This wasn't supposed to happen was it?!

[Jspafford]

Tonight on the way home in the B2 I was about 4 car lenghts back from one of those new dodge chargers. The speed limit was 50. Someone 2 cars in front of him decides they want to turn off, no problem, plenty of time for that to happen before I get there.

Well there was a dude getting ready to cross the sidewalk so the turning car nails the brakes. The charger does not see this until the last minute. I start slowing down but then realise I am closing in fast so I stomp the pedal. I stopped within inches of him, but in the process my pedal went almost all the way to the floor. Now I had pressure still and it continued to stop, but is the pedal supposed to travel that far?

I drive this thing 35 miles a day, I need to know the brakes are working right.

It is probably just paranoia, but now I swear sometimes when I stop the pedal has more travel than others.

 

[mossyoak03]

you might have gotten alot of air in the lines have you noticed any brake fluid leaking? is your brake reservoir at the right level? when is the last time you replaced your brakes?

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Make sure all your brake pads are still in your truck. There is an issue with the knuckles where after years of wear and vibration the knuckles wear-out where they hold the inner brake pads. It has happened to me once on my 88 B2 w/d28 and once on my 94 Ranger w/d35. When the pads get low they just slide right out when you jam on the brakes.

Although after the pedal gets pumped a few times the pedal should come up. Also check your rear brakes because they are mostly responsible for the height of the brake pedal.

Also could be a seal leaking internally in the master cylinder.

 

[86ford]

welcome to brake fade. its not a new concept for those of us who drive like we have a 4 point harness and no fear of god. when you stand on the pedal the rear brakes get hot and you lose braking power and the cyl press up against the drum as hard as they possibly can without much stopping (this is why drum brakes are going obsolete). same goes for the front rotors just to a lesser extent, they fade as heat builds up on the rotors. you lose a great deal of braking power due to heat and in some cases it gets the rotors and rims so hot they i will leave burns on your hands from touching them. i am sure your brakes are fine. believe me i if a brake line goes you will know it! if you are overly concerned you can flush your brake fluid (its cheap anyway) and inspect your drums for damage or a stuck wheel cyl (usually locks one tire and not the other during hard braking if this happens) check your calipers for signs of seizing (it will pull REALLY bad if this is the case)

86