Hard brake pedal, loss of brake fluid, new (to me) 79 k10

[TheBlueBomber]

Hey yall!! its been a while since a posted being that the 78 I was originally going to buy got sold out from under me. A few months later I found a 79 reg cab shortbed k10 scottsdale in a heck of a lot better condition than the 78 and two months after that she was home for 1000 bucks!!! When I drove it home it had almost no brake fluid so I limped her 2hrs back home with no brakes down the highway.

I filled her up and bled the brakes last week and everything was great until yesterday. It felt like the beginning (soft brakes on the way down gradually getting harder, let off and get back on and pedal still at the floor with hard braking and little results) When I popped the cover off the fluid was lower but i cant find any signs of leaking around the wheel but I did notice a miniscule amound of fluid below the master cylinder.

I plan on putting new pads and shoes on soon being that the front driverside squeaks going down the road. My question is where should I start??

 

[Tyger13us]

Hey yall!! its been a while since a posted being that the 78 I was originally going to buy got sold out from under me. A few months later I found a 79 reg cab shortbed k10 scottsdale in a heck of a lot better condition than the 78 and two months after that she was home for 1000 bucks!!! When I drove it home it had almost no brake fluid so I limped her 2hrs back home with no brakes down the highway.

I filled her up and bled the brakes last week and everything was great until yesterday. It felt like the beginning (soft brakes on the way down gradually getting harder, let off and get back on and pedal still at the floor with hard braking and little results) When I popped the cover off the fluid was lower but i cant find any signs of leaking around the wheel but I did notice a miniscule amound of fluid below the master cylinder.

I plan on putting new pads and shoes on soon being that the front driverside squeaks going down the road. My question is where should I start??

the master cylinder,, and dont forget to bench bleed it before putting it on or ya will never get the brakes bled right.......

 

[350runner]

Bad booster= hard brake pedal
Been there done that.

 

[Tyger13us]

Bad booster= hard brake pedal
Been there done that.

or a vacuum leak to the booster........

 

[350runner]

True

 

[TheBlueBomber]

or a vacuum leak to the booster........

I will check for vacuum leaker and if not then I will replace both master cylinder and brake booster. While I'm at it, I will replace the rubber lines at each wheel. I'm sure the metal ones will still be fine. Would that affect the parking brake? I can push the parking brake all the way down and it will still roll back. Thanks for the responses.

 

[Mater08]

No, no part of the hydraulic brake system (booster, master, lines, hoses, ect.) will effect the action of the parking brake as it is entirely mechanical. There could be a couple issues related to the parking brake that would allow it to still roll once set. First and most common is the rear brakes are simply out of adjustment. This can be caused by some underlying issues. But first step is just to see if you can get the rears to adjust. It sounds to me like this could also be the issue with the pedal. The rear brakes are having to take up so much distance before contacting the drum so it feels soft and then gets hard at the end of the stroke. You should be able to spin the wheel/drum still but hear the brake lightly rubbing. If they are adjusted properly and the pedal still feels the same continue with original plan, and if it still rolls after an adjustment, check to make sure the parking brake cables are in good condition (still connected, not rusted). Hope this helps.

 

[TheBlueBomber]

No, no part of the hydraulic brake system (booster, master, lines, hoses, ect.) will effect the action of the parking brake as it is entirely mechanical. There could be a couple issues related to the parking brake that would allow it to still roll once set. First and most common is the rear brakes are simply out of adjustment. This can be caused by some underlying issues. But first step is just to see if you can get the rears to adjust. It sounds to me like this could also be the issue with the pedal. The rear brakes are having to take up so much distance before contacting the drum so it feels soft and then gets hard at the end of the stroke. You should be able to spin the wheel/drum still but hear the brake lightly rubbing. If they are adjusted properly and the pedal still feels the same continue with original plan, and if it still rolls after an adjustment, check to make sure the parking brake cables are in good condition (still connected, not rusted). Hope this helps.

I'll check that tomorrow if not then when I get back from the beach. The drivers side pad squeaks like crazy going down the road so I know new pads are on the list. I'll take a good look at all the lines and see if there is any fluid leaking if not, BC and BB are going to get replaced to see if that fixes the problem.

 

[TheBlueBomber]

No, no part of the hydraulic brake system (booster, master, lines, hoses, ect.) will effect the action of the parking brake as it is entirely mechanical. There could be a couple issues related to the parking brake that would allow it to still roll once set. First and most common is the rear brakes are simply out of adjustment. This can be caused by some underlying issues. But first step is just to see if you can get the rears to adjust. It sounds to me like this could also be the issue with the pedal. The rear brakes are having to take up so much distance before contacting the drum so it feels soft and then gets hard at the end of the stroke. You should be able to spin the wheel/drum still but hear the brake lightly rubbing. If they are adjusted properly and the pedal still feels the same continue with original plan, and if it still rolls after an adjustment, check to make sure the parking brake cables are in good condition (still connected, not rusted). Hope this helps.

How do you adjust the drums? I have the wheels off and drum off