Brakes

[gontek]

I have been having a reoccurring dream that I am driving along in my truck and suddenly I have no brakes.

Aside from psyhcological help, what can I do in real life to ensure this does not happen? What are the most common failure modes for brakes?

I have replaced my drums and pads, and all those springs and things that come in the brake kits. I never lose any power brake fluid. If a brake line goes out and I lose fluid, would I lose all brake or just power brakes?

If it happens I will downshift and ram curbs or inanimate objects to come to a stop, thats my emergency action plan and what I do in my dreams too.

I am hoping some peace of mind will stop these nightmares short, I am open to advice, so I can stop having these ridiculous nightmares. Brake lines are original, maybe replacing them will give me the peace of mind I need.

[Longhorn Man]

lines ddon't normallly burst, but it is not unheard of to have them rust out. This of course depends mostly on what part of the country you are in. I've seen Kansas trucks look like desert south west vehicles, and then others look like they came from Ilinois.
A visual inspection should answer questions on that. The rubber hoses from the frame to diff in back, and from frame to a arm up front, those go bad over the years... no way to inspect them since they go from the inside out. If they look swollen, then obviously ditch them, otherwise, no way to tell. Any failure in the lines or hoses will result in 95% brake failure... not just power assist.
The brake wheel cylinders in the rear drums can go bad, but they just leak and make a mess, not a "no brake" kind of situation unless your master cylinder goes dry.
The brake booster can give out with little to no warning, but is not a common issue. Same with the master cylinder.

These things have a good dependable system that if inspected and maintained, will serve you well.

As for the nightmares... well, I'm not a profesional, but I do have some ideass as to what causes this kind of nighmare to happen over and over.
Do you have a wife or co worker who comments on your "old unsafe truck" a lot?
if so, tell them to shut the heck up.

[gontek]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

Do you have a wife or co worker who comments on your "old unsafe truck" a lot?
if so, tell them to shut the heck up.

I think you have just nailed it.

[Longhorn Man]

make it safe, and then you KNOW it is safe. If you know it iss safe, then screw what people say.

[tim21391]

always keep a big giant boat ancre in the back end.. thats what i was always told

[68gmsee]

Man, that's not a dream it's a nightmare! It's happened to me. The master cylinder went bad with no warning. I down shifted, pumped the brakes as fast as I could, and was able to create enough pressure to slow it down and then used the emergency brakes to completely stop.

Lukily I was in a country road. I eased it on home through back roads with the emergency brake to stop it and replaced the mc.

That would be my first thing to replace if it is an old one.

[WorkinLonghorn]

Next time you have this dream try just using the parking/emergency brake before crashing into parked cars etc.
That system doesn't use brake fluid and is operated via cables and levers.

[neonlarry]

One other thing I would recommend is change the brake fluid.
Brake fluid normally has a boiling point between 400-600°, but it is hydroscopic (it absorbs moisture) which can significantly lower its boiling point. With prolonged brake use (going down steep grades, towing etc.) you can literally vapor lock your brakes.

[gontek]

so youre saying I should hook up the emergency brake - that sounds like a good idea too.