was driving and both calipers locked up. Ended up bleeding them on the side of the road. They backed off enough for me to limp to an mechanic.
he said my break fluid is contaminated and will be over $1000 to fix. He said best to scrap it because i only paid $600. Help please don't want to scrap it. Great truck. Just this break issue.

 

Heh.

Ask him if that $1000 includes the Astroglyd.

It may be calipers, it may be hose, it may be old brake fluid.

I'd flush the fluid and change all THREE hoses (right front, left front, rear). See how it does. And while doing, flush the brake system - I'd buy four quarts of brake fluid, and drain the back until it's clear, then do the same up front while bleeding.

A gravity bleed may be your best bet on that too. (I have the pneumatic bleeder like this one from Harbor Freight, https://www.harborfreight.com/brake-...=brake+bleeder - the feed canister works great to help keep the system fed!) Just put an auto fill on it and let it run out the hoses into a couple of catch containers overnight.

If bleeding helped it, I'd be more apt to blame the hoses due to age.

RwP

 

I am thinkin' that if you have any mechanical ability at all, an assortment of basic hand tools, and another warm body you can draft, you can fix your brakes yourself for likely under 100 bucks.

First step is to inspect everything, and see what actually needs to be replaced.

 

I would usually agree 100% with HeyYou.

But, considering the age, and the neglect most people put their brakes to, I'd still swap all three hoses and flush the system before I worried about anything else.

That's my take, and I'm spending your money on it But. Check the prices on line, especially at RockAuto.COM, for the hoses. And the brake fluid.

If you are a Prime member, also look those same part numbers up on Prime, and search for DOT3/DOT4 brake fluid there.

RwP

 

The mechanic must have a boat payment due. You like the truck and it's a good work truck so it has value. I'm driving a truck that I dragged out of a barn where it spent the last 5-6 years. I fixed a few issues and it's turned into a darned good truck. It's also ugly enough nobody cuts me off in traffic.

You said you bled the front brakes and limped it to a shop. That tells me your calipers aren't stuck. If they were stuck, they would be STUCK. I'll bet your front hoses have collapsed enough to let pressure through but not let it off. Like others have said, replace your brake hoses and flush the entire system with fresh fluid. Get a turkey baster at the grocery store and slurp (<----fancy technical term) the old fluid out of the master cylinder and fill it with fresh. Replace the rear brake hose at the axle. Using clear plastic hose that fits snug on the bleeder valve, run it up into a loop so you have a high spot and then down into a bottle. Put a little fluid in the bottle so it doesn't suck air back and open the valve a little. I'm partial to old maple syrup bottles with a decorative handle and it's handy to use wire to hold it in place. Bleed the right rear wheel first. This gets the biggest part of the old fluid out. Pump the brake pedal a few times then check the master cylinder. Keep it topped up. If you let it suck air, you have to bleed THAT out. Once you get clear fluid, go to the left rear. Replace the front hoses and bleed each one the same way. Once you get both front wheels done, you should have fresh fluid all around and you will probably have a nice firm pedal. You will spend nowhere NEAR $1000 to do this and you'll have a peice of equipment you like.

 

Oh, I am all for changing out the soft lines. That is a likely candidate for the calipers locking up. 90% of the time, its those hoses, not the calipers.

 

Take your caliper pins out one at a time,clean and lube.Most forgotten part on the brake system. Mine locked up a few times before I did this,no problem since.