dirtygreaser55

Hello, all!

im new to this forum and ive found a lot of helpful topics here. i may not be posting in the right section so take it easy on me!

i have an '84 f150 2wd and an '04 f150 flareside 2wd.

so on my '04, i have around 150,000 miles. ive done a few brake pad swaps and finally it was time to replace the brake equipment. so, i started with the front brakes first. installed new ceramic coated rotors up front, (its 6 lug with the wheel bearing as part of the rotor) and new ceramic pads. the brakes felt a little spongy and i had never flushed the brake fluid so i used my pneumatic bleeder and bled each wheel until my old, dirty fluid came out clear. the truck stopped better than ever!

then, 2 weeks later i had the money to do the rear brakes. i installed new ceramic rotors, ceramic pads, new calipers, new ebrake shoes and new factory hard lines because the rubber hoses are attached. then i bled the entire system again. (its disc in the rear)

thats when the trouble started. now my brakes are really spongy and its unsafe to drive. when i pump the brakes a couple of times the pedal gets hard and feels like it should and it doesnt feel like its bleeding down but for the first pump or two the pedal sinks to the floor!

i used new, dot 3 fluid. brake booster has good vacuum pressure and there are no leaks anywhere. why would i have a spongy pedal?

at this point, almost everything in the brake system is new. what im thinking is that when i installed the front brakes it caused the master cylinder to have to work harder than before so it put stress on the master cyl and the fluid. changing the fluid fixed that, though so when i did the rear brakes it caused the master cylinder to work beyond its capacity. it is the original master cylinder, after all.

is there a test for the master cylinder? am i crazy? i know these brakes are really sensitive to minor things but his is ridiculous! im ASE certified and ive never encountered a problem like this on anything ive worked on before. i need this truck for work and right now its just sitting in the driveway.

i have the vin # on hand if it would be helpful. im out of ideas and out of options other than spending more money to install a new master cylinder in hopes it will fix it. any help is greatly appreciated, i need my baby back!

djfllmn

iTrader: (1)

i agree with the master...is the brake booster damp? if you have to pump the pedal to get a good one it is usually a sign the master is shot

dirtygreaser55

the booster has good pressure and is dry as a bone!

RLXXI

Most likely you have air trapped in the hcu, you have to do an electronic service bleed with the proper scan tool, NGS is one, WDS and IDS are 2 others.

dirtygreaser55

can you elaborate?

djfllmn

iTrader: (1)

air trapped in the ABS pump..you need a capable scan tool(like fords IDS) to cycle the pump to flush it out

RLXXI

NGS
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Rotunda-NGS-New-Generation-Star-Tester-007-00500-/261828350856?hash=item3cf62f9388&item=261828350856&vxp=mtr

IDS
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-IDS-VCM2-SCAN-TOOL-NEW-DEALER-LEVEL-DIAGNOSTICS-AND-REFLASHING-/231497385343?hash=item35e651c57f&item=231497385343&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr

dirtygreaser55

electronic bleeding. well, isnt that great? aw, man. its very possible air got trapped since i removed lines. i wonder how much my dealer is going to gauge me for this?

shucks, guess ill have to bring it in tomorrow and keep you folks posted on the results. i sure hope this is an easy process

thank you!

RLXXI

Ebay has some cheaper IDS made in China that others claim work but I don't have any experience using those, I have the German made Bosch IDS.

CountyMounty

I was looking at those the other day, was tempted to buy one, if nothing else just for the sake of programming a new key (I currently only have one for mine) the reviews on them are so mixed from many people saying it was a complete waste of money and wouldn't work at all to some saying they worked exactly like the real thing. I opted not to give it a try.

As far as brake bleeding goes is it no longer possible or advisable to accomplish the same thing by driving your vehicle and making the abs engage by hard braking on gravel or ice or grass or whatever.