Originally Posted by Gumby22

1) There’s a pintle on the combination valve that needs to remain depressed during bleeding. It meters fluid flow to the rear brakes and can allow air to be trapped inside the valve, regardless of how much time and fluid has been used.

Have a helper depress the brake pedal and look/feel for the pintle - it’s typically on the top or front of the valve, covered by a black cap. The one that extends when the pedal is pressed is the one that needs to be held down.

There’s a clip tool available for this (https://www.amazon.com/OTC-OTC7853-V...P%2CB07NV4943F), but a penny and tape or zip ties will work if you can secure them properly.

Valve/pintle location




2) A method I’ve always used for adjusting drum brakes is to tighten up the adjuster until you can’t turn the wheel, then back off the adjuster one full turn. Then go for a short test drive (2 miles or less) and check to see if the drums are too hot - if so, back the adjuster off another 1/4 turn and repeat.

I’ve used this on several different makes and years and it’s worked every time.

Originally Posted by tank1949

That may be unnecessary if owner has ABS. I am not real sure if proportion valve is needed with ABS. My 1995 didn't have one that I could easily see. My ABS gave me a fit in bleeding after I replaced MC and brake cylinders, One cylinder leaked so I replaced both. so, I removed power supply and bled at ABS connection. It seemed to have made major difference. .

Originally Posted by Mr. Dude with a face

So, its the next day, and I drove the truck, and belive it or not, the pedal is FINALY nice and stiff and up at the top. I don't know if it was replaceing the booster, or if it was that yesterday, the truck was bleed for 2 straight hours to get the air out from disconecting the master. In finall, I would not bother messing with the pintle again, as it never seemed to do anything, and same story with the ABS. I would get a gallon jug of brake fluid, and a few people to help bleed, and use the entire thing. I think these trucks like to trap air and or, the boosters fail in a way that makes the pedal soft. I belive I described it in anothe post, but I will again to be thourogh, but I was told that durring yesterdays marathon bleed, sometimes, after the pedal had been pumped up and then the bleeder was cracked open. The pedal would not drop at all. Sometimes it would go all the way to the floor, sometimes only half way down. I have no good clue as to what this could be, but I am not complaining, and I am not going to mess with it, the brakes work fantastic right now! I did a few VERY hard stops, and was abble to engage the ABS multiple times tonight on dry pavement. So, in conclusion, if you have to replace the master cylander, get yourself a booster while you are at the parts store, because as you can see, the first post I made, was OVER A MONTH AGO. I look at it as cheap insurance, especially as it was not too hard to replace, just make sure to get a new clip so you dont have to wory about reusing the old one. Their are plenty of good videos on how to replace the booster, but once you get the basic idea, it becomes self explanatory. It also might be a good time to replace your brake light switch too, since you will already have it out and it can cause your cruise control to not work (I replaced mine a year or 2 ago for that reason). I would not bother trying to do an ABS bleed, or use the previously mentioned pintle depression method until you have agressivly bleed the brakes. I hope this thred helps anyone who is haveing issues, and thanks to those who where very helpful, like @Gumby22 .

Originally Posted by Mr. Dude with a face

@Mobbsdeep Thankfully I am going off of memory here, as I have not had to touch the brakes since I last posted on this thread I started a couple years ago. I don’t remember having any lights on at all. What year, and model is your truck?