Low Brake Pedal on Ranger

Try adjusting the rear brakes first. HTH, s

I would make sure the rear shoes are adjusted first if it has rear shoes.

Mike

Forgot to mention that I'd checked that as well.

Looks like master cylinder, huh??

Is your emergency brake low too or is it right at the top few clicks?

Mike

I would suggest you perform a two man bleeding procedure before condemning the master cylinder. The man in the car should pump the pedal rapidly while the other has the bleeder CLOSED, then stop pumping after a few strokes and apply soft pressure to the pedal. He should then signal you to OPEN the bleeder as he maintains slow, light, even pressure on the pedal until nearing the floor. Then he should signal you when he is near the floor so you can CLOSE the bleeder before the pedal bottoms out.

Do this fstarting from farthest wheel to nearest wheel to the MC, then do it at each of the fluid pipes attached to the MC itself. And obviously, keep the resevoir full at all times.

If the problem never returns, then Bob's your uncle. It may have just been caused by old contaminated fluid or some intermittant air leak past a wheel cylinder or caliper piston.

If the pedal height gradually gets worse again in the next few months, then you can be fairly certain that a mechanical component is causing air to enter the systen, and that component is probably the MC. At that point I would replace the master.

Toyota MDT in MO

I would suggest you perform a two man bleeding procedure before condemning the master cylinder. The man in the car should pump the pedal rapidly while the other has the bleeder CLOSED, then stop pumping after a few strokes and apply soft pressure to the pedal. He should then signal you to OPEN the bleeder as he maintains slow, light, even pressure on the pedal until nearing the floor. Then he should signal you when he is near the floor so you can CLOSE the bleeder before the pedal bottoms out.

Do this starting from the farthest wheel to the nearest wheel to the MC, then do it at each of the fluid pipes attached to the MC itself. And obviously, keep the resevoir full at all times.

If the problem never returns, then Bob's your uncle. It may have just been caused by old contaminated fluid or some intermittant air leak past a wheel cylinder or caliper piston.

If the pedal height gradually gets worse again in the next few months, then you can be fairly certain that a mechanical component is causing air to enter the systen, and that component is probably the MC. At that point I would replace the master.

Toyota MDT in MO

That sounds like a good advice. A few bucks worth of brake fluid and an hour's work may save $100 for a new MC. The system is probably way overdue for a flush anyway...