OH MY GAWD!! What a difference.
Wagner Thermoquiets =$80 shipped from Rockauto
Stock Rotors turned = $15
MC rod adjustment =$0
The feel of a firm pedal that actually stops the truck without shaking or wearing out your leg from pushing so hard = PRICELESS!! Best $95 bucks I've spent on Bear!

 

You are the first I've heard that made that adjustment in a long time. Glad it all worked out. I think the Thermoquiets are as good as you can get.

 

what is MC rod adjustment?

 

The rod that goes into the rear of the mster cylinder when you mash on the pedal. It is adjustable and some need a slight adjustment to have a full brake pedal.

 

hmmmm, sounds like the wagners might be going on the truck here in a few months. Thanks smokey for posting the info !

 

Oh yeah, it's get's better, I just found out that Wagner has a rebate going on so I'll be getting $30 back from them so the final total will only be $65. COOL BEANS MAN!

 

Is this a safe adjustment to perform your self?

 

Read this thread and maybe it will help you decide for yourself, if it's what you need to do.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/20...rod+adjustment

Quite a few have done it. Just needs to be done with caution.

 

Yeah, after reading that I decided to try it when I changed the pads. I'm glad I did. I tried the brakes after the pad change and it still felt soft so I did the adjustment and I wish I had went ahead and done it months ago. I tried one half turn at first and it helped but it needed more so I went went another half turn and it was perfect. It took all of 5 minutes combined to pull the MC, adjust the rod and bolt it back up. Whoever figured this out first deserves a

 

define "safe"

will you crash and die if you do it wrong? probably not.

Will you have a high chance of dragging brakes causing more wear? very likely.

Will you someday find yourself sitting on the side of the road with your brakes locked up so tight you can't move? Perhaps.

What these people are doing is removing the dead stroke from the master cylinder (the stroke that is required to build pressure). The dead stroke is there for a couple reasons... and yes, one of them is manufacturing tolerances. But the other reason is to ensure that the seals are far enough behind the hole into the reservoir that the fluid can move back and forth. Once you advance the pistons by adjusting the booster output rod you could push the seals past the small hole that allows the fluid to flow back to the booster you could trap pressure in your brake system and drag your brakes.

You might notice this right away and fix it. But you might not notice it right away... it might only happen in extraordinary circumstances. Two very specific examples:
(1) you have a new truck with stability control (ESP). The ESP senses you losing traction and pumps fluid from the MC to apply your brakes. At the same time, you hit your brake pedal. Now the system is "super-charged" with more brake fluid than it can hold when not under pressure. You remove your foot from the pedal, but you adjusted your booster output rod so your seals are still covering the hole to your reservoir. You will now find yourself sitting on the side of the road till someone takes a wrench and opens up one of your brake fittings to release the pressure.
(2) you are on vacation, driving through the mountains. You are driving down the mountain and using your brakes fairly heavily. While on your brakes, your calipers get hot... really hot... and the brake fluid gets hot, and expands. You get to the bottom of the hill and remove your foot from the pedal. Again, too much fluid in the system and your seals are blocking the holes. The only good news is that once your brakes cool down you can drive away...

For what its worth... I design, build, and test these master cylinders. I have not performed this modification on my truck.

But yes, it is theoretically possible to adjust your booster output rod to give you better brake response.

 

Excellent post!

To the OP how many miles did you get out of stock pads and rotors?

 

Does anyone know what the correct clearance would be from the booster output rod to the master cylinder contact? Mine has over 1/8" clear. Back in the 70's we adjusted so there was just contact, but no pressing. Has this changed?

 

I bought the truck at 49xxx miles and it already had carquest blues on it so I'm not sure about the stock ones. The blues though still had more than half life left in them it was the shaky rotors that were bothering me.