The truck is a 1998 2wd front disc rear drum, with cruise control. So a couple of weeks ago the front right caliper froze and stuck on, so I changed both front calipers, pads etc, things seemed to be working fine for 2 weeks. Now when I step on the brakes the fronts do not release right away they stay locked and then very gradually release but still drag a bit. I know they arent hanging up on the slides because they release if i crack the bleeder. The rear brakes are working fine. I pulled the master cylinder away from the booster and the plunger seems to be retracting fine. Could it possibly be the proportioning valve?

 

Replace the rubber brake line hoses, they are collapsing internally. Rule to live by, always change the hoses when replacing calipers.

 

Torkum is right buddy, when you release the pressure from the bleeder valve the problem is pinpointed to the brake caliper rubber hoses. if in any case they wouldn't release when you open the bleeder valve then the problem is with the calipers...

 

I will double check the lines, I initially wrote them off because while the brakes are still stuck on, the rubber lines felt like they had alot of pressure in them, is in they were much harder to bend and could not be pinched by pliers but perhaps I was checking too close to the caliper and the collapse is further up the line. Thanks for the tip I will look deeper into this

 

I agree with the other guys. Change the rubber lines. I bought Ford lines. They were the same price as the Chinese rubber lines from Advance Auto Parts.

 

Its Ford's crappy design. Replace them, and within 50-10000 miles they will stick drag, overheat........I done them twice on my 1998 along with every other possible part. They still overheat to the point that they threaten to catch the truck on fire.

The dealer can't fix them, I can't fix them, a local shop can't fix them. You can throw parts at it, it may fix it for a while (like in my truck). But you can't fix a bad design. $1500 in brake parts and they still suck........

 

Another thought. I've seen Fords with bad brake boosters drag the front brakes. It's pretty easy to diagnose. Just pick up on the bottom of the brake pedal with your foot when stopped. If the vehicle starts to move faster, It's the issue. I fixed my dad's car by putting a spring from the brake pedal arm to the dash board.

BTW I've found the best way to maximize my '98's brake life is to adjust the rear drums up manually every 10-15,000 miles. The rears wear a little more quickly, but the front last longer, and the truck stops much much better than when the rear are out of adjustment.