Thanks for the imput, bummer on my part, just another fix it problem to add to the list.

 

I mentioned the worn rubber hose before. Well it looks like it's almost down to the cords in 2 spots and I wonder if those two areas allow the hose to swell at those points and prevent full pressure from being applied to the caliper??? My front wheels are BLACK with brake dust; does that give any other ideas as to what's wrong? Another thing, the fluid in the master reservoir is very dark (almost black) but the fluid I get when bleeding the brakes looks brand new. Should I consider flushing the whole system with fresh brake fluid? Thanks

 

First off, id replace that hose if its in that bad of shape for sure!

Second, I quite a bit of brake dust on my front wheels too after driving for some time, I clean them ever so often to keep the dust from staining my wheels...(If you care about yours)

As far as the brakes, im not sure why they are bleeding off on you...

I had a similar problem before with LONG stopping distances, somewhat loss of pedal feel at the end of the travel, but my brakes were pretty warn. I replaced the front rotors/pads, and adjusted the rear brakes and they have been as good as they will be, ever since...

 

Brake dust on front wheels may be a sign that the rubber hose is bulging and not letting the pads return when released. It only takes about half a thousandth movement for the pads to return to keep them off of the rotors - if the hose is bulging then the master has to return the excess fluid in the bulge (think of it as a remote reservoir under pressure) before the calipers can retract.

It could also be a sign of a caliper hanging in the bore since you put new pads on it. If there is/was crud in the caliper you can end up pushing the piston back into the crud when you install new pads sicnce they are thicker than what was there. The crud can then cause the piston to hang on return but not on apply, since apply is under pressure.

A clean brake system is a happy brake system - that is what I learned many years ago from a long-time AAMCO brake shop owner (thank you, Mr. Means, for teaching me how to troubleshoot any mechanical system). And I have proved it to myself numerous times over the years.

 

The brake dust has been a problem for close to a year and the pads were put on last week. I "think" (never a good idea, LOL) that the hose is bulging and the caliper isn't getting the needed pressure to apply the pads with enough force to stop the truck correctly. That sounds good in theory at least to me. The next step is to replace both front hoses and completely change the brake fluid. I'm even considering replacing the calipers if that would help. I don't expect the truck to stop like a 2000 lb sports car with 4 wheel discs, but it should stop better than my 1965 Skylark with 4 wheel drums and single reservoir master cylinder. There has to be a way to get these trucks set up that they give you a good feeling in the pit of your stomach when you hit the brakes; rather than the hula-hoops my stomach usually does...

 

My 1965 Cutlass stopped pretty good with 4 wheel drums - but I had some tricks on it.

I am running Porterfield CarbonKevlar pads and shoes on my 96 with the rear shoes cross-hatched and 1-ton cylinders - it does not stop like my 911 did but it does get the "whoa-mule" done pretty good.

You can rebuild a caliper fairly cheap even though remans are not expensive. The problem I have is that remans can be worse crap than what you have and you will not know it until something else gets destroyed (like the $380 hub on my 78 W200 did one time). If I take a caliper apart and the piston is corroded/scored/otherwise iffy then I get a reman and take it apart to check for artifacts left from the rebuild and to make sure everything is right before I put it back together and use it.

Biggest thing is to keep the rears adjusted. The 1-ton cylinders definitely help take up some of the load.

 

Well, after all of this, I replaced the master and upgraded to the 1 ton Chevy slaves. Huge difference. I have to recalibrate my pedal pressure to keep me from hitting the steering wheel. In fact, I am concerned that my rears will lock up too easily in wet or any low traction applications. But boy, do they sure work!

 

I just put the gm 1 ton cylinders on mine last weekend tow a 43 ft boat it had a hard time stopping last time but stopped great this time the pedal even seems alittle harder

 

If the master cylinder has really shot craps on you, the pedal will be soft even when the engine isn't running, and you have pumped a few times to clear the vacuum out of the booster. If the pedal DOES sink with the engine off (and vacuum cleared) then the master cylinder is definitely toast.

 

Keep your caliper pins well lubed!
Make sure your caliper bushings are in good shape too.

From 1994 to 1999 the Dodge caliper pins are not of the best design.
There are no provisions to keep the grease in and the dirt out!
Compare your 2nd gen to a 3rd gen and you will see what I am talking about.

When your pind get gummed up they cause your calipers to stick.
This causes all kinds of problems
Including Brake FADE....

I hope this helps

SFB

PM me for more brke info.

 

Have you figured it out yet? I am haveing same problem and have replaced everything , dump valve, lines, calipers,master cyclinder,abs ,still creeping down . it is killing me I can't spool it up for pullin till I get it fixed. pedal is hard when the truck is off, but when running it goes from hard to the floor slowly exspecaily when spoolin it up.

 

Smokin,
Sounds like a vacuume booster problem for sure.
Especially since you replaced all the other parts.
You may also have a bad Vacuume pump.
I have a 97 with the hydro-boost. No vacuume booster.
I pretty sure your 95 has a vacuume booster?
My buddy had the exact problem you describe in his gas powered chevy. Creeping
He had the booster replace and it solved his problem.
I still recommend checking your vacuume motor too.
Maybe you can up-grade to hydro-boost?

Keep us posted

SFB

 

We checked the vacum with a gauge and it seems to hold just fine ,we pull the line off after it sits for a couple days and it still has vacum. also uasually ( i thought ) if you loose vac on a dodge the you will loose 4x4 first then brakes since the actuator will slide back to the unlocked position?

 

as it stands right now we have bypassed the front and rear ABS, still creeped now we are bypassing the proportioning valve to see if that is the deal ( evan thow we replaced it ) I'll let you know tommarrow

 

My buddies truck did the same exact thing yours does.

I'm sure it would make more sence if we had a diagram of a booster.

My buddies also held vacuume in it.

Soooooo
I still vote for the booster.

Keep us posted!
SFB