Join Our Ford Truck Forum Today

Document your Ford truck project here and inspire others! Login/Register to view the site with fewer ads.

no brakes

So I came home for lunch and my brakes worked fine. I get into my truck to go back to work and the pedal goes to the floor and the brake indicator light came on. No leaks anywhere around the truck. The brakes still work when the pedal reaches the floor and the pedal comes back up. Never had to deal with this so I have know clue as where to start looking, or how to trouble shoot.
 

blacksnapon

Moderator
Staff member
Its either air in the system, a leak, or a bad master cylinder. Start with bleeding the system.
 
Like he said probably bad master cylinder, if the petal didn't come back up, it would be the power booster.

Might try bleeding
 
Well I thought it was the rear just because of all the fluid all over the place, but after removing the drums, both seals are leaking. So all the fluid I saw that I thought was break fluid is actually gear oil. Great. Now back to square one on the brake problem. The lines coming out of the master cylinder to the whatever it is on the inner fender are wet so I'll start from there.
 
Ok, so it is definitely both rear calipers or whatever they are called. Now I'm trying to get the drums off but they won't budge. Is there a trick to get them off or just a BFH?


I know you've already got them off and i haven't worked on on one of your style trucks but for most drum brake rear ends there is a rubber bung on the backing plate that you can remove and with a bit of jiggery pokey and holding you tongue just right you will be able to back the auto brake adjuster off which will let the brake shoes shrink down and then a gentle tap with a large rubber or plastic faced hammer the drum should slide off easily.

Using a BFH can crack the cast iron brake drum.
Cheers Mark
 

blacksnapon

Moderator
Staff member
I know you've already got them off and i haven't worked on on one of your style trucks but for most drum brake rear ends there is a rubber bung on the backing plate that you can remove and with a bit of jiggery pokey and holding you tongue just right you will be able to back the auto brake adjuster off which will let the brake shoes shrink down and then a gentle tap with a large rubber or plastic faced hammer the drum should slide off easily.

Using a BFH can crack the cast iron brake drum.
Cheers Mark
JIGGERY POKEY?
 
JIGGERY POKEY?

Jiggery pokey - messing around

Just a term i use to describe the level of frustration developed when lying under the van on wet grass with one screwdriver holding back the locking tab another screwdriver (cause i lost my brake adjustment tool) in my right hand trying to flick the adjuster all the while trying not to swallow the small torch i have jammed in my mouth - kids "borrowed" my nice magnetic one.

Cheers mark
 
I was talking to a friend and he said that because I have ABS that I might need a comupter to bleed my brakes. Something about having to get the ABS unit to run or something. Has anyone done brakes on a 97 with ABS before.
 

nobodyspecial

Fire in the hole...
5,756
366
ND
 

racsan

4xford
the first time i ever removed my brake drums i had to break them off with a b.f.h. , the axle flange was rusted fast to the drum, now whenever i have any rear drums apart i lightly coat the axle flange where the drum mats with anti-sieze. i also grind at a angle about a 1/8 of the drum away where that "ridge" forms. (where the shoes dont touch and the ridge that forms has to be forced past the shoes) if theres no leaking brake fluid to be found, id say its the master cylinder.
 

Ford Truck Articles

Top