I have a 1996 Dodge Ram 3500 , Turbo diesel and I am experiencing a very puzzling problem with my brakes. They work normally during regular driving but they are gone when I try to use them at a very, very slow speed let’s say at a range of 1-5 MPH. The ABS and the EMERGENCY BRAKE lights on the dashboard turn ON simultaneously and my break pedal is at the metal. Example: I drive in regular traffic and the brakes seem to operate as they should. If I am at a stop light, I don’t loose pedal or anything like that….BUT….at reduced speed to make very slow maneuvers such as trying to back up or go forward during parallel parking or like when moving at rush hour in very very slow traffic where you really control the motion with your brakes rather than the accelerator, my brake pedal is a goner and I get very nervous because the truck does not stop where it is supposed to and I don’t know when it will finally stop. Evidently, it retains a very minimum braking capacity and that is why I’ve been managing to stop it without hitting other vehicles (so far). My mechanic first said that it was a vacuum pump problem. He rebuilt it and it seemed to work for a very brief period of time (or maybe it was my eagerness for it to work that it looked like it worked) and then very shortly, same old same old, ABS and the EMERGENCY BRAKE lights ON and pedal is gone. He said that if I wanted he could replace the master cylinder but he did not believe that was it because if it were I should be loosing pedal all the time, especially at stop lights. So, until today it still remains a puzzle about what the problem could be….Any thoughts?
Thanks.

 

I dont know for certian, but you might need to have the hydrobooster if there is one checked out, it could be bad

 

I'm guesting but you probably have 4 wheel ABS. I personally did not buy that option because of what your seeing. I would check the wheel sensors. One is not getting a signal that the wheel is turning as to the trans speedometer. Therefore the ABS is sensing a locked wheel and letting the fluid pressure out. On that year there are speed sensors on both front wheels and the rear is on the diff housing.

 

Sounds like you need to start replacing sensors. I had a similar problem with my 99

i had a brake light, speedo issue. I replaced the master cylinder, the brakes, the speed sensor and the rear end speed sensor. Aftar all that it finally quit lighting up