ok I think I am starting to have a problem. My brakes are getting really squishy. I checked all the pads and they all have enough left on them that they shouldn't be a problem. Also when the truck is stopped and in park if I press the brake pedal I can hear the rear sqeak. I don't know if that has anything to do with it but if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear em. I need to get this taken care of before it time to be pulling a trailer for the summer.

Just some extra info the rear brakes got a spring kit on the passenger side along with new rear pads and turned drums in Oct to pass PA inspection.

Thanks for the help!!
-Luke

 

hmm well maybe there is air in the brake lines... bleed your brakes or take them to have them bled or possibly it could be a caliper problem..

 

yep, sounds like air in the hydraulic lines. get em bled.

 

Maybe. Pull off the rear wheels and the brake drums and inspect the rears. Chances are the automatic adjusters have failed due to mis-assembly and everything is falling apart back there. There's NO WAY you should have air in them unless you have opened the brake lines. If there are no leaks anywhere, it's not likely to be air.

Not sure why everyone always thinks "air' when the pedal gets "squishy". If there air in there without the lines being open you have a bigger problem than bleeding.

Ranger rear brakes can be a mess. I've had self-inflicted problems with mine, as well as problems due to the design itself.

Pull that rear drum and have a look for sure, and inspect the entire system for signs of a leak before bleeding them.

 

damn so i was wrong? son of a gun... hmm oh yeah we learned in auto tech that it could also be from a messed up residual pressure check vaulve in the master cylinder or just a not adjusted right brake shoes... im out of info i cant think of much more that could be wrong...

 

I remember my old '84 ranger's slack adjusters could be "fixed" by going in reverse and applying the brakes hard. Is it still like that?

 

The rear adjuster still work the same way as the old ones. When I was checking the pads the other day I noticed that the hadn't been assembied correctly and the asjuster cable was piched behind the lil u-channel it is supposed to ride in. I corrected that. There really wasn't much of a noticable difference after I corrected that. Can anyone tell me how thick the rear pad are when new. This way I can make a judgement of how they are wearing to see if I have a problem there. A dealer did the install for the inspection and this was the first I have had them opened up. Thanks again
-Luke

I should also point out that the other day I was backing down a steep hill and pressed the brake pedal to the floor before the truck stopped. That was the worst and it hasn't been bad like that again.

 

Have you taken the rears apart since I posted?

If so, did you adjust the shoes manually (by spinning the toothed wheel) until you could BARELY get the drum back on? If the drum comes on and off easy, that's a problem. It should always be "snug". The factory manual says to adjust the shoes until the drum goes back on tightly.

By the way, there are no "pads" in the rear -- they are called "shoes". I've been a bit confused by your original post probably because of that. Take the drums off, confirm all springs are properly in place, and adjust the shoes before putting the drum back on and see what you get then.

 

god could i be right just one time... i even thought about it hard and i came up with the residual pressure check vaulve... hmmm


i agree with Mr Griggs take off the drums and then adjust the shoes back there and see what the dilio is....

 

I'm sorry, Kurt, I didn't address that when you mentioned it. I guess that IS a possibility also. I'm just not down with the idea of air being in a system that has been closed and not opened. There had to be a way for air to get in there, and that's another problem and is usually seen by visual inspection -- when air goes in, fluid generally comes OUT at some point, lol.

Wasn't trying to dis' you -- just have my own thoughts on it.

 

hahaha no no no i was just saying comon i gotta get some points for coming up with the vaulve... heeh i have no doubt in my mind that you are wrong.. i trust you sir.. you know your stuff i just have auto tech to feed me knowlege... you have experience... for that i bow to your vas superior knowlege.... haha

 

ha ha! [in Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine voice] You may rise.

lol. I saw the last Star Wars movie last night...

 

i heard that it was good.. do you agree?


we have just hijacked the thread....

 

Not bad -- best of the three. The clumsy attempt to interject current commentary on Bush and Iraq was totally weird. It's like the dialogue suddenly goes off for a line or two. Very strange and very poorly done. I was prepared to be offended and when I saw how they did it, it was laughable. It will play only to the already converted.

They took a stab at Christians at one point: "Only the Sith believe in absolutes." Strangely enough, it's the Jedi tha believe in "dark and light" (good and evil translated) and the Sith who think it's all relative and you have to "broaden your perspective". So the attempt to politicize the dialogue was not even consistent.

Effects, general story, and the exposition of the creation myth of Darth Vader are all excellent and if you're a fan, it's worth seeing for sure.

Acting still so-so in places, but Yoda had the most "depth" ever; and the the character actor who plays Darth Sidious/Palpatine obviously had a real good time, lol. Padome (how do you spell that? the former princess, Anakin's love interest) has gone from a woman of some depth to a self-absorbed preggo hiding her association with Anakin. I didn't find that all that believable -- it's like she's not really there anymore, just a "prop".

 

haha so basically wait untill it hits video... i got ya..

 

No I haven't had them apart since your last post John. I have been busy with work today and now I have a fever so I am just gonna chill in bed tonight and tomorrow. However when I checked the rear brake shoes the other day I don't recall seeing anything that look outta place besides what I fixed with the adjuster cable. Also the drums seemed to go on snuggly wasn't tight but it didn't just glide right on. Thanks for the input. Does this necessarily have to be an issue with the rear brakes or could it be a result of the fronts somehow?

 

Well, I wouldn't say that, Kurt. I know it's a lukewarm review, but it's still worth seeing in a theatre just for the "pizazz" of a movie like that with great graphics and special effects.

And, Luke, no -- it doesn't have to be with the rears. But drum brakes are more prone to causing all that soft-pedal garbage than discs are. I'm biased because I've experienced it, and talking to others found out it's not so uncommon after brake jobs on drum brakes. Could be anything really -- I'm just hitting on what I think MIGHT be likely.

 

I plan on seeing it in the theater. I just made Heather watch the first two and she caught on to all the names and planets and all that. Now I can make her go see the third one followed by the oringinal 3.

I just wished I knew what all the springs were supposed to look like to start with. Oh well I will mess with it this weekend when I am feeling better.

 

i would take it to a brake place and have them check the mastercylinder and what not... have them do a once over on your whole brake system.. it sounds like something to do with the mastercylinder perhaps but im not sure ask john im sure he will know

 

hmm so does it slowly move tword the the floor when you apply the brakes steadily, or does the pedal move tword the floor allot befor you feel the brakes kick in? tell me exactly what happens... ( we spent half a year in autotech on brakes lol)

 

It feels fairly normal except that it goes way farthur then it used to and went to the floor on me backing down my gf's driveway. It hit the floor before the truck stopped but thats a pretty steep hill. But I used to back a trailer down it all the time in my old truck. Maybe John would be willing to have a look at it one evening or something. I would love a second opinion before I take it in and start forking out all kinds of cash.

 

610-444-1247 -- call me tonight soon. Or tomorrow at 302-897-5221.

 

John I will give you a shout around lunch time tomorrow. Thanks

 

ok i know this one.. i think it might be a mastercyliender push rod.. or possibly a mechanical problem in the wheeel assemblies... or inapropriate brake adjusters

 

We'll check all that on Saturday when he comes by, Kurt. Thanks.