brakes don't grab

waric said:

Is there a way to make the brakes grab better?

When normally stopping I have to push the pedal more than half way down and when I have to stop in a hurry because some genius decides to cut in front of me and slam on his brakes (this happens too often living in Orlando) I have to stand on the pedal. The brakes just don't feel like they grab at all. When stopped at a light I have to keep the pedal almost as far down as it will go to keep the truck still.

I changed the pads last weekend, I've driven about 150 miles this week. The pedal doesn't feel any softer than with the old pads (would like for it to be firmer but I know that's just how frontiers are), fluid is good-When I put the new pads on it brought the level up to the max line without adding any fluid. I used OEM pads.

Does anyone have any suggestions? have I just not driven enough for them to break in?

Click to expand...

Assuming pads are same type. Sounds like you did not bleed/flush the brake fluid when you changed your pads. Sometimes you can get away with not bleeding, but what can happen is old, gunky fluid will be in your caliper. When you force it back into the bore to fit the new pads, that gunk is now re-introduced to the lines & reservoir. This is bad, mmkay? When pushing teh piston back into the bore, crackopen the bleeder nipples on teh caliper. That grunge can result in a sticky caliper.
Also, have you ever flushed your brake fluid? Over time it goes bad (absorbs moisture) and needs to be replaced. IIRC FSM says 2 yrs. 4 yrs is Absolutely longest you should ever go, assuming it doesn't sit in a garage for 90% of its life, like a show car.

I'd wager you have a fluid or sticky caliper issue. Flush teh fluid, clean & grease the caliper pins very well, and double check there are no tears or in the piston skirt too