Weak Brakes? Ideas?

[Warmblood58]

Hi all, my new to me '93 XLT 4wd (manual lock hubs five speed 4.0 OHV) brakes seem weak and as I have no basis for comparison other than other vehicles, it seems to me this ranger has a pretty weak braking system - are they just this way? Front brake rotors and pads just changed 3,000 miles ago -slight pull though to the right on braking at times. Rear drums were deemed fine at 50% wear. There have been a few instances where car in front of me suddenly braked and I have hit the brakes and both fade and skidding seem to happen simultaneously. Truck has BF Goodrich All Terrain TA's that are new, new Bilsteins up front, rear Monroe air shocks. Would love to improve braking ability to make this truck a little safer, I realize that the extra weight up front (diff) can contribute to weaker braking - are these trucks by nature "underbraked". Any ideas to improve braking measurably? Thanks!

 

[rusty ol ranger]

What kind of vehicles are you compareing it to?

Obviously if youre used to a 2018 mustang yeah, a 93 ranger is gonna feel weak lol.

 

[Curious Hound]

Does the pedal feel solid or soft and mushy? Might be worth bleeding all 4 corners to make sure there's no air in the system. Next thing that comes to mind is vacuum to the booster. Not sure how to check that. Do you have the 10" diameter drums on the rear? I could see the 9" drums being weaker.

My '93 could use a little more brake power. But I'm running 35" tires. I still feel safe driving it though, even loaded or pulling a small trailer.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I would ensure the rear brakes are adjusted properly... and the park brake cables aren't hung up.


I've owned several Rangers since 1988... I never really had and issue with fade or the feeling of being under braked.

 

[adsm08]

Master cylinder may be going out, a brake line may be leaking just a bit.

You said you get brake fade, that is a good indicator that the master cylinder has an internal leak.

 

[19Walt93]

All brake pads aren't created equal, did you buy good ones or the "economy" pads?

 

[Warmblood58]

Thanks all - good suggestions, rotors and pads top quality. I think I will push out old fluid and rebleed and see what result I get and before I do so, double check hoses and/or replace - new MC not out of the question, bench bleed that and get that into the mix, thanks. I understand the finned rear drums are the way to go -anyone do this? Dual piston front calipers anyone? Thanks again!

 

[Shran]

Can you get finned rear drums for your truck? I've only seen them on 9" drums for 7.5 axles. 10" drums and 8.8 axles don't have fins. If you can, it may help cool the drums a bit, but I don't think I'd spend any extra money on them.

I have had trouble with the RABS valve on several of these trucks. The one on my Explorer was leaking just a little and the brakes would get spongy. I had another one just rust up solid and the brakes would lock up. May not be your issue but it's worth looking at. I bypassed the valve in both cases.

 

[adsm08]

Can you get finned rear drums for your truck? I've only seen them on 9" drums for 7.5 axles. 10" drums and 8.8 axles don't have fins. If you can, it may help cool the drums a bit, but I don't think I'd spend any extra money on them.

Aerostars had an available finned 10" drum. Bendix PDR0611 is a finned 10" drum for a 5x4.5 pattern.