1996 Ford F-150 XL 4x4

[nfldfordltd]

30A fuse used to pop same as the recommended 25A fuse. I tried a 75A fuse in the name of science, smoke came from in behind the dash. Either way, it's all good now except the antenna for the satellite radio is crap. Alas, nothing that another $30 cant fix...lol

[sly]

glad that's sorted. on to more and greater things.

[nfldfordltd]

Meet Dennis. Sorry for the delay getting pics uploaded...been crazy busy this winter and the weather has been pure dirt, as the state of the truck is evidence of.

Spring won't come soon enough this year.

[nfldfordltd]

Here's the deal:
1996 F-150 4x4 regular cab long box
-New pads and rotors in December 2013
-New master cylinder in March 2014 (lost pedal then too with no fluid leaks)
Lost pedal again a week ago. Thought there may have been an airlock in the lines/system and started leaving the master cylinder cap off overnight to let any air bubbles rise to the top on their own. I know this is a long shot but I find it helps for small bubbles. No loss of fluid and it's clean.
Requires 2nd pump to get any pedal at all, and pedal will "bleed" all the way to the floor when stopped in traffic and the truck will slowly creep ahead on long stops.
Today I replaced the calipers and wheel cylinders on all four wheels and carefully inspected all the lines and junction blocks for leaks. There was zero sign of any leaks, anywhere.
I then bled all the brakes, starting with the wheel farthest from the master cylinder and working towards it. Pedal bleeding had to be repeated a couple of times to get fluid out the rear bleed screws but once it came, it was good shots and free of air. I repeated the process while keeping the master cylinder full until I was satisfied there was no air in the rear brake circuit. Cap was always on the master cylinder when brake pressure was applied.
I then bled the front, and there was no air present in the front circuit even from the first attempt. My assistant told me the pedal was feeling good, so I checked for myself and sure enough it was nice and high with the engine off. I topped off the master cylinder, re-checked the lines for any leaks and everything was dry. I then adjusted the rear brake shoes by tightening them until the drum wouldn't turn, then backed them off slightly.
The wheels were then put back on, truck put back on the floor and I started the engine thinking I was done and could drive away and everything was fine.
WRONG!
All that work today was for nothing.
The pedal is as bad as it ever was.
I am fairly particular about my vehicles, and I can let some stuff slide a bit but I am very particular about my brakes. One thing I always loved about Ford was the nice brake and good pedal feel, and how easy it is to "get a brake back" after a line has been opened for servicing or replacement.
Any ideas about anything else I can try? Right now I'm thinking my 4 month old master cylinder is garbage, because the brakes are doing exactly the same thing as they were when the original master cylinder packed it in last March. I drove it about 3000 miles or 5000 kms since the master cylinder was replaced and when the trouble started again last week. I might try a used booster just for kicks and see if that fixes anything, as it is likely the old bad master cylinder leaked fluid into the diaphragm of the booster. Thanks for the help!

[t65neon5]

sounds like a bad booster to me.......

[nfldfordltd]

It's possible given I had a master cylinder pack it in on me back in March. I'm thinking fluid leaked back through and spoiled the booster diaphragm. I'll try that next I guess and see where it takes me...fuck

[Lincolnmania]

air in the rear abs valve

[nfldfordltd]

I'll be eliminating that little demon, then.

[t65neon5]

96 f150 had ABS?.....never knew that

[sly]

yeah... just rear abs though.

[nfldfordltd]

Everyone says it's either the ABS or the brake booster gone south.
I'll try deleting the ABS block ASAP, and if that doesn't work then try the booster.
As far as I know, the Ford trucks had rear ABS back as far as 1987 when the bricknose body style was introduced.

[t65neon5]

yeah... just rear abs though.

oh yeah...that dam thing that screws into the master cyl....forgot about that

[nfldfordltd]

So now it has decided to not start in cold weather. And by cold I mean -20 degrees F.
It has always been a princess in cold weather, liking to have the block heater plugged in. I had to have it not plugged in overnight last night, now it won't start. Cranked until the battery died, made offers with boosts but wouldn't start.
Any ideas about how I could make effective underhood heat to warm things up with a generator?
I was planning on plugging in the block heater and hooking up a battery charger to it tomorrow. Need to get it home off the road and back in service.

[nfldfordltd]

I tried starting fluid, 3 bottles of gasline anti-freeze, and dumped a bucket of hot water over the engine lol.
Seems to be little to no fuel pressure. Spark is OK. Cranking speed is understandably slow due to the temperature.

[79lincolnlover]

Is the fuel pump OEM?