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98 Ford Windstar brake issue

6K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  alreginfo 
#1 ·
Hi Everyone,

My Wife's 98 Windstar developed a problem over night where the brakes are very soft. This kind of happened suddenly.

Basically you can stop, but you have to push the pedal all the way to the floor and pray you don't need to stop quickly.

So far we checked the brakes themselves, pads are less than 6 months old and she hardly drives anywhere. Rotors and cylinders are also fine.

With the help of my father-in-law we've replaced the Master cylinder, the brake booster, and the abs module.

There are no brake fluid leaks, the master cylinder was/is topped off correctly, and the brakes have been bled.

We've also checked all the fuses under the dash to make sure nothing is blown. To be honest we've run out of ideas. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Sounds like you've covered all the bases. Did this just happen all of a sudden or after this work was done?

I know you say it's been bled but you might try bleeding each wheel again. Start with the wheel furthest away from the master cylinder and work your way to the closest.

Also if it has brake shoes on the rear, make sure they are adjusted out.
 
#4 ·
Did you find a solution? Our 98 Windstar has the exact same issue. We replaced the master and bled the lines (both by pedal and mini-vacuum pump) but the pedal still goes all the way to the floor. Friend is trying to bleed the lines again today while I'm here at work.

Back drum brakes are adjusted out, front brakes were checked and are fine.
 
#5 ·
OK, we got ours fixed. Turns out there was something causing a valve in the ABS hydraulic module to stick. Somehow the shop (in the course of their testing and bleeding) was able to get it working again, saving (for now) the huge cost of replacing the unit.

There's enough wrong with the van that we are replacing it in March or April anyway, but at least this issue is fixed.
 
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