1988 Ford F150 Lariat, 302. Long wheel base, Loaded!

All has been well for some time, then.....Rush hour traffic, hitting the brake normally (No Emergency Stop), the brake pedal went almost to the floor, stopping approximately, perhaps 2" from the floor where it appears to be working normally. I've been using the vehicle (carefully) as at that height, the pedal, the brakes, all seems to be working normally, even as a test to bring the vehicle to a screeching stop via jamming the pedal down quickly. A touch of the pedal (1/4 pedal) .... I can feel the vehicle slow down instantly, in short stopping the vehicle presents no problem. However, now that I can spare the use of the vehicle... I'd really prefer that pedals action to return to normal before I lose another 1/2" or so........ Note, I did check for fluid leaks. There are no leaks anywhere.

 

Hi Joe,
It sounds like the master cyl can't build or hold pressure.
If the level in the master did not go down , the master has to be leaking internally in which case replacement is required.

 

Took a short break... many other things elsewhere going haywire. Master cylinder on order, will get back to you with results.

Should you be keeping track, I'm now 91 years of age... still going strong (Good Friends In High Places!). Just quit getting under the truck! 😎

 

Hi Joe,
Always good to hear from you.
If we didn't have any problems, life would become kinda boring.

You know what they always tell us, If you don't use it , you lose it !

Getting up and down , even if slowly, helps keep us in shape. You have no idea how many ups and downs I make every day going to and from the refrigerator. lol

Only you know if you can get up and down from under the truck, so be careful and stay busy and healthy.

 

Understood Hanky... Your 3rd statement...The bottom shelf of the fridge is where I keep mine also. 😂

I finally got around to installing the master cylinder. As expected via your instructions, that cured my brake problem. However I had one heck of a time removing and installing that electrical plug... had to use a very small screw driver on the side of it as a wedging pry lever.

Removed it again, cleaned, greased the surfaces slightly... Bing, Bam, Boom... Duck Soup! I did have some warning lights at first but after filling the reservoir properly, all is well.

Those warning lights puzzled me then I thought... Hey, there's three contacts on that plug... bet it requires a full reservoir. Yeah that cured the warning lights. Master cylinders have come a long ways since 1953 haven't they? 😎

 

They sure have and at least to me ,master cyls lasted a lot longer than than do these days.

Glad you got all your vehicle problems straightened out, now if we could only move the clock back some.

I'm still working on how to get the refrigerator closer to the vehicle so I don't waste all that energy ,lol.

Thank You for the update and pretty sure our Ford family will benefit from your experience. Take care and be well.