Help! No brakes and light popped on!

[oldestof11]

Yesterday as I was driving home, I pushed the brake pedal to slow down. It starts to slow me down and then drops halfway to the floor. Ok. I pump the brakes to slow me down. I stop and I wait at a stoplight. The Brake and ABS lights came on. I get home and disconnect the ABS module. Go to work, the brakes are spongy and need to be pumped a few times to get them firm. On the way home, I step on the brake to slow down and the pedal goes all the way to the fricken floor! I pump and I get about half of whatg I used to before this all happen. Now, when I need to stop, I have to pump the brakes to get me to stop!

I need help!

Bypass the ABS valve and where?

Or the Master Cylinder?

Fluid is about half full in the bigger chamber and 3/4 full in the small one. The front calipers and brakes were replaced by the dealer before I bought the truck.

[91cumminsd250]

start with the simple stuff - add some fluid, my truck stops like crap when its not topped off

[SNOOT]

Master cylinder is taking a crap on you....

[oldestof11]

Ok, put a MC from my old truck on and still the same. Any way that I could bypass the ABS thing easily or do I need a assortment of bushings to connect the 2 lines?

[dpuckett]

Plug off the outlet ports and see what your pedal feels like. Since it was onset sudden, and you have to pump the brakes, my bet is on a line leaking or broken somewhere. Check your front hoses and steel lines.

How did you bleed the lines?

DP

[diesel freak01]

my truck stopped like poo before bypassing the abs valve on the left rear frame rail. didnt goto the floor tho, so i would say a leaking line also, but in the future i would bypass the abs valve and if your truck is anything like mine just replace all the lines from front to back its a lot easier if you just do that instead of breaking stuff and going back to get line 3 or 4 times.

[PToombs]

Jon, if the line to the rear is blown, replace full length and bypass the ABS valve at the same time. No extra fittings needed that way.

[oldestof11]

Welp, I crimped a couple of spare lines and put them into the MC. My bro couldnt push the pedal! WHEW! So I put the front on. Goes about 1/4-1/3 of the way and stops. Ok. Now check the rears, straight to the floor. I cant figure out where the leak is..... I checked the whole length. I did find out tho that the right rear drum is missing a small (3/4" to 1" wide and about 1/2" deep) chunk out of the lip. Could that be it?

[Mark Nixon]

Sounds like a possible leaking wheel cylinder.

They'll act real strange when the brakes are out of adjustment, and if they gt WAAYYYY out of adjustment, wheel cylinders start coming apart.

The fronts will just grind into (sometimes THROUGH, for a REAL idiot!)
the rotors.
Have you tried to MANUALLY adjust the rear brakes lately?

Mark.

[oldestof11]

Nope....

I will try when I replace all the brake lines to the back. I figure preventive maintenance and they are NOT willing to come apart.

[PToombs]

Jon, is the small side of the master still 3/4 full? Minus what you lost playing with it? If it is, the ABS valve crapped out. If you blew a line or cylinder, the fliud would be gone pretty quick. If you replace the rear line, just bypass the valve anyways. Trust me, if you don't do it now, you'll be doing it later. Have I ever steered you wrong?








Well except for that one time at band camp, with the Tequila,............ we won't count that!

[oldestof11]

Thanks for the laugh Pete!

It was still 3/4 full. Definately the ABS, not the line BUT I twisted the rear lines off trying to get the lines off. Grr.

Does anyone have any tips on how to either take the Y distributor off the axle or a pitted fitting off the flex line? I dont care which one, I think the one off my 4x4 will work, right? Same year, just was 4x4 Getrag and 4.10's...

[diesel freak01]

when i did my bypass i had to replace the rubber line the block and both lines to the wheels. that lil rubber line and block is right about 35 bucks at cost so keep that in mind.

[PToombs]

I usually cut the line close to the nut, then put on the smallest 6 pt socket I can get on there. The 2nd option is to grab it with a small pipe wrench or vice grips, then give it a twist.