I am currently in Guatemala [driving to Argentina] in my 98 v6 tacoma. my brakes are getting worse and worse. i just replaced front and back pads about 2 months ago so i know they are all good. I am pretty sure the rear brakes are not working at all and the e brake does not work. the pedal is not mushy and actually feels very firm when trying to stop at a fast speed. the truck brakes ok when traveling slow 30 mph or less but will never "squeal" to a stop. at high speeds the truck has a scary slow stop. when pressing on the brake pedal there is a lot of resistance when traveling at high speed and impossible to push the pedal to the floor. their is plenty of fluid in the brake resivor and no visual leeks in the system. I have a phoenix slide in camper on it and total of about 1600 pounds extra weight. Between the insane hills and insane drivers my lack of stopping power is of great concern. I have done a ton of work to the truck my self but i lack any in depth brake knowledge. please help!!!
bad brakes on 1998 toyota tacoma. In Guatemala Help (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter adventureamericas
- Start date
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sounds like you need bigger brakes or your booster is shot.
- Thread starter
- #3
how would i know if the booster is shot. is there a way to disconnect and test.
generally a soft pedal is a master cylinder, a hard pedal with no stopping is the booster. Sometimes the master leaks into the booster taking it out. Keep in mind you are hauling some weight there so depending on road conditions that may be affecting your braking.
40Habits
Sure... why not
This is how to check your brake booster.
1. OPERATING CHECK
(a) Depress the brake pedal several times with the engine off
and check that there is no change in the pedal reserve
distance.
(b) Depress the brake pedal and start the engine. If the pedal
goes down slightly, operation is normal.
2. AIR TIGHTNESS CHECK
(a) Start the engine and stop it after 1 or 2 minutes. Depress
the brake pedal several times slowly.
If the pedal goes down farthest the 1st time, but gradually rises
after the 2nd or 3rd time, the booster is air tight.
(b) Depress the brake pedal while the engine is running, and
stop the engine with the pedal depressed. If there is no
change in the pedal reserve travel after holding the pedal
for 30 seconds, the booster is air tight.
1. OPERATING CHECK
(a) Depress the brake pedal several times with the engine off
and check that there is no change in the pedal reserve
distance.
(b) Depress the brake pedal and start the engine. If the pedal
goes down slightly, operation is normal.
2. AIR TIGHTNESS CHECK
(a) Start the engine and stop it after 1 or 2 minutes. Depress
the brake pedal several times slowly.
If the pedal goes down farthest the 1st time, but gradually rises
after the 2nd or 3rd time, the booster is air tight.
(b) Depress the brake pedal while the engine is running, and
stop the engine with the pedal depressed. If there is no
change in the pedal reserve travel after holding the pedal
for 30 seconds, the booster is air tight.
- Thread starter
- #6
thanks for the great info on testing my booster. guess i know what i will be doing tomorrow. i will report back with my findings. 
How'd this go? Any luck?
- Thread starter
- #8
checked the booster and it seems to be working fine. i will test it again tomorrow. Any other ideas out there. how about mastercylinder any way to test this. thanks for all the great info. how hard is it to drain the whole system and start over again. i dont have a clear hose for checking for air bubbles and i doubt i can find one.
I changed all my fluid out last year. I used two quarts, can be done with less. But I switched out to synthetic and wanted to be sure all the old fluid was out. A piece of 3/8" hose long enough to reach a gallon milk/water jug will do. Just open the bleeder, stick the hose on it, put the other end into the small portion of the jug that is the handle, and pump the brake pedal. You can watch as the fluid changes color from old used oil to new clean oil by watching as it squirts down the handle into the jug. You can squat on the ground beside the truck and pump the brake pedal by hand as you watch what comes out. Be sure to not let the resevoir get too low and suck air. Although I pumped all my old oil out until it sucked dry just to be sure to get a complete flush. Then I started bleeding all the way to the right rear, left rear, front right, and then front left.
- Thread starter
- #10
sounds like bleeding entire system is easy enough. can i just bleed it all buy opening up the rear brake bleader and going from there. not sure if i can find a synthetic brake fluid in Guatemala but i will look. thanks for the info.
Just what you can find. Make sure it's what is said on top of the reservoir cap.
- Thread starter
- #12
just went for a drive and still no luck on the rear brakes and front brakes still suck. the e brake works better and i will see if i can adjust rear pads more. when i pump the brake pedal each time it gets harder to push down and brakes get worse possibly another clue. I just searched the town i am in and found no syn brake fluid. so i bought the most expensive kind i could find witch still looks like it sucks but i can always change it again when i get to a fancy country like costa rica. thank god i have internet where i am camping. thanks
