Cool, I have an '06 with a soft brake pedal as well. My cousin is a mechanic for Ford so I am going to get him to check this for me.

Thanks

 

That should have been one of the first things they checked. It is not some hidden secret that no one knows of. Even a vo-tech student would check that.Only an incompetent mechanic that is a parts changer would change the master cylinder and a bunch of other parts with out checking the rod adjustment. A soft pedal is a classic symptom of air in the lines or the rod needing adjusted.

 

Not for the parking brake. The primary brake is a disk but the parking brake is a drum brake that is on the inside of the brake rotor. Pull your rear wheels and rotors if you don't believe me.

 

Well powderburn2, maybe you should get your ASE and drop by all the Ford dealerships and give a power point presentation on the finer points of troubleshooting. That would be riot, right! Use that trusty search tool and you’ll see not a single person has made mention of the rod being adjusted in an effort to thwart the spongy pedal syndrome which many have faced here.
Hmmm, where have I heard that before???? Oh wait, in my previous post on the first page.

Thanks for your two cents and we’ll all keep you in mind the next time we need to figure out how to unlock the doors when we lock ourselves inside.

 

Wookie, this thread is about spongy brakes. The parking brake would have zero to do with this problem.


Again, the parking brake on a vehicle with rear discs would have nothing to do with the spongy feel in the pedal, but you are completely on point about the parking brake using traditional drum/shoes.

 

Awesome info!
I have more or less adjusted my driving to this problem! Instead of trying to find the mechanical resolution!
I'll be visiting my dealer within the next week or 2.
Unfortunately I have a small list builiding of "need-to-service" and irregular functions. I'm sure my dealer won't be too happy with me on my visit. LOL!

 

Except that I use the parking brake more when I am pulling a trailer, and that every time I pull a trailer I notice that my brake pedal tightens up noticeably. This might have something to do with it. I really can't come up with a good reason for it. However, I noticed that every time I went fishing (with my boat) the brake pedal would be noticeably stiffer for a day or so. The parking brake is cable actuated while the primary brakes are hydraulic so it should not make a bit of difference but yet it does.

 

And it's because of this very reason (two independent circuits) that the parking brake has absolutely no bearing on the “feel” of the main braking circuit, unless of course the parking brake was misadjusted and was in a constant state of rubbing, but this would obviously be the inverse of the spongy pedal.

It sounds as if your p-brake is indeed misadjusted. It may be a bit too far out; hence the feeling that the brakes are working sooner vs later in the case of the spongy pedal. The explanation of the feeling going away by the next day is really quite simple. The wear on the shoes giving that slack back.

 

I am printing this ( above info ) and taking it to the dealer !!!
Like many others I have hated the brakes on my year old '06.
The only other thing that gave me trouble were the crappy tires and I fixed that. LTX M/S
These brakes (pedal) is horrible, as stated above you have to double pump.
That is ridiculous !!

I am actually to the point of getting rid of it. It is a shame this has not been corrected sooner. I hope this works.

 

Wow this is great news rms8!!!! My dealer told me that the spongy brakes was normal and there was nothing they could do. Guess I'll be going back.

Thanks Again
Andy

 

For your information I have been a certified mechanic for over 30 years. Thats why I said a REAL mechanic would have checked that right from the start, Especially on a new vehicle. Alot of mechanics today dont even have the training of a vo-tech student and are nothing more than parts changers with no trouble shooting skills. And yes you did say something about your pedal was spongy and weak which just proves my point that the rod adjustment should be one of the first 2 or three things checked before blindly putting on a new master cylinder or brake booster. What do you think is driving up fords costs? I'll tell you one thing is inept supposed "service Technicians" blindly changing parts that dont fix the problem. The local ford dealer here has ads in the paper all the time looking for mechanics and the ad states "expierience not required". What the hell kind of skills are they gonna have? So just cause your supposed mechanic finally figured out this simple problem doesn't mean he is a genious.
Your previous post stating that your master cylinder and brake booster had already been changed just means to me that your "Service technician" would probably be a good candidate for basic vo-tech training or a new career. And yes my two cents is probly worth just that but I do know how to unlock my truck if I accidently lock the keys inside,Do you?

 

Look Capt. Obvious, no where did I mention that my booster was replaced. It was checked and verified good. Big difference in my book. No where did I say “my” mechanic was a genius either. You see, “I” am my own mechanic, but when it comes to service on a new vehicle under warranty, I let the dealership toy with it. And just for the record, I still pat my service dept on the back for killing two birds with one stone. Perhaps your 30 years of experience can see the logic in what I’m about to say…To adjust the rod you have to remove the MC. Makes sense to me to save the labor $$$ by just replacing it since it’s off rather than putting it all back together and rolling the dice that the rod was the problem. Just replace it, bleed the system and now you have just eliminated two of the most likely suspects in ONE round.

As I stated, perhaps you should step up and start a campaign to get experienced, qualified techs in the service departments. It would save so many people so much time. If it wasn’t for the UAW *******ing the big three with ridiculous benefits (when compared to 95% of the rest of us) and the senior executives raping the corporations, things would run a lot smoother, but then again, that’s just my humble opinion.

You see, I took my truck in one time for the brakes, and guess what, they are now fixed vs several others who have repeatedly taken their trucks into their own respective dealer only to be patronized or brushed off. This post is meant to provide them with a legitimate fix but more importantly a CONTACT so the BS stops. If they simply have their service manager call the service manager at my dealership (info in prior post) they will save mucho (spanish for a lot, LOL) time.

Thanks for misreading my post. And for the record, if I lock myself in my own vehicle, I’ll just call my roadside assistance number included in my ESP !

 

I just adjusted my brake booster rod and there is one thing I will caution. When you remove the master cylinder there will be vacuum pressure holding it in place, you have to give it a good tug to break it loose. There is a rubber o ring that seals the master cylinder to the brake booster, mine came out when I pulled it off. Its harder to see because it fits in the lip. Just make sure that the o ring goes back in if it does fall out.

BTW I adjusted the rod about 1.25 turns out and the pedal feels night and day different.

 

THIS IS AWESOME NEWS!!!!!

Good work!!!
Hopefully more with this issue will see this thread and read what you did!

 

sounds great so far. can you be more specific as to what we are looking at and where it adjusts? is this a rod that actually has to come out to adjust or when you pull the master you see a way to adjust? thanks.....