The brakes downright SUCK on my W250. There is plenty of pedal. I bled the fronts until the fluid is all clear and new. The pads and rotors look good, but the front brakes just don't have any power. The backs are working OK. They start to lock up then the ABS kicks in, but the fronts are $h1t. I have read that the first gen brakes are lacking, but I feel that mine are almost dangerous. Is this normal for these trucks. If it is what is the fix? I don't think that there is ABS on the fronts of my truck, so I should be able to lock up the brakes if I choose to.

 

Sounds about like mine. I've heard that getting Chevy 1-ton wheel cylinders in the rear can help, but you will have to wait for someone with the specifics to chime in.

 

I may be the exception but my brakes are fine, mine looked good but i changed the rotors and pads, the rotors crystalize over time and dont grab as well, and might check make sure if the pads are organic or metalic,

 

My fronts will lock up easily. My rears will lock up, but well after the fronts have. However, my brake and abs lights are on, and it's remotely possible that my brake warning lights could be actually warning me about my brakes. Farfetched, but, possible.

So, I'm forced to withhold judgement on the design untill I fix mine.

 

Sounds like something is wrong, mine will dam near stop on a dime. Maybe master cylinder? or brake booster?

 

Interesting - Best I can give you is my own experience.

Have a '91 D350. Brakes have always had a good feel and provided ample stopping - even when 24' travel trailer brakes were not. replaced front rotors at 190k (had some warpage). Other than the occassional set of pads or shoes, they have had little that needed attention. I am planning to completely bleed the system this spring though, it has been a few years.

 

Mine SUCKED since new. What mine would do is start to lock the rears then the ABS would basicly shut the whole braking system down. The harder I pressed the pedal the harder the abs would shut down. Some of the worst brakes on a vehicle I have ever seen. And they got much worse than that when the master and the booster wore out. So I would say to start looking there for your problem.

Dean

 

Any vaccum leak can also cause bad brakes

 

Yep...that's what mine are doing. The master cylinder seems OK. The booster is working just fine. The truck has a vacuum guage on it, and it shows no vacuum leaks. It will hold it's vacuum for 1/2 hour after shut off. There is only 21,000 miles on the truck so the pads are most likely original. Must fix , I refuse to drive this truck 997,900 more miles with crappy brakes

 

Sounds like my dakota; brakes just sux all the way around! Must run in the dodge family....
Anyway, i had a 91 w250 and the brakes on that thing were killer! I mean you tapped the pedal and better hope you were buckled in. Then my 93 that's an entirely different story. The brakes are horrible! I think i have a vaccum leak or the booster just isn't working right. Then again it has 312k.
It is possible though that your brakes just were not broken in properly or the pads have glazed over. There is a very specific way to break in most brakes.
Good luck.

 

first gens need to be kept adjusted ...very important, but they do lack ..If you install 1ton rear slave cylinders it helps tons. now my brakes work real good on my 90 w250. the d350s work great and are real fast

 

Those lights are on most of the time in my pickup too. However, the brake pads are good (just checked the front ones out the other day when I packed the bearings) and the braking system works well, so I am not too concerned. They aren't the best brakes, but they work.

 

My brakes are no good and never have been. My truck is in the shop now for brakes (getting ready to move out of state) and I pretty sure it's the last time. I have replaced everything on the brake system with new stuff over the last few years and they stay good for a few months then start to degrade.

This is the last itme I'm going through this brake bull on this truck. My next step is to get rid of the no stopping POS.

Jim

 

brake lining material is another factor in how well they stop. I have 3'" rear shoes and 1 ton cyl. in the rear my trucks stop as good as any

 

The brakes on mine were "OK" until I put in a new booster. Now they are awesome!