Rear brake proportioning

[EvanCole45]

Hello, full disclosure I know nothing about this so correct me on anything if I’m wrong. My truck is an 88 Ranger GT and it seems that a previous owner broke something in the fuse box so a fuse no longer fits into the place for the break proportioning. It seems that the breaking is 50/50 front to rear which is not ideal for a truck with no ABS. I can live with it because I have some beefy 235/65/15 BFG Radial T/As all around but it gets pretty sketchy in the rain and on windy roads. Is there any way that I could fix this break proportioning issue without dealing with electronics? Are there any kits to swap to a manual valve instead of an electronic valve? I’d just love some help fixing this because currently my truck is a little bit of a death trap in the unpredictable California traffic.
Thanks!

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

not sure that you ever had electronic brake proportioning. but yes you can plumb in a proportioning valve inline to the rear brakes that basically limit volume going back there. wilwood makes a pretty cheap one. can be found at jegs. has a know and is used similar to a faucet.

 

[EvanCole45]

not sure that you ever had electronic brake proportioning. but yes you can plumb in a proportioning valve inline to the rear brakes that basically limit volume going back there. wilwood makes a pretty cheap one. can be found at jegs. has a know and is used similar to a faucet.

Thanks I’ll take a look. I have no clue how the stock brake proportioning works, but there is a spot in the fuse box called break proportioning and that spot has been damaged and the fuse is missing in mine so somehow that’s effecting my breaking.

 

[19Walt93]

An 88 would have had rear abs if I remember right. Look around here and you'll find the manuals.

 

[EvanCole45]

An 88 would have had rear abs if I remember right. Look around here and you'll find the manuals.

It definitely doesn’t have ABS on front or rear wheels. When I had junky tires the front wheels would lock up too (only when I tried to lock them on purpose). If it had ABS and it was just broken I would expect there to be a light on the dash if it were broken.

 

[RonD]

You can install a variable proportioning valve in place of the ABS valve, its in the frame rail under firewall area usually, it will have wires on it

Then you can then go to a gravel road and adjust the valve to your liking, i.e. slam on the brakes, lol

 

[EvanCole45]

You can install a variable proportioning valve in place of the ABS valve, it in the frame rail under firewall area usually, it will have wires on it

Then you can then go to a gravel road and adjust the valve to your liking, i.e. slam on the brakes, lol

I just ordered the kit from Jegs for like 30$ and I believe it bolts into the master cylinder and then you screw the brake line into the valve. I measured my stopping distance today and I’ll do the same once I get the kit dialed in. I averaged about 30 feet going 25-0 down a slight hill. I’m hoping I can take a lot of distance off that because I can’t even put the weight of my leg on the brakes now without locking the wheels up.

 

[EvanCole45]

Also I’ve noticed my front rotors are slightly warped. There is a slight pulsing as I slowly come to a complete stop. Will this effect the actual performance of my brakes significantly or is it just a minor inconvenience?

 

[sgtsandman]

Because of the "flexing", it will wear your pads down faster. I would get them replaced as soon as you can.

 

[EvanCole45]

Because of the "flexing", it will wear your pads down faster. I would get them replaced as soon as you can.

I'll order them as soon as I can. I have plenty of time to install them while im quarantined. Thanks!

 

[Uncle Gump]

Be aware that even with a properly functioning brake system.... these truck are prone to locking the rear wheels. It most likely due to the light weight rear of the vehicle. I would get into the rear brakes and have a good look. Ensure parking brake is properly adjusted and not holding the shoes off the anchor pin. Ensure no leaks in the hydraulic system or axle seals.... contamination on the shoes will cause sticking issues. I have also found that a brake shoe adjustment favoring the tighter side prevents less shoe travel. In my experience this helps prevent lock ups. Also ensure your brake hardware is intact and in good shape. There was also a TSB issued years ago and though I've never seen it... it was basically addressing water intrusion. So ensure your adjuster plug is in the backing plate and park brake cable holes are tight and sealed.

Do you know for sure if it locks up both rear wheels? or a single rear wheel?

 

[EvanCole45]

Be aware that even with a properly functioning brake system.... these truck are prone to locking the rear wheels. It most likely due to the light weight rear of the vehicle. I would get into the rear brakes and have a good look. Ensure parking brake is properly adjusted and not holding the shoes off the anchor pin. Ensure no leaks in the hydraulic system or axle seals.... contamination on the shoes will cause sticking issues. I have also found that a brake shoe adjustment favoring the tighter side prevents less shoe travel. In my experience this helps prevent lock ups. Also ensure your brake hardware is intact and in good shape. There was also a TSB issued years ago and though I've never seen it... it was basically addressing water intrusion. So ensure your adjuster plug is in the backing plate and park brake cable holes are tight and sealed.

Do you know for sure if it locks up both rear wheels? or a single rear wheel?

That’s really helpful thank you. How hard is it to check and adjust all this stuff? I’m pretty sure it’s both rear wheels but I’m not 100% sure. I’m not surprised it locks up considering it’s a 2700 pound vehicle with probably 65% of the weight in the front lol

 

[EvanCole45]

Be aware that even with a properly functioning brake system.... these truck are prone to locking the rear wheels. It most likely due to the light weight rear of the vehicle. I would get into the rear brakes and have a good look. Ensure parking brake is properly adjusted and not holding the shoes off the anchor pin. Ensure no leaks in the hydraulic system or axle seals.... contamination on the shoes will cause sticking issues. I have also found that a brake shoe adjustment favoring the tighter side prevents less shoe travel. In my experience this helps prevent lock ups. Also ensure your brake hardware is intact and in good shape. There was also a TSB issued years ago and though I've never seen it... it was basically addressing water intrusion. So ensure your adjuster plug is in the backing plate and park brake cable holes are tight and sealed.

Do you know for sure if it locks up both rear wheels? or a single rear wheel?

After some testing it turns out my left wheel locks up about 10 feet before my right wheel on a 20 foot skip mark. What does this mean and how can I fix this?

 

[RonD]

Hold out the Release handle and pump the E-brake pedal to make sure both sides are adjusted the same and retest

Look on the back side of each rear brake cover(backing plate) at the bottom to make sure one side is not leaking, either brake fluid or axle fluid, either will cause that side to grab more

 

[19Walt93]

I'd take the brakes apart and look at them before modifying anything. A leaking axle seal or a sticky wheel cylinder can cause what you're getting. If you end up replacing the cylinders make sure they're the same, if you can't get them both from the same brand, pull the rubbers back and measure the diameter of the pistons. I replaced the rear cylinders on a truck years ago and the parts dept ended up getting them from 2 different sources. While that shouldn't have been a problem, one turned out to be the wrong part- it looked identical, bolted right up, but one was slightly bigger than the other and I chased the brake pull for days. Since the truck came in with no brakes I didn't instantly suspect the cylinders.