Spongy Brakes

[silverback180]

ok i need help again. my 99 1500 is having brake problems. they are pretty soft and weak. i dont know if its the booster or what it might be. my brake and abs lights come on a lot but they arent on all the time and im not getting any codes from it even when the light it on. hopefully you guys can help me out. and yes my pads, rotors, shoes, drums, and lines are good and bled with no fluid leaks. i figure its between the brake booster, master cylinder, and the abs system. thanks again -Ian

 

[dodge dude94]

The ABS system has no effect on pedal feel.

I'd be looking at a bum MC or poor brake shoe adjustment.

 

[silverback180]

a bump master cylinder? what is that? i need to go through the whole system when i gets warmer so the shoes might be a little messed up because i did a wheel cylinder and didnt double check the shoes but at that time i didnt even know how a carb worked so im glad i didnt mess with them.

 

[dodge dude94]

lol
My bad. *BUM master cylinder. Shaky hands like putting characters in that aren't supposed to be there.

Try backing up at 15mph, and STOMP the brakes until you can get it to where the truck skids to a stop. If you can't get to that, you have a problem.

 

[silverback180]

i will have to try that. im a ******* when it comes to drum brakes im damn good with discs though. oh and what happened to merc225? i messaged him saying sorry about me acting like an ass but no reply yet.

 

[dodge dude94]

Most people have a rough time with drums because of all the moving parts that like to fly out.

If you can't get them to adjust with the procedure I described, you might need to pull the drums to make sure everything is able to move. You should be able to turn the star wheel in there to get a rough adjustment, the stoppie procedure is supposed to set it finely.

 

[silverback180]

well i will try that tomorrow and see if that works.

 

[dodge dude94]

Remember to update the thread.

 

[silverback180]

i will i will

 

[NYCruiser]

In the old rear drum days we used to use a brake spoon and adjust them assembled with the rear of the truck in the air so we could feel when they start to grab.

Backing up while pumping them will eventually do the same thing, I guess, as long as you have the auto-adjusters installed correctly.

If you step on the brake when the truck isn't moving and hold it down, does the pedal hold pressure, or do you feel it slowly drop to the floor after a couple seconds? If it is dropping while you are holding it, probably the master cylinder is NG.

 

[MegaMouseGW]

Not sure about the Dodge trucks drum brakes but my Nissan has an automatic adjuster that does the adjusting of the rear brakes whenever you apply the parking brake.

 

[silverback180]

i will try the reverse thing tomorrow if that doesnt work then if i have time and the weather is nice i will try the second option of having the rear axle off the ground and spinning the tires. i have seen the second method done in a couple videos i watched a long time ago. even if the adjustment doesnt fix em up then i will see what other symptoms come up and share them with you guys. thank you very much for all the advice i will keep you posted -Ian

 

[silverback180]

ok so i did that first deal and didnt seem to work so im gonna try and just do it the super fun way of jacking it up and turnin the wheels wish me luck

 

[NYCruiser]

Look on the back of the brake plate for an oval rubber plug to remove. (p,ug could be missing, in that case you will just see an oval hole) You should be able to reach in there with a brake spoon and manually adjust the star wheel until the brakes just grab, then back it off slightly so the wheel can turn freely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYVf5DXZjB8

 

[silverback180]

great tutorial video. thank you NYCruiser. that kinda sounded sarcastic but it wasnt. i will get that done as soon as possible because i think i might have messed up my left side because i replaced a wheel cylinder and didnt know what all needed to be done at the time. i mean for ***** sake i didnt even know how to bleed my brake. thank you again -Ian