Since i plan to ford 9 and disc swap the back, I just put a wilwood proportioning valve where the RWAL was. You could easily just stab a union there.

 

I never have a problem getting the ABS to kick in just try stopping going over some bumpy ground.

My brakes tend to do it all too often very annoying

I never liked ABS myself takes the feel out of it and makes the brakes feel mushy but thats what others want.

 

I'm the same way. I prefer a direct connection to the primary braking system, and I'm not afraid to dive my left foot to the E-brake pedal.

We have a chevy cargo van at work, 2008ish, brakes are very touchy and the way I like them. Only takes 2 inches or so of pedal travel and it is stopped on a dime. My hyundai is a little slower. Our liftgate big box truck (penske style) has a mushy pedal that is like "are you even there?". That's how my dakota feels.

 

I agree my brakes always feel soft and untrustworthy like they are just not working properly.

 

Do you guys happen to know the brake line thread size? I see O'Reilly has 3/16, 1/4 and 5/16 in stock. I might just buy all three, but wasn't sure of the brake lines are metric.

 

Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks, I got it (Relatively) fixed. Pedal height, braking response, and pedal return are mostly normal.

This is what I did to fix it:
1. Put the rear axle on stands, and "drove" the truck to about 30 mph and slammed on the brakes. This activated the ABS solenoids. I did one run at 50 mph and another about 65, but in both cases the ABS didn't activate until about 25-30, so I did the remaining stops at 30 mph. I probably did about 30 of these rounds. When I was finished, I briefly felt the drums and they were pretty warm, so I know the brakes were working.

2. Next I drove around just a little bit, and did the parking brake adjustment (Reverse-stop-forward-stop).

3. Then I "bled" the master cylinder first, then the distribution valve , then the ABS relays. I "bled" them by having someone push on the brake pedal while I loosened the lines a bit. It's not as good as a bench bleed, but I did get a few bubbles out.

4. Then I bled the front brakes. I suppose it wasn't necessary (No bubbles) but that's what I did.

5. Next, I bled the drivers rear quite a bit. I went through probably 8-16 oz of brake fluid just to make sure I got all the bubbles out (There were some...it took a little while for them to make their way out)

6. I then bled the passenger rear not as much as the other side, since the fluid would just be coming from the distribution block on the axle. I got only a few very small bubbles.

7. The last thing I did was hit the underhood area with a hose to clean up the dripped brake fluid from bleeding those components.

I drove around the neighborhood again, and the brakes are very good, plenty of pedal left and the response is better than the truck has ever been.

 

287Dakota: Thanks for the info. I've been having the same issues with my 2001 Dakota 4x4. I just replaced all calipers, pads, drums, cylinders, springs, and the brakes still were pathetic! I replaced the master cylinder last week and ran over a quart of brake fluid through it to ensure no air in lines. Brakes still terrible! Was looking into booster unit - my pedal does exactly what yours did. I think I'll try bleeding the Antilock system as you did. I never ran the master dry and have owned the truck since new. I'll post my results! Wish me luck!

 

Thats the speed 30 or under that my ABS kicks in braking over bumpy ground it happens in the same spot braking turning into a business that spot has a ripple in the pavement.

To prevent the ABS pulse I either slow way down or make a wider turn around the pavement ripple to avoid the ABS from pulsating.

 

Oh boy... Changing out brake lines/fittings on these trucks is a bonified NIGHTMARE ! Been there. Done that.

The fittings are pretty much ALL different sizes with Metric and Standard mixed. The front line fittings are DIFFERENT on each end.

The ONLY way to get the correct sizes is to remove them and physically take them to your local parts store and match them up.

Oh yea, there are NO parts # and/or diagrams showing what sizes these fittings are.

Good luck !

 

.................