Question:
Brakes Ford F-150?
Mike
2008-05-12 07:14:26 UTC
I was on my way into work this morning and I had to hit the brakes kind of hard. When I did I noticed that the pedal went all the way down to the floor. I could stop, but I rolled into the middle of the intersection. For the rest of the way to work I would have to step down really hard to stop. Right before I got to work my brake light and emergency brake light went on. The emergency brake was not on and I still have brake fluid. What could this be?

Thanks
Four answers:
Tim
2008-05-12 07:24:52 UTC
Your front pads are shot. They're probably down far enough by now that your calipers might not be able to be reset. I highly doubt that you have anything going on with a break line. You're going to want to replace the front pads, possibly the calipers, and the rotors will need to either be ground or replaced.
squirrel
2008-05-12 12:23:09 UTC
Well, brakes are always fun luckily there is only a few components to the brakes on an F-150, so we'll look at them all.

First off, check the master cylinder. When these go bad the pedal starts to drop to the floor as you depress it with your foot. Fluid will still be in the resivoir, but over time it will run out. Now it is usually a spring type valve that goes, but if you stomp on the brakes, you could do a lot more damage than normal wear and tear. If you are able to pump the brakes, and build up pressure to where the pedal feels normal, that is a good indication that the master cylinder is bad.



Second, brake lines. You have two types steel and rubber. It is very rare for a steel line to just go out and cause a leak. Most of the time it is the rubber lines that are right next to the caliper (or depending on the year, the drum). These will deteriate over time, get brittle and break, also they are subject to anythin you might run over. Usually any problem you have with a brake line will be noticed immediateltly, usually because the pedal will drop FAST to the floor, once pressed. Also the fact that you don't slow down while hitting the pedal is also a good indication. Remember a failing master cylinder will still allow you to use your brakes, just not very well.



Third, calipers and pads. Pads are easy, when they go bad, they squeal. In fact they are designed to do that just so that you know that your pads needs to be changed. Same with brake shoes. The calipers work directly with the mmaster cylinder, you press the pedal, move the spring valve in the M. cylinder, the fluid compresses and moves the piston in the caliper. Release the pedal and the reverse happens. About the only time a caliper won't work (other than a fluid loss) is if the caliper has been used in years, and they have rusted over. If a caliper stucks you are going to have a hard time going, not stopping.



My guess, based on how things work, would be that you have a bad master cylinder. Pressing the pedal really hard achieves the same effect of pumping the pedal, increases the brake fluid pressure.



As for the E. brake light, check the little switch right next to the release handle. These things are notourious for randomly going on, it is no big deal, besides you would notice if your e-brake suddenly came on. Also the e-brake is meant to keep the car from rolling away, not stopping your truck, which is why it doesn't work the same as hitting the brake pedal.
aashis
2016-12-18 11:59:04 UTC
loss of brake tension is yet another project that would take place whilst it is composed of the brake equipment of your motor vehicle. you are able to tell whilst this occurs by using fact once you press on the pedal that controls the brakes interior the vehicle, you detect that the pedal rather is going immediately to the floor. There tend to be 3 themes that is going on, beginning from a delicate project to a extreme worry that would effect in hundreds of greenbacks in upkeep:Now to repair this project my chum the 1st element which you will desire to do is examine the brake fluid interior the vehicle. there's a reservoir that sits atop the grasp cylinder, or maybe to the side. ensure that brake fluid is going all a thank you to the fill line. If it would not merely upload greater fluid. 2. Now, there would come a situation wherein air certainly enters into the brake fluid interior the reservoir and works its way into the brake lines and strikes throughout the equipment. that's oftentimes a frustrating situation. the terrific answer for this project is to take the brake equipment and "bleed" them. 3. the main complicated and severe priced of all achieveable eventualities is that the easily grasp cylinder element of the brake equipment may be defective. there is not any speedy restoration or worry-free restoration kits for this occasion. you will could certainly replace the grasp cylinder, and that's no longer decrease priced - particularly whether it extremely is professionally achieved.
bigbib2000
2008-05-12 07:20:35 UTC
it sounds like you poped a brake line and havent run out of fluid yet , it also could be a caliper not returning


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