Soft Brakes

I hit a pretty nasty pothole last week and since then my brakes have felt softer than usual. The truck stops but the pedal doesn’t seem as firm as it should be. I looked around and found no leaks and am thinking about bleeding my brakes. Just wondering if hitting a pothole can cause air in brake lines, or should I be looking for other issues?

 

Are your rear drums adjusted properly?

 

Try repeatedly pulling up and down on your emergency brake lever. Will autoadjust the drum brakes and take that out of the equation at least

 

What would be proper adjustment? Sorry, I’m not too knowledgable with brakes.

 

No. Or I certainly don't see how.

Yes.

Be careful. All that spiffy ABS stuff needs to be software controlled for a full bleed.

First thing I'd be looking for after a big pothole (what is 'big' and how hard did you hit it?) is a quality alignment shop. Not brake related, but important to your tire life and steering safety.

Then if you are still in warranty, make a dealer appointment with your brake complaint. That's all. No pothole story, etc. Just that you have soft brakes.

However, before doing that, have you been off roading in mud? Have you cleaned/inspected/adjusted the rear drums as @taco2010trd suggested?

If you've packed them up with goop, clean them before going to the dealer. 1) it may improve the issue, and it's not a warranty item 2) it will save you time and frustration at the dealership.

If you have a street queen, then by all means, warranty up. Just remember brakes are a wear item, and if they don't find any defects, it won't be free to fix.

 

Proper adjustment using the e-brake method is when you are left with about 6-7 clicks

 

https://youtu.be/IJkVEBYSecs

Watch this. I found it very useful not just for changing the drum brake shoes, but explaining maintenance as well.

 

Alignment was done the morning after, no alignment issues as of now. I haven’t taken my truck off road or in mud for a while, all brakes are clean. I looked closer today and noticed that my front passenger brake pad was touching the rotor while the vehicle was jacked up. Is this normal? The wheel still spins free when its in the air.

 

Got a picture or two for us?

 

This is with the wheel on the ground


I want to add that my brake pedal initially feels soft, like the first half of it being pressed. Closer to the floor it feels harder but still not as firm as before. I also notice a slight vibration/wobble coming from my front passenger wheel when braking, signs of a warped rotor?

 

Looks normal to me! Pads resting on the rotor surface is normal. If the wheel turns freely then you are good.

Hmm not sure about the second part. Could be a few different things. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable chimes in.

 

Bump