I have a 96 B3500 and have just replaced front calipers/lines and complete rear brakes (drums, shoes, cylinders) including the lines from front to back. I bled them a couple times and things seemed good. Now, however, the brakes have become real spongy and after stepping on the brakes the petal does not return to the top. It stays down and the brakes stay on. I have to pull the petal up with the back of my foot. This releases the brakes and all is fine until I step on them again.
I'm going to try bleeding them again but wanted to know if this problem may be caused by something other than air in the lines?
Thanks
Jon
Dodgevanman
11-21-2006, 09:51 AM
Check and see if there is any kind of return spring at the brake pedal arm. My guess is that you'd have to look under the dash.
Other than that, I'd say it could be a master cylinder problem.
jbirdmotox
11-21-2006, 09:55 AM
I did think about looking for a missng spring or possibly installing one if there wasn't a missing one.
What the heck, I've replaced everything else with the brake system maybe I'll throw a master cylinder at it too...
Dodgevanman
11-21-2006, 12:11 PM
Could be that the master cyl. is sticking and keeping pressure on the brakes, thus not pushing the brake pedal back into position.
van-nut
11-21-2006, 11:24 PM
If you didn't have this problem prior to the brake job and you didn't replace the M/Cly, its pretty unlikely that the problem is being caused by it.
Are you pretty certain that all of the return springs are installed correctly in the drums? Also, this may sound like a dumb question, but when you replaced all of the lines, are you sure that all of the new ones are connected exaclty as the old ones were?
Pete
jbirdmotox
11-22-2006, 08:13 AM
I did have this problem prior to the brake job. After stepping on the brakes and they stick you can tell it's both front calipers that are sticking. You can feel them release when I pull the brake petal back up with my foot.
The brakes all the way around were in hard shape. When I took the lines out some pretty much just broke apart from all the rust. I did the lines one at a time so I know they are installed just the way they came out.
I needed to do the entire brake job for my inpection anyway and was hoping it would take care of the sticking.
Sure sounds like it must be the MC. I guess I know what I'll be doing over the Turkey Day weekend....
B-300
11-22-2006, 07:07 PM
Have you checked the parking brake adjustment?
As the shoes were out, they adjust at the bottom by the automatic adjusters. As this happens the distance across the parking brake strut increases slowly, requiring the parking brake to be adjusted.
If the cables are not free it can cause the brakes to drag. A swollen primary cup in the MC will also cause drag, because it won't allow the pressure to bleed back when the pedal is released.
--B-300--
stev
11-24-2006, 09:55 AM
B-300,
I've been there and done that with a 1985 Dodge Caravan. lol
