01 4Runner low brake pedal???
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BlackCat914
New member
Welcome to owning a 4runner with factory brakes. The Tundra upgrade will solve that.
nevada
Senior Member
this.
if its got a low pedal(not soft) and pumping it brings it up, the rear shoes are out of adjustment, and/or worn.
Ok thanks! Anything I should know about adjusting them??
BlackCat914
New member
I hope it fixes your issue, but I don't think it will. These trucks have inherently soft brake pedals. I literally *just* adjusted mine, and it did nothing to the pedal. Don't get me wrong though, typically, cleaning and adjusting rear brakes will improve pedal height, it just didn't with my truck. And pumping the brakes gives you a stiffer, higher pedal because you're bleeding the booster of vacuum, not because its somehow pushing your brake shoes/pads harder and harder on the drum/rotor surface.
nevada
Senior Member
pedal travel, and a soft pedal are 2 different things.
BlackCat914
New member
I suppose, but I would assume when someone says they have soft pedal they mean the pedal needs to be pushed further than normal in order to get the vehicle to stop. A low pedal would be that it takes more travel in order to get the brakes to start engaging. Either way, pumping the brakes rapidly only depletes the booster of vacuum, especially at idle, and has nothing to do with brake adjustment.
edit: nevermind, he clearly stated he doesn't have a soft pedal. Durrrrrrr.
nevada
Senior Member
:hatsoff:
also, pumping the pedal pushes the shoes out further, allowing full contact with the drum. this is what gives the higher pedal.
im not arguing whether the front brakes are too small for the rig or not. i have no experience with that, but have read about that mod quite a bit. but for the problem hes having, i think checking the rear brakes is the first place id start.
BlackCat914
New member
Yes, I agree. Drum brake adjustment has a huge impact on pedal height.
Gerdo
New member
It could be the rear brake shoes out of adjustment but I would put my money on air in the lines. Yes I did see that you bled the brakes. Did you start at the passenger rear, drivers rear, pass front then drivers front? Did you you bleed out a lot of fluid on each wheel? There could be air in the middle of the lines. This is a great time to get fresh brake fluid in the whole system.
CanadianTRD
New member
+1. All of that.
LukewarmChiliPep
New member
I was driving my friend's 3rd gen (99) the other day, and noticed that the pedal was stiff and very sensitive. It made me realize just how soft my brake pedal was. I bled the brakes, but it didn't help at all. After reading on some threads it seems like I could just have a low brake pedal, and that a loose parking brake could be an indicator of this. However, when I pull up on the parking brake, it doesn't change the brake pedal firmness at all. Thoughts?
ArmArak
New member
Really? When I did my Tundra Brake Upgrade my pedal actually became lower, as in it had a lot more travel. It did get firmer for me though.
I also have a 2001, and I recommend the Tundra Brake Upgrade 100%!
If what you mean by low pedal is how firm it is I would also say that the drums should be checked. I had a similar issue. My rear axle seals were shot and the differential oil was leaking all into the drum brakes. Not only was this limiting my braking in the rear but it was also a fire hazard!
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CO_Fletch
Member
I just had the same issue on a new to me 3rd gen. Turned rotors, new front pads, flushed fluid/bled lines starting at passenger rear ending at driver front. Brakes worked, but it felt like they didn't really engage until i pressed in about 50% or more (low brake pedal, not really soft, per se).
My research brought up a lot of different possibilities but I kept seeing rear brake drum adjustment (the one step I didn't do because it is kind of a pain and PO just replaced pads within the past year). Went back to the truck, pulled up on E-Brake and it went all the way to max with very little resistance (my ah ha moment that it was rear brake issue). I then took it for a drive around the neighborhood pulling up and releasing the hand brake repeatedly (I had read about that process during my research). Some of the times I would press the brake pedal and engage the hand brake (not sure if that is needed). The brakes slowly got better and the brake pedal now engages the brakes much higher and function more normal compared to my 4th gen. I was reading that the automatic ratchet adjustment on the drum pads adjusts with each e brake pull, but only small amounts - this is why it takes several pulls (I think the driving is needed to help the ratchet, if not, it was easy to go around the block and I could feel it change). I probably pulled on the e-brake 10-15 times. The e-brake now only goes up about half way to max.
I don't normally use e-brake since I park in flat places, but now that I know it helps keep drums and pads in adjustment, I probably will engage regularly.
cashflow50
New member
If you need to pump it has to be the master right? My problem on my gmc was air in the system (sorry not a toy). I do have a toy but doesn’t have the soft pedal problem
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CO_Fletch
Member
I think the brakes working with a quick pumping and equated as a sign of air in the lines is because the fronts grab a little with a quick jab/pump because they are closest to the MC and engage the rotor and grab a little at first. We feel it because they do most the stopping power compared to rears and a little engagement feels like they are working. However, because there is still play in the system, they can't do their full stopping power. Then the hydraulic system equalizes pressure when the rear shoes meet the drum. The pedal keeps going until everything is in contact and then stopping power is applied to all 4. In my case, I would have some brake feel of slowing, dragging with initial pedal push slow or quick jab or pump, but stopping power wouldn't really be felt as expected until all 4 corners were in contact and the system could then pressurize all four corners and brakes would work as expected at the lower pedal position. With the rear drum adjustment done properly, everything engages at the same time with a high pedal with no delay in braking to pressurize and equalize. This is where a soft pedal I think is sometimes confused with a low pedal.
LukewarmChiliPep
New member
So I eventually took it to my mechanic (who was a Toyota tech prior) because I was concerned about the master cylinder. They said the master was fine, and so they did a rear brake adjustment and fluid flush. The parking brake now feels much better, but the pedal is still at the same height as before.
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nice
Dieselchessy
New member
Seems you need to quantify what “low pedal” means to you.
My brake pedal sits about 5” from the firewall carpet measured perpendicular to the pad. My gas pedal about 3 3/4”.
My clutch sits up higher than the brake pedal, didn’t measure.
