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No brakes
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.
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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.
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.