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Still mushy.


bill92250

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Hi y'all. Number 1 son brought home an '88 BII 4x4. Brakes feel mushy, so we bleed all 4 corners today. Still mushy. Has new master and booster, and some other new looking parts. Makes me feel I'm walking in somebody's footsteps. It does get good pedal after a few pumps. PO rescued it from somebody's backyard, so it sat for a bit. Thoughts?
 


JerryC

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Look at the entire system for leaks. Most likely would be the wheel cylinders for the back brakes.

Might also be that the master cylinder was not bled properly when it was replaced.

How did the fluid look? If it looked old you should flush it out.
 

wend3lrt

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If no leaks, maybe there's still air in the system.
 

Uncle Gump

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Old thread... but I'm gonna add to it in case someone finds it in a search.

Rear brake adjustment is crucial for pedal height. The front calipers run so close that it takes very little pedal travel to applied. The same can't be said for rear drum brakes. When they're misadjusted (loose)... more pedal travel is required to move the shoes to the applied position. This low pedal height is commonly diagnosed as air in the lines. One thing to do is to push the brake pedal down until firm. Do this with the engine not running... we want to feel the brake system in "manual mode". Once firm... fully release the foot pedal and quickly stab it again to firm. If the low pedal height is now at the top and solid... chances are the rear brakes need to be adjusted.

In my experience... with air in the system... the pedal will still be low and never really solid. Also... even if there is air and you bleed it out... if the drum brake system isn't properly adjusted... the pedal will still be low. You could bleed an entire drum of fluid through it and never see a pedal improvement.

Again... drum brake adjustment is crucial to pedal height.
 

Bronco 2 man

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Uncle Gump is correct! Wouldn’t hurt to check over everything and make sure the drum brakes were installed and adjusted correctly! Has a lot to do with pedal height if not adjusted correctly. Parking brake will be affected by it also! Seen people put brake shoes on backwards! Meaning putting the brake shoes in the wrong location! Long shoe on the short side and vice versa! They will not work correctly or last by having excessive wear! That’s why I like to do my own work! Then you can’t blame no one but yourself if thing’s go wrong lol! Hard for me to trust a shop anymore! Been screwed over more than once! Leaving bolt’s out or just leaving them finger tight! Rather do it myself and know it’s right!!
 

85B2XJS

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Look at the entire system for leaks. Most likely would be the wheel cylinders for the back brakes.

Might also be that the master cylinder was not bled properly when it was replaced.

How did the fluid look? If it looked old you should flush it out.
What does "Old" brake fluid look like?
Can you tell if brake fluid is old?
 

Uncle Gump

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New brake fluid is really pretty clear...

Old brake fluid looks more like a weak cup of black coffee.
 

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