It is being held on by vacuum. Pump the brake pedal a few times to release the vacuum.

 

damn, glad I just found this issue and how to fix it. I have always thought my brake pedal felt soft and sloppy. Def. not like it does in my cobra. Will have to get my hands dirty this coming weekend.

 

A good rule of thumb when performing maintenance on your vehicle based on advice from a thread on the net, READ THE THREAD......

This very question has been addressed more than a few times here, even just 2 simple posts preceding yours.....

 

Not to be a jerk, but that thread did not say why he released the vacuum hose, but thanks to BrownC, he explained that it was the vacuum holding it in place. I did read through and saw people just yanked on it and I did not want to bend the lines. Nice original post though, this will be helpful.

 

I went and made this attempt yesterday and thought I'd add a little bit for those that may not have the stock intake

I have the S&B intake which is a HUGE box that sits over there. Unfortunately for me, it sits less than 1/2 an inch from the brake master cylinder when installed

So to do this if you have the S&B Intake, you will have to completely remove the entire box. You can remove the 13mm nuts witout removing the intake, but to remove the master cylinder, the S&B box has to come out. So a little more work there. I turned the rod about 1/2 turn and put it all back together. Its MUCH better, but not quite what I want, so when I feel like it, I'll have to go take it all back out.

Couple things to add. One person said the nuts are 1/2. Mine were not. 1/2 was just a tad bit too small. 13mm was what worked perfect for me. I know that is really close to a 1/2, but its what worked. And don't worry about needle nose pliers like some have mentioned for the adjustment. Just get a 7mm socket and and start turning little bits at a time

 

Glad to hear it has resolved your spongy pedal too!

FYI,
American cars switched over from SAE to Metric decades ago. So the Correct size is 13mm. Many 1/2" sockets may fit over a 13mm head since they are nearly the same size. The "sloppier" or older (worn out a bit) 1/2" sockets will fit.

 

I always thought it was pretty funny that I could take my Supra virtually apart to nuts and bolts with a 10mm,12mm,14mm,16mm,18mm, and 20mm. LIterally every bolt on that car was one of those sizes.

You would think an american car would use SAE, but noooooo gotta be the metric guys

 

...

 

Just did this mod on our truck.

Wow, night and day difference!

Now time to upgrade the pads and rotors.

 

I just put on Power Slot rotors, Wagner pads and I was WTF not much of a difference. Then I found this post and did it.

Hell of a difference, Thanks

 

AWESOME!

 

So - here's a question that I don't understand. I also have a spongy pedal, too - I guess it's more noticeable after the 33s went on - with the heavier weight, but how can adjusting the MC booster rod fix the brake feel? I think I'm going to try it - but I think all the rod does it take up play - so how does it remove the soft pedal feel?

 

rms8,

Thanks for the tips, I finally removed my MC and adjusted the rod.
1st attempt was a 1/2 turn, an improvement, but needed more.
Second attempt was another 1/4 turn, better but not quite there.
Third attempt ended up with the rod end being 1 full turn from where
it was factory set....... outstanding!

I did jack the lt front and check for any brake drag, none present.

 

When I went to adjust the rod, the part of it that I would hold with the needlenose pliers that has the teeth on it was loose. You could turn it left or right very easily. Should this rod be tight. I turned the other part of the rod counter clockwise and got the desired feel but am wondering whether I should take the MC off again and try to tighten the rod with the teeth on it or not. Maybe that is why we need to adjust the rod to begin with. Does anyone know or remember how theirs was?

 

I did this a few weeks ago and the pedal is more solid. However, I now have a rattle that was not present before doing this. It comes from behind the dash area and I can't reproduce it on demand, it just comes and goes. I've popped the hood and tried to find it, but so far no luck.

Problem #2 MORE brake dust than before. I'm sick of these Porterfields - they're rotted and rusted and just a joke. I've tried the Wagner TQ's on the Mustang and will be putting those on the truck very soon.

Rowe, mine was loose as well.