Hi all,I was pulling my 6x12 enclosed trailer around this weekend with two 4 wheelers was doing great, even the sometimes dead pedal went away on the trip home, 150 miles.On my last brake to my road my two warning lights came on. The truck still stops but pedal travel seems to be a little more.I was going to check the fluid first & then see how much brake pad I have left. Anything else? :confused: Dave

Typically its the speed sensors.

There is 2 sensors in the front axle and 1 in the rear axle. If you speedometer is working normally I bet money its one of the front axle sensors. Remember the speed shown by the sensors MUST all match at highway speeds. So if a sensor is lazy to respond and remains at 0 while the rest come up then the ABS and BRAKE likes will be tripped because of a speed sensor error. You might have error codes too...

As for the brake fluid if the fluid is dark in the resevoir you must flush the system. You might have to dis-assemble the calipers and wheel cylinder to remove the debris and water in the bottom of the cylinders. Remember the bled screw are on top and the water debris settle ot the bottom of the cylinders. No wonder the always rust on the bottom...

Bad news... Wasted brake fluid...

Normal brake fluid...

I'm going to get the wheels off her today & check my linings. Besides my fluid being dark my pedal travel is pretty far. After that I will rotate tires & get the codes checked if the linings aren't that bad!Good luck at the academy,Dave :thumbsup

Well the pads have lots of life left in them. I sprayed some CRC frozen penetrate on the air bleeders. I will get to them in the next episode. It stops fine, just has lots of pedel travel. I really want to get that old brake fluid out of the system, looks nasty. 8| Dave

The best way I figured out how to loosen the bleeder screws...1. Spray with lubricant of some sort and let soak.2. Use a proper 6 sided socket that fits the bleeder screw.3. Hit the ratchet with a hammer to loosen.Now to prevent this form happening again is simple. When you tighten the screws just snug them. They don't require serious torquing.Make sure the rubber cover is put over the nipple of the bleeder screw...Oh you don't have one. Easy way to make some. Get some vinyl tubing that fits the bleeder screw snug. Then cut it about 1 inch long. Take a cigarrette lighter and heat one end of the tubing. Once hot a the vinyl is seriously soft take a pair of pilers and squeeze the soft vinyl tubing to close. Now you have a fresh bleeder screw boot. The reason you need then is the water gets in the screws and rusts them out from the inside. (Threads...)

Hi Michael,Great tips, & no I don't have the bleeder screw boots. I will now! :thumbsup Dave

Let me know how it works out... ;)

OK Michael,Went to my guy that reads my codes, here's what turned up for this problem. His reader says brake incident with a code of 78 :confused: .Under engine, I had him check that, it also turned up the dreaded 0216, along with 0234, is that something to do with communication with the ECM?Final code was a P1693. I have a timing advance problem the reader says, 0216, is that to do with the vp44 going south? ' Well it looks like that backhoe I need is going to have to wait ` I'm going to nurse the vp44 for as long as I can, hoping that the bioD will help along with the other additives.Dave in deep doodoo :confused

OK Michael, Went to my guy that reads my codes, here's what turned up for this problem. His reader says brake incident with a code of 78 :confused: . Under engine, I had him check that, it also turned up the dreaded 0216, along with 0234, is that something to do with communication with the ECM? Final code was a P1693. I have a timing advance problem the reader says, 0216, is that to do with the vp44 going south? ' Well it looks like that backhoe I need is going to have to wait ` I'm going to nurse the vp44 for as long as I can, hoping that the bioD will help along with the other additives. Dave in deep doodoo :confused

P0078 - Unknown code P0216 - VP44 Timing failure (Yes this is the dreaded failure code.) P0234 - Max boost pressure exceeded. (Wastegate problem) P1693 - Companion code.... (Typical to see - Has a special meaning) Error Codes... http://mopar.mopar1973man.com/cummins/2ndgen24v/obd2-error-codes/obd2-error-codes.htm

Thanks M73M :smart ,I forgot to also put the my sensor on my pumkin is bad. Even after getting rid of the stored codes my brake & ABS lights wouldn't go off.I will check out your link for error codes & thanks for posting that as well :thumbsup Maybe I'll try to call a dealer & find out what the unknown codes might be.Thanks again,Dave

On my 0234, my waste gate is a rusted piece of junk. How do I just make sure it's fully closed?BTW, It's nice to be an active member on your site, gives sort of of a confidence booster when I no longer see NEWBIE :D

On my 0234, my waste gate is a rusted piece of junk. How do I just make sure it's fully closed? BTW, It's nice to be an active member on your site, gives sort of of a confidence booster when I no longer see NEWBIE :D

As for the wastegate its rusted shut now and not opening up that is way the overboost code. So you going to have to remove the turbo and disassemble the exhaust housing and clean and inspect everything. I've got a book for this but I need to post it up in the book download page! :smart

Thanks M73M :smart , I forgot to also put the my sensor on my pumkin is bad. Even after getting rid of the stored codes my brake & ABS lights wouldn't go off. I will check out your link for error codes & thanks for posting that as well :thumbsup Maybe I'll try to call a dealer & find out what the unknown codes might be. Thanks again, Dave

I would check for codes quickly again and see if it was just a fluke. I've seen some code readers do that like mine will pull a P0000 code once in awhile. I know that P0000 doesn't exist so I un-plug and plug back in and check the codes again. Then the true ones show up. Iseen some really weird ones... LOL 8|

Thanks Michael, :smart I will pull the Sensor plug & reattach. Thanks for the great tip on that as far as the codes go. Might have saved me 50 bucks!I've never removed the turbo, If you can get that posted that would help. Not sure if I've seen the disassembly for that in my repair manual. (Chilton's or Haynes) What should I be aware of in as far as breaking bolts that have been in place since 1998?Thanks,Dave

Thanks Michael, :smart I will pull the Sensor plug & reattach. Thanks for the great tip on that as far as the codes go. Might have saved me 50 bucks! I've never removed the turbo, If you can get that posted that would help. Not sure if I've seen the disassembly for that in my repair manual. (Chilton's or Haynes) What should I be aware of in as far as breaking bolts that have been in place since 1998? Thanks, Dave

Actually I did get it posted... http://forum.mopar1973man.com/downloads.php?do=cat&id=2 PM Sent...

Thanks again for posting the link & taking the time to add so I could download.What a deal......What a deal>>>>>>>>>>>>>Dave :thumbsup

The wire going to the sensor on the pumpkin is a common failure part, and will turn on the lights.You can partially change the brake fluid by sucking the MC out and refilling. The partial change will mix with the rest of the system and then you do it over. The dry fluid will reabsorb the water in the cylinders. The only way to clean ALL the fluid is to open the cylinders, blow out the lines and replace the rubber. If the fluid is real bad it may take 6-8 partial changes before it will stay clear for a month. If you use the bleeder screws there will be some turbulence in the cylinder but no full replacement even if you use a gallon for flushing.Back when parts were expensive shellak thinner ( alcohol ) was used to wash out the lines and they were blown out with air on a hyd rebuild, no longer recommended though.keydl

If you have a blue tipped wrench just heat the bolt heads red when the turbo is hot.There are a lot of chemicals to help at cool down or by themselves. Candle wax melted on, ATF mixed 1:1 with #1 or kerosene ( some use gas but I am not a fan of gas in the shop ) Solvent can be used though. Then you get to Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster on down to WD40 Some start to turn clockwise first to get a little rocking back and forth many times to wear out the large rust flacks and break them to small ones that will let the bolt come out.If you roll in and soak both ends of the bolts all week, they come off better on the week end.keydl

Well guys,I was able to bleed the back brakes pretty good. The RR was OK, fluid wasn't real bad, could at least tell that it was Dot 3. The LR must have had air in it 'cause the pedal is up, both the ABS & Brake light are off. The brakes seem to be better than I've ever had them since I've owned the truck.Thanks goodness for a cheap fix. :thumbsup Sunday morning will be the test. I've got my 6x12 enclosed trailer hooked on with two ATV's inside. going to go do some riding. It was always able to panic stop with even a lot of pedal travel, Should be a night & day difference. ;) Thanks again,DaveNext, B) I'm going to follow Michael's valve adjustment when I change the oil, I'm due. Gonna get to that turbo inspection hopefully soon as well.

Yep, it passed the test, works great! I'm glad I didn't buy a sensor that I didn't need. I was amazed every time I went for the brake how excellent they felt.I needed them too. I was going through the small town of Pulaski, Pa. And a guy was exiting a gas station & was going to pull out in front of me. He almost bought the farm! :nono I don't know how he missed seeing a big red shiny dually truck with a white trailer behind it in full sun, broad daylight. :confused: Luckily, I was going slow with my foot on the brake, to keep my speed at 25 descending a hill.Thanks again,Dave

Glad your fixed up... Glad it was a easy fix for ya... :thumbsup

Man,It's so nice to have a firm pedal. Now it stops better than it goes! The go part ain't to shabby.More than plenty for what I'm using it for, in fact it's overkill. But I wanted a diesel dually. A great truck that works harder than me! :thumbsup Dave