New Brakes and Too Much Pedal Travel

[ledzilla]

So I recently had the brakes completely replaced on my Bronco. New Master cylinder, booster, pads, rotors, calipers, drums, shoes, hardware, wheel cylinders, hoses, lines, proportioning valve. Everything was so old and crusty it needed to be replaced. However there seems to be too much pedal travel. The brakes engage well enough but it's disconcerting how far the pedal has to go first. Is there a way to adjust things? I know I was able to adjust the clutch pedal on my F-250 to tighten up the feel. Would the brakes on my '83 Bronco be similarly adjustable?

 

[L\Bronco]

So I recently had the brakes completely replaced on my Bronco. New Master cylinder, booster, pads, rotors, calipers, drums, shoes, hardware, wheel cylinders, hoses, lines, proportioning valve. Everything was so old and crusty it needed to be replaced. However there seems to be too much pedal travel. The brakes engage well enough but it's disconcerting how far the pedal has to go first. Is there a way to adjust things? I know I was able to adjust the clutch pedal on my F-250 to tighten up the feel. Would the brakes on my '83 Bronco be similarly adjustable?

Hey Led
Start by adjusting the rear drum brakes. There should be a slight drag on the drums. adjust through the oval hole in the backing plate with a blade S C R E W driver. Turn the adjuster until there is a light drag on the drum while you rotate the wheel. hit the brake pedal a few times and recheck when you think its good.
Hope that helps
Cheers

 

[ledzilla]

I'd like to think that the shop already did that, but it can't hurt to double check.

 

[Tiha]

If you pump the brake pedal does it get harder sooner?

Or does it always end up the same distance from the floor?

If you pump the pedal and it gets harder, less travel then you still have air in the system.

I don't know on your year but on the later models there was an adjustment between the brake booster and master cylinder. a ***** you could move closer or farther from the master cylinder. Normally you don't have to ***** with it ever. Turn it out too far and it applies the brakes all the time. Turn it in too far and you get really long pedal travel.

Also don't discount bad parts. Hard to buy decent parts anymore.

 

[mikefamig]

If you pump the brake pedal does it get harder sooner?

Or does it always end up the same distance from the floor?

If you pump the pedal and it gets harder, less travel then you still have air in the system.

I don't know on your year but on the later models there was an adjustment between the brake booster and master cylinder. a ***** you could move closer or farther from the master cylinder. Normally you don't have to ***** with it ever. Turn it out too far and it applies the brakes all the time. Turn it in too far and you get really long pedal travel.

Also don't discount bad parts. Hard to buy decent parts anymore.

If you apply the parking brake partially it will expand the brake shoes just the same as if you adjusted them tighter and you will feel the brake pedal get higher. This will work on any vehicle with rear drum brakes that uses the drum shoes for the parking brake. Some vehicles have a separate mechanism for parking brake and this will not work for them.

If applying the parking brake makes the pedal higher then adjusting the shoes will have the same effect.

Mike.

 

[goodO1boydws]

I agree with Tiha.

The shop most likely installed the MC to the booster without checking the adjustable pushrod's installed protrusion length on the old and new boosters. And into the old and new MC's from the mounting surfaces. OR your old MC/booster combo was in such a condition that doing so wasn't possible. OR the new parts came as an assembly. There IS usually a factory spec for pedal free travel, but I would venture to say that nowadays most places don't bother to check for that if the brakes are working well once the parts have been installed, and the pedal isn't on the floor.

The adjustment is very easy a quick to do -IF you have enough room to pull the MC forward a couple inches without disconnecting the brake lines.

The adjuster looks like a spherically ended acorn nut, and I wouldn't move it more than about 1/3 of a turn (2 flats of the nut) at a time. I put a small scratch on the rod and the nut on mine as a reference if I have to change length.

BTW. Your problem is exactly what happened to me the first time I replaced a MC-too much free play in the pedal. It took about 4-5 tries to get it just how I wanted it.

 

[96XLT]

I wouldn't overlook the simple things. Last time I took a non-Bronco vehicle in for a brake job they did not bleed the brakes well enough and the pedal went nearly to the floor. I had to argue with the shop owner to test drive before he would redo. I typically find my 96 Bronco gets a mushy pedal if it isn't bled well and usually ask for it to be power-bled or use my Motive pressure bleeder when DIY. Never had too many brake issues with my previous 84 Bronco.