1994 Ford Ranger no brakes and stalling out

[skullz696969]

I have a 1994 Ford Ranger 2.3l Rwd extended cab a few weeks ago it was running fine when i noticed a puddle under the passenger side rear tire. I found that the bearing had broke and pushed out the seal in the axle. I finally had the money to fix it and i fixed that and replaced the brakes (only rear brakes) and i went ahead and replaced the valve cover gasket went to fire it up and it was idling really funny kinda like a v8 does when it has a big cam then when i went to hit the brakes they went straight to the floor. i pumped them a few times then they would get hard while i was pumping them and once i stopped and did it again right back to the floor. When the brake pedal hits the floor the truck almost completely stalls out? Anyone know what could cause this? Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[upnsmoke]

Sounds like two separate issues to me. Did you replace wheel cylinders when you did brakes? If so, your back brakes probably just need to be bled. Make sure the master cylinder is full and bleed the brakes. Just don't let the master cylinder run low while you're doing it. I like the one man bleeder setups they sell in stores. Give it a good once over and make sure no vacuum lines or electrical connectors were left unplugged when you did the valve cover. It happens. Let us know how it goes. Edit- If the master cylinder got low you will likely need to bleed brakes front and rear.

 

[infantry grunt]

i agree with upnsmoke sounds like 2 different problems,also check your vacuum hose going to your brake booster,and if you use one of those self bleeders press the brakes slowly,if you do it fast they have a tendency to bow off and you will have to start over

 

[skullz696969]

Thanks guys I'm gonna try and bleed them in the next hour. Checked all electrical connections and vacuum lines everything is plugged back in. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks

 

[dvsj67]

Check your brake fluid.

Given the condition you have described.. it almost sounds as if you are getting leakage from the master to the brake booster

First check for signs of fluid leak at the wheel cylinders.. if none.. pump up the brake pedal until it is hard and hold it.. if the pedal sinks back to the floor.. use a camera or another body to identify if your master resivoir is filling back up.. if not.. you might consider pulling the vacuum line off the brake booster and checking for signs of fluid in there

 

[bluebullet]

Regarding the stalling issue, I just rebuilt my 1990 3.0L and it wont idle either right now. Timing is right(assuming yours must be too). Been testing sensors and so far I found the one screwed into the side of the intake to be bad(can't remember what is called, someone help me out here). Given everything is plugged in, that may be a place to start.

 

[skullz696969]

Well today I went to bleed the rear brakes and of course the bleeders were broken off so I replaced the wheel cylinders and front calipers bled the breaks at least a quart of dot 3 on all four brakes. Start it up and the abs light is on and the parking light is on and the pedal goes right to the floor again. The parking brake wasnt pushed down and the abs valve was routed around by the previous owner so no abs. So anyone got any more ideas?

 

[upnsmoke]

You have ABS. I apologize, I didn't think to ask. I am far from an expert on ABS, and though I have had some experience repairing ABS related issues, I can not diagnose it without having it here in front of me. When the previous owner bypassed the ABS (valve?), was the master cylinder replaced? Is a Vacuum booster present and connected?

 

[skullz696969]

It's quite all right I should have added that in my original post. I do believe that the master cylinder and brake booster are original. The brake booster has some rust on It where the master cylinder connects to it. Could it be possible that my brake booster has a leak and when I push the pedal it goes to the floor because of the leak?

 

[dvsj67]

It's quite all right I should have added that in my original post. I do believe that the master cylinder and brake booster are original. The brake booster has some rust on It where the master cylinder connects to it. Could it be possible that my brake booster has a leak and when I push the pedal it goes to the floor because of the leak?

...see my post above

SIlly goose

 

[upnsmoke]

A leak in the booster would act as a vacuum leak to the engine, but could only make the brake pedal stiffer, I believe. It would certainly not result in a loss of braking power. If you trace the brake lines from the master cylinder toward the calipers/ wheel cylinders, is there an accumulator present (small canister)? I'm trying to picture what you are dealing with, and determine if any element of the ABS system is still present/functional. As you trace along the lines, you might as well check for any leaks. Brake lines do rust out and cause loss of pressure, occasionally resulting in the symptoms your truck displays. Also, is your engine still not running right?

 

[upnsmoke]

...see my post above

SIlly goose

You could be right as well. I have seen a master cylinder leak, and a brake booster leak, but never a master cylinder leak into a brake booster, though I would not deny the possibility.

 

[skullz696969]

Ok dvsj67 I will pull the line off the brake booster and check for fluid tomorrow morning.
Upnsmoke I will follow along the lines and see if there is anything that might have to do with the abs like the accumulator you were talking about and check for leaks.
The engine seemed to run fine now just still no brakes and like I said in one of my previous posts now the abs light is on and brake light.
So tomorrow morning I will check what you guys have said to check and post what I find.
Thanks

 

[dvsj67]

You could be right as well. I have seen a master cylinder leak, and a brake booster leak, but never a master cylinder leak into a brake booster, though I would not deny the possibility.

It is rare but it is possible- once the pedal hits the floor if the master is worn out a bit it will allow the fluid to leak back into the system. once it is in the booster the fluid could be distributed through the vacuum system causing a rough idle. the same condiiton occured before the use of brake boosters, many times that was how a faulty master was diagnosed.

Brake systems are the worst because they are one of the simplest fluid power systems. its just that a pedal going to the floor indicates air in the system.. if there are no visible leaks then there isnt to many more options

 

[skullz696969]

Just pulled off the brake booster an hour ago bottom is all rusted so I think the brake booster has a leak so I bought a new one and am about to put it on so I'll let you all know how it is after