I am new to the Dodge world and just recently got a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 (4WD) from my grandfather. When I got it the ABS and BRAKE lights were on but speedometer still worked fine. After reading through the threads I still tried replaced the ABS speed sensor on the back differential. Nothing changed, still both lights on and the speedometer works fine. I could deal with the lights but on top of the lights the brake pedal has to be pressed down roughly 70% of the way before I feel the brakes really engage and when they do start it pulls hard right then hard left. Every time is the same, the severity of the pull just increases with increased speed. Does anyone have a "next step" for me to troubleshoot? It's a free truck with 85k miles, but I don't want to have to rebuild it to drive it.
Thanks,

 

I would bleed your brakes front and rear. Air in the lines for the back brakes will cause squishy pedal and abs/brake light to be on. Check for leaks. Really hope it’s that simple for you. A slow leak in a wheel cylinder on the back can cause that.

 

My plan tomorrow was going to be to flush the brake lines. Seemed like the easiest thing to check next. Thanks for the confirmation! If that doesn't work I was thinking the next logical spots were replacing all the brake lines, calipers, and master brake cylinder. I'll give an update after I flush the lines and put new break fluid in.

 

You can ground one of the pins on the OBD port to get the fault code/s that set the brake/abs lights on. I don't remember witch one but do a search here you should be able to find it.

 

I think bleeding the brakes, and verifying no leaks first would be a good plan. These trucks really like to blow the break line going to the rear....... of course, it's between the gas tank and frame, so, darn near impossible to see.

 

I did a visual inspection of the brake lines this morning before starting to bleed the brake fluid. The main rear line has been replaced (they just left the original there and open ended on both sides and added a new line). The connection spot of the rear looks much more corroded than anything else. I'll be checking there for leaks as I bleed the system.
Thanks for the reply!

 

Thanks for the info! However I think it's more likely that there in an actual issue with the braking system considering the hard pull to the right then left and the significant travel in the brake pedal. So the warning lights are probably pretty valid. The ABS light just sent me down a rabbit hole with the speed sensor when that clearly wasn't the problem.

 

UPDATE: I changed the brakes, rotors, and calipers on the front wheels. Then I bled the brakes and replaced the brake fluid. All of the lights on the dash have gone away and I have much better brake response but the truck still pulls to the right. Not nearly as hard as it did but still pulls to the right. I didn't notice any significant leaking brake fluid but I'll continue to monitor. I've been looking online and it sounds like I may need to replace the local brake hoses at the front wheels. Any other suggestions?

 

If they are original, probably a good idea to change 'em. Don't neglect the rear soft line though. It's the same age.

 

I had a minor pull to the left... it was the rear soft line inner wall had collapsed.