper can't move then you don't have brakes. Many people recommend silicone based grease (paste type) although you can get a packet of guide pin grease at autozone for like a dollar, if you'd rather.

In the back, check your springs, cylinders, shoes, and drums. If any of these are bad, replace them or have someone replace them for you.

Do note that if there's air in the ABS lines (if you have Antilock) then that will need to be bled in a similar manner to the brakes. No special tools required.

Also, don't cheap out on parts but don't get the most expensive ones either. Duralast is a good brand to use that is usually a good price. You can get parts off rockauto instead of autozone, although online is not always cheaper. Even if it's not cheaper, you can get a feel for what's available if nothing more.

 

how old are the rubber brake hoses

you would be surprised how much weathered rubber hoses swell with brake fluid under pressure

 

x2

 

I think the 02 brakes are marginal as supplied from the factory. Originally mine worked OK but faded on me a couple times to the point that they would only give 10-20% of the original stopping power. I did some research to see if I could find some upgraded pads. I settled on Raybestos Super Stop pads and they worked so well they made the rear brakes feel like the were not effective. I discovered Raybestos also made Super Stop brake shoes. I installed them and that gave me a perfect balance front and rear. Never a hint of problem with the brakes after that.

After about 60K miles, it was time for new front pads. Raybestos stopped making Super Stop pads. I went into research mode again and came across Akebono pads that had good reviews and decided to try them. They have continued to work as well as the Raybestos Super Stop pads and work well with the Super Stop shoes in the rear.

I don't know if that would solve your problem but if you can't find anything else wrong, that would be something to consider.

 

I've had some brake issues with my 2003. I replaced the calipers, pads, and rotors 5 months ago, and I needed to replace the pads again last week. The front driver's side outer pad was down to the metal. Could this be something wrong with the caliper? I'm not a pro but I know that 5 months is way too short a time to go though a whole pad, plus that was the only really bad pad.
My brake line also ruptured last week, but I've never replaced that, it was at a weird angle and it was a really old part(the connections were rusted solid).

 

My right front brake line was torn by rubbing on the spring. I have acquired new line but am unsure as to why the original was coming in to contact with the spring. WOuld like help with proper installation and bleeding of system.

 

As far as bleeding the air out, it's a fairly straightforward process that's identical on all vehicles, the main difference on where the bleeder is on the caliper or drum.

Crack the bleeder valve open on the caliper using a six point socket. Better than a line wrench, and WAY better than a regular wrench. Don't try a regular wrench for breaking them open with an open ended wrench. You'll round them off faster than you can say "Well, sh**."

With it open, you'll want to take your homemade one man bleeder and push the end of the tube over the bleeder valve. Have a friend pump the brake pedal three or four times, hold at the floor. While holding, crack the valve open until the pedal falls completely. Your friend is to hold the pedal in that position until the bleeder valve is closed again. Pump and repeat until only brakefluid has come out, checking the master cylinder occasionally and topping up with new brakefluid.

You can find plenty of how-tos about a one man bleeder on youtube. All it really is, is a bottle with some clear vinyl tube. Keeps it clean and lets you see the air as it comes out.

For removing the line, on the caliper side, you'll want to crack the banjo bolt using a six point socket and remove it all the way. Have a drain pan ready, as you'll make a mess during this process. It's wise to drain the caliper of it's fluid while you have it off, as the fluid next to the piston gets cooked, quite literally. Remember to replace your copper washers! If you forget those, that line will leak.

Not too sure about the other end of the line. Look at your new line and you'll get an idea about how that comes apart.

Have a can of brake clean on hand as well as extra brake fluid. I believe DOT3 is what the Ranger uses, but check your owner's manual. Remember not to get any brake fluid on your paint. It will ruin the finish.

 

Thank you for the prompt reply. I am going to get started in a moment. I am familiar with standard bleeding process, but not with an ABS system. Are there any special steps needed to prevent screwing up the abs system?

 

Unless you lose so much fluid that the master cylinder runs dry there's really no need to even remember that it's there.

If by the off chance that does happen, you bleed it at the lines going in/out of the ABS unit in the same way you bleed brakes, although without the benefit of your bottle. Brakeclean is a must for this area, as brakefluid is corrosive, but for some reason is fine within the system. Go figure.

Also, as a tip, use a giant screwdriver between your seat and the pedal itself to push the pedal as far down as possible to minimize drainage. I haven't tried this myself, but I've heard a lot of people who've had success with this method.

PS: You can obtain clear vinyl tubing for ultra cheap (less than 5 dollars for a larger roll than what you'll ever need for one bleeder) at a hardware store amongst other hoses and piping and whatnot.