Bullnosefan95 Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Hi everyone, another issue popped up today of course but this time it’s something serious! As of lately it’s been getting harder for me to brake and today as I was almost home, the pressure on my brake goes to virtually nothing and it barely stops now. I’m thinking it might be the brake booster because now I have no pressure when putting my foot on the brakes and it made a “pop” sound and my parking brake light came on. Again I think it’s the booster but maybe someone else has a better suggestion before I start spending money I don’t have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 I'm not sure I understand your terminology, but if you mean you can put your foot to the floor with little effort then it probably isn't the booster. If the booster fails then the pedal will be very hard to push, but if you push hard the truck will stop. The fact that you heard a pop and the brake warning light came on says that you've probably blown a brake hose. If in the front you will have lost the front brakes, which normally do most of the work, so it wouldn't stop well at all. And, with the imbalance in the front/rear systems the brake warning light would come on. So, go look at the brake hoses. In front you have one to each wheel. In the rear you have one to the rear axle which feeds both sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullnosefan95 Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 I'm not sure I understand your terminology, but if you mean you can put your foot to the floor with little effort then it probably isn't the booster. If the booster fails then the pedal will be very hard to push, but if you push hard the truck will stop. The fact that you heard a pop and the brake warning light came on says that you've probably blown a brake hose. If in the front you will have lost the front brakes, which normally do most of the work, so it wouldn't stop well at all. And, with the imbalance in the front/rear systems the brake warning light would come on. So, go look at the brake hoses. In front you have one to each wheel. In the rear you have one to the rear axle which feeds both sides. Ok thank you very much. I love how helpful this forum has become and other people with a bullnose have such knowledge versus other people with just a guessing game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Ok thank you very much. I love how helpful this forum has become and other people with a bullnose have such knowledge versus other people with just a guessing game. Happy to help. Let us know what you find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlisle Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 I agree with checking for a busted or otherwise compromised line. Fronts should be pretty easy to feel/see. Look for a big wet spot in the brake lines. I lost a brake line on a mini van once and the braking effort was massive as it was only using the rear and one front. And fluid was going away quickly. Made it home. Sounds like you have had an issue coming on for a while. Time to do some investigating and get a few pics if nothing really stands out so we can all jump in to try to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Ok thank you very much. I love how helpful this forum has become and other people with a bullnose have such knowledge versus other people with just a guessing game. If you look in the master cylinder reservoir, the large chamber is for the front brakes and the smaller one is rear. The one that is dry or nearly dry will tell you which end to look at. One other item, at the back, the crossmember behind the axle is where the hard line comes over to the rear axle hose. In the corner where that crossmember joins the side of the frame, there is a low area that collects dirt and water, the brake line lays right in that low area. If the hose looks good and it is the rear brake circuit, look for brake fluid in that corner. I lost the rear on Darth, which also killed my trailer brake controller due to the line rusting through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullnosefan95 Posted June 18, 2021 Author Share Posted June 18, 2021 If you look in the master cylinder reservoir, the large chamber is for the front brakes and the smaller one is rear. The one that is dry or nearly dry will tell you which end to look at. One other item, at the back, the crossmember behind the axle is where the hard line comes over to the rear axle hose. In the corner where that crossmember joins the side of the frame, there is a low area that collects dirt and water, the brake line lays right in that low area. If the hose looks good and it is the rear brake circuit, look for brake fluid in that corner. I lost the rear on Darth, which also killed my trailer brake controller due to the line rusting through. So after looking, the front brakes are dry but the rears are covered in fluid. The small compartment on the master cylinder is near empty. I am able to brake but requires all of the pedal and I have to increase my braking distance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 So after looking, the front brakes are dry but the rears are covered in fluid. The small compartment on the master cylinder is near empty. I am able to brake but requires all of the pedal and I have to increase my braking distance Not sure what you mean by "the rears are covered in fluid". Do you mean the brake shoes are covered in fluid? The wheel backing plates are covered in fluid? The rear axle is covered in fluid? Obviously you have a rear brake problem, but giving us more specific descriptions will help us help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullnosefan95 Posted June 18, 2021 Author Share Posted June 18, 2021 Not sure what you mean by "the rears are covered in fluid". Do you mean the brake shoes are covered in fluid? The wheel backing plates are covered in fluid? The rear axle is covered in fluid? Obviously you have a rear brake problem, but giving us more specific descriptions will help us help you. Sorry the rear brake lines where it meets the drums is covered in fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Sorry the rear brake lines where it meets the drums is covered in fluid. You said "brake lines", meaning two lines, which says both sides are leaking. That suggests two failures at one time. Is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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