2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission any one convert brakes from vac to hyd

[RAndrae]

I have a 96 1 ton and brakes suck!! I put all the egr stuff on and new master cyl and they are still mush. Get a load and no stop. Has any one converted fron vacume assist to newer hydralic assist?? I and thinking about going to rear disk brakes and the converting to hyd assist HELP

 

[PUMPERDUDE]

Dont know if you checked them already but it helps if you make sure your rears are adjusted correctly. The self adjusting settup doesn't work too well... Good luck... . No tailgating

 

[MLee]

no stop

you might check and see if you still have the original wheel cylinders on the rear. if you do, install the ones that go on the duelly, i did and can not believe the difference it made. they will bolt right up. just went to the parts counter and told them what i wanted. $10. 00 to $20. 00 each, depending how rich you are. while your at it, change the fluid also.

just my penny's worth.

Marv.

 

[FreeBMW]

an exhaust brake will help as well.

 

[vssman]

If I remember correctly, I had a recall for loss of vacuum and thus poor braking. I think they put a check valve in the line. Was your's done? How about a vacuum canister like they used to run in big cam muscle cars?

 

[Cooker]

I have done all the above mentioned things to try to get my 1996 to brake better, and I agree they still suck compared to my dads 1998.



I would also like to convert to hyd assit braking system. Does anyone have any info on the conversion?

 

[JohnE]

speculation

I assume it means a complete master cylinder and servo unit swap and possible a power steering pump. Include the added pressure lines and return lines.



I used to think the hydraulic assist brakes were not any better than other power assisted brakes. I discovered they simply require a periodic change of power steering fluid to keep them fresh. Surprised the smiles out of me.



I've even had improved results by changing the brake fluid.



Oddly, I really want to get rid of the vacuum pump and go with a real air compressor. It will physically fit, but not sure if I want to go through with adding an air dryer and air tank system.

 

[RAndrae]

tried it all

I have a exaust brake, adjusted the shoes, bled the brakes a 1000 times, gravity, pressure, reverse, pump, ive bled them. I put 1500$$$ in brakes- New master, bigger rear cylinders, new RWAL valve, New EGR calipers, slotted roters, shoes, braded lines... . the brakes work but at speed with a little load mush and no stop. I guess the last to try is new vac unit

 

[Extreme1]

Hold the phone!



The vacuum unit is only going to make the pedal puch easier, not make the brakes function better. A few questions...



I'll assume that with all the service and bleeding that the fluid is all new so we'll make that leap of faith.



Did you bleed the master cylinder? I've done jobs where the whole system has been drained and bled a few times but for some reason, there was a little air in the master cylinder and the only way to get it out was to start the bleed there. Of course, this will give a mushy pedal.



The next step is to assume that you have good vacuum, good fluid pressure (no air) and the truck still won't stop like the rest do. Note, I didn't say "like you think it should". These trucks have fairly small brakes and don't stop as well as many.



With that being said, brake pad/shoe quality is critical to get these to stop well. I've gone through the "our pads are just as good" excercise on cars so I knew to use a top quality pad when I did my last brake job. I used Carbon Metalic brand but I'm sure there are a few that would give similar performance.



Another possible performance issue could be a malfunctioning calipar. The fluid needs to get through the line to apply the brake, then the calipar has to release the clamping force to release the braking force. Either a bad line or siezed calipar (I've seen both) can cause brake performance issues, the bad line for the obviouse reason and the siezed calipar because the brake will remain applied and cause faded pad performance or (worst case) boil and cause fluid pressure loss.



There are several other things to check but I'm getting tired of typing and you are probably getting tired of reading.



I wish you were near by, these are usually pretty easy to diagnose. Where are you located?