Just upgraded to the 231mm brakes now I think my ABS pump is bad...

Ride_Red

Ride_Red

New member
Just upgraded my 2000 LTD brakes to the 231mm Tundra brakes. The brakes were so bad that I figured this would be the best time to do it, so off to NAPA I went. Once I completed the project I took the truk out for a ride and I wasn't that impressed??? The brakes were still close to hitting the floor?? So, I bleed the lines a few more times then dropped the truck off to have the rear drums done by my mechanic.

When the rears were done my mechanic, said the brakes were still not that great because the ABS pump is bad.

I did a search on the forum and found some that did this upgrade had too much air in the lines and it took a month for them to finally correct itself. How can I check to see if this is also my case? Is there a true way to test the ABS pump? I don't even know where this pump is and what to look for?


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LittleCaesar said:
When the mechanic bled the rears, did he see bubbles?

Did you let the MC run dry at any time during installation?
Click to expand...

Not sure, I'll ask him tomorrow when I pick it up.

I actually had some trouble with one of the break lines, so I had to pinch it for two days, before the new one from Toyota came in. I'm sure some air got in, so I bled it a few more times.
 
But is there a way to check the ABS pump? I'd hate to waste my time bleeding if he actually right about the pump.
 
Did you Bed-in the new pads after the install.

Bed In Procedure:

From a speed of about 60mph, gently apply the brakes to slow the car down to about
45mph, then accelerate back up to 60mph and repeat. Do this about four or five times
to bring the brakes up to operating temperature. This prevents you from thermally
shocking the rotors and pads in the next steps.

Make a series of eight near-stops from 60 to about 10 mph. Do it HARD by pressing
on the brakes firmly, just shy of locking the wheels or engaging ABS. At the end
of each slowdown, immediately accelerate back to 60mph. DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP!
(Note: With less aggressive street pads and/or stock brake calipers, you may need to
do this fewer times. If your pedal gets soft or you feel the brakes going away, then
you've done enough. Proceed to the next step.)

During this process, you must not come to a complete stop because you will transfer
(imprint) pad material onto the hot rotors, which can lead to vibration, uneven braking,
and could even ruin the rotors.

Depending on the pads you are using, the brakes may begin to fade slightly after the
7th or 8th near-stop. This fade will stabilize, but not completely go away until the brakes
have fully cooled. A bad smell from the brakes, and even some smoke, is normal.

After the 8th near-stop, accelerate back up to speed and drive around for as long as
possible without using the brakes. The brakes will need at least 10 minutes to cool down.
Obviously, it's OK to use the brakes to avoid an accident, but try to minimize their use
until they have cooled.

After the break-in cycle, there should be a blue tint and a light gray film on the rotor face.
The blue tint tells you the rotor has reached break-in temperature and the gray film is pad material
starting to transfer onto the rotor face. This is what you are looking for. The best braking occurs
when there is an even layer of of pad material deposited across the face of the rotors. This minimizes
squealing, increases braking torque, and maximizes pad and rotor life.

After the first break in cycle shown above, the brakes may still not be fully broken in.
A second bed-in cycle, AFTER the brakes have cooled down fully from the first cycle,
may be necessary before the brakes really start to perform well. If you've just installed
a big brake kit, the pedal travel may not feel as firm as you expected. After the second cycle,
the pedal will become noticeably firmer.
 
I wouldn't think an ABS pump would cause brake problems until you needed ABS? I think fluid flows through normally and the pump and valves actuate only when needed.
 
my abs pump on my 2002 goes off every other time i brake! anyone have any words of wisdom regarding this ABS pump going off too often??
 
I haven't seen many ABS pumps go bad. I have however, seen wheel speed sensors lifted up due to rust and cause errant ABS engagement. A cracked tone ring will also give the system fits, as will any kind of metal on the tip of a wheel speed sensor.

If you're bleeding your brakes at home, try bleeding as much as you can, then take the vehicle out and lock up the brakes in a safe area. Come back and re-bleed the system. The idea here is that if there is any air trapped in the ABS pump, lines, or accumulator, it should be pushed out when the pump runs. I've had some success this way on vehicles that I can't bleed the ABS system using a scan tool.

EDIT: If you just did the 13WL upgrade and bled the whole system, make sure you check the adjustment of your rear shoes. For some reason when I and others have opened and bled the system, the rear shoes lose their adjustment and cause a lot of travel in the brake pedal.
 
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Step 1: Make sure the front and rear are both bled correctly.

Step 2: Make sure the rear brakes are properly adjusted, yeah we have 'self' adjusting rear brakes but they don't always 'self' adjust properly (they could easily be out of alignment after the swap as well). There is a little rubber boot that covers a small slit on the rear drum, impossible to miss. Inside is the adjuster for the rear brakes. If you put a small screwdriver inside the slit you can rotate the whole assembly using the metal teeth inside the assembly (you'll hear a tiny clicking noise). Do one side at a time with the tire your working on off the ground. Tighten the drums until it is decently hard to spin the tire (side note: if your tire spins freely, your brakes are loose). You should feel an immediate and significant difference in brake pedal travel. The next step would be to let the brakes 'self' adjust by driving quickly in reverse and slamming on the brakes as hard as you can, preferably engaging the abs.

Oh and on yet another side note, you might adjust the brakes and find that this fix is temporary and that slowly your pedal gets worse. In that case your rear drums might need to be replaced completely.

Step 3: Enjoy better braking!

Highly suggest you try this before tearing into the rest of the braking system, lots of people, including myself, experienced more pedal travel after the tundra swap. Good luck!
 
Hit the calipers with a rubber mallet a few times and see if that knocks out some air bubbles in the caliper. Mine took a lot of whacks...
 
I still need to re-bleed mine after TBU and new rear brakes... mine are still mushy.

After doing the TBU, my buddy and I bleed the brakes over 20 times and the master cylinder because it felt dangerously mushy. It took forever but we got it and the brakes were absolutely amazing... until I did the rears then it got a little mushy again.

But try bleeding with the key in the accessory position.

Seems to be a common problem after TBU, but it's possible to get it perfect. I've experienced it.
 
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