No brakes

dsimkins

I have a '93 Dakota. Basically my son replaced the front pads and since then the brake pedal goes to the floor. I can stop the truck by pushing EXTREMELY hard on the pedal but basically there are no brakes. My question is, is it a bleeding problem or something more severe? I have tried to bleed it until "the cows come home" but it doesn't seem to work. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, I have looked at all 4 wheels and I don't see any leaks. Thanks guys.

thecardoc3

You need a shop/technician to investigate and prove what is going on.

joejoeson

Check the brake fluid master cylinder, if it is low then there might be a leak. Check the rubber dust boots for leaks.

If work had been done on the car, air could have gotten into the system, but you said you already tried bleeding the brake system, so I would check the brake fluid level to see if it is low or leaking.

red39715

I don't come to a forum to be told to ask a technician. I have the same problem dsimkins is having on my 94 Plymouth Grand Voyager. I have replaced the Master cylinder twice. And have checked all the brakes on all four wheels and have no leaks plus the master cylinder stays full. Plus my Brake light is on. My vehicle does not have ABS brakes. I have discovered two more parts in the brake system. One is right after the master cylinder and appears to be the unit that sends the right amount of pressure to the front and back brakes. The other is in the line to the back brakes and I have not figured out what it is. I think my problem is with the first unit as both my front and back brakes don't work. I'm having a difficult time finding a new one especially since I don't know its name.

stever

red39715 said:

The other is in the line to the back brakes and I have not figured out what it is.

Brake equalizer?

thecardoc3

red39715 said:

I don't come to a forum to be told to ask a technician.

I'm sure you don't but from the list of parts you have already thrown at this in vain you should consider firing the one you are using. Oh wait, that's you isn't it?

How does someone on a forum inspect anything on the car and advise you as to what you need to do? I've seen people miss-install the brake pads and not have one of them in the slide correctly turning it into a spring instead of the caliper being able to clamp it against the rotor. I've seen master cylinders that have a leak at the rear seal which allows the brake booster to put the rear brakes into a vacuum and they allow air to go in past the cup seals when the car is at rest. I've seen fluid contamination that allows the fluid to boil under use causing the pedal to fade. Calipers installed on the wrong side leaving the bleeders at the bottom instead of the top of the calipers making them impossible to bleed. Wheel cylinders that weren't level so that the bleeder screw can let all of the air out of the system when bleeding. Rear brakes that were simply adjusted incorrectly. Heck I've seen so many things through the years that it would take all day to type them out and still not manage to hit what is going on with your car, this time. Being able to do brakes is more than just having the ability to change some parts, it means being able to figure out exactly what is wrong even if its the first (and maybe only) time you have ever seen a given problem.

The valve at the rear is likely a load or ride height compensation valve. The more weight in the van, the firmer the rear brakes should apply in relationship to the front. Beyond seeing if the valve moves you aren't likely to have any way to test it, and its very unlikely to be the source of the problem anyway. Its far more likely that you haven't managed to bleed and/or adjust the brakes correctly. When it comes to safety systems (and brakes are one of those) if you don't already know what is wrong then you need the help from someone with more experience and training.

hillbilly_90

Brakes are one thing you don't mess with if you don't know what your doing. The last thing i want to hear someone say when they rear end me is "sorry I did my own brakes and they went out" there's a lot more than just pads calipers and rotors. When you push your caliper in to change your pads, crack the bleeder to let some air in the line. This allows you to push the piston in without hurting the proportioning valve or the master cylinder. Then wheny your done and you bleed out the brakes, flush the fluid. This helps maintain your brakes. I have a 97 dodge Dakota 5.2 4x4 with 390k. Its a Michigan truck and it runs great. No problems. Preventive maintenance goes a long way.