It's been a long time since I've posted here. I did a quick search on here, and didn't find an answer. So here is a description of the problem, and what I've tried so far.

Last year, I did a lot of work to my Tacoma, including replacing the brakes all around. In addition to replacing all rear brake components with new replacement parts, I installed new Powerstop drilled/slotted rotors, pads, and calipers (the calipers were a waste of money, no different than stock except for the red color). I had trouble getting the brakes to bleed, and at the moment, it doesn't stop any better than it did before. The pedal is mushy.

Looking at an online shop manual, the brake bleeding technique is simple, and no different than I've been doing for years, as long as the truck doesn't have VSC (and it doesn't). I've tried bleeding by myself with a hose going from the bleeder screw to a container with fluid in it, to keep from sucking air in. That didn't work. I bought a vacuum bleeder to suck fluid from the reservoir to each bleeder, and that didn't work. A coworker suggested taking out on dirt, getting it up to speed, and slamming on the brakes to cycle the ABS, and despite me doing that several times over several weeks, that didn't work. Then I did the same thing out in an empty, gravelly lot with a friend, and bled them on the spot with her pumping and holding the pedal as I opened each bleeder screw, repeating that sequence several times for each brake, and that didn't work.

After numerous tries, I even replaced the master cylinder, bench bleeding it according to the instructions, then bleeding it on the truck like normal, and it didn't help. It's no better or worse than before. I also replaced the factory brake hoses with stainless steel braided lines, and that didn't help, still no better or worse than before.

The only things I haven't tried are (1) Pressure bleeding from each wheel back to the reservoir, and (2) Using a handheld code scanner that has the ability to cycle the ABS while bleeding. What are your experiences, and what did you do to get the brakes to bleed and work better?

 

Bump.

 

A common issue with the 2nd gen seems to be soft brake pedal. My office has several 2nd and 3rd gen trucks and none have what I would describe as solid pedal feel.
Are you assuming you have a braking problem strictly due to pedal feel, or do you really have a stopping distance issue? If unsure, I would suggest you drive a few other trucks of the same vintage to see.

As to manually cycling the ABS, I would be cautious on that. As I recall the factory maintenance manual procedure includes loosing the pressure side fittings on the ABS module during a manual pedal press (just like you do on a cylinder). I have not done this my self on my truck. I do think the best way to bleed a system is with 2 people, one at the pedal and one at the cylinder. You do need someone at the pedal that will follow instructions. Make sure to close the bleeder completely before the pedal upstroke. Use an extended reservoir so you don't accidentally draw it dry (Mityvac make a good one). I do like using Russel Speed Bleeders and think the $30 investment is worth it (less mess).