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No brake pedal on my explorer. Please help

ROCKETKID

Member
Joined
February 18, 2008
Messages
16
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0
City, State
Utica NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
1998 Ford Explorer Sport
Ok so heres the quick run down of the problem I am having. My brother just bought a 1996 Ford Explorer XLT with a 4.0 engine. He got it real cheap but it has a few issues. The biggest issue is the brakes. I dont know much about what was done but I do know that somehow the previous owner broke a bleeder screw off of the drivers side caliper.
Long story short Im doing the brakes for my brother and helping him get it road worthy and safe. I replaced the front drivers side caliper this morning, everything went smooth and no problems. My brother and I were attempting to bleed the brakes after I had replaced the new caliper but I still can't seem to build up any pressure no matter what I do. We tried pumping the crap out of the brakes and cracking the bleeder but hardly any fluid would come out of the bleeder and the fluid resivour was still full and was not sucking any fluid out of the res. I gravity bled the front brakes one side at a time and when gravity bleeding I can get fluid to come out of both drivers and passengers side bleeder valves but when i pump the brakes it wont build up pressure. We have bleed the front brakes 15+times each and still no pedal at all and the fluid level still has not gone down.

I talked to one of my friends and he sugested to try bleeding from the brake master by pumping it up and then cracking each line one at a time. I am going to try this later tonight. I also searched the forum and it seems that alot of people bleed the rear brakes as well starting with the furthest caliper from the master and working your way to the front closest. If bleeding it from the master does not work I am going to try starting from the rear and working my way up.
Does this sound like a bleeding issue or possibly a bad master cylinder? Is there anyway to check the master cylinder to see if its bad? And last if anyone else has any comments or sugestions feel free to chime in. Replies are very much appreciated. Thanks in advace:salute:
 



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Ok so heres the quick run down of the problem I am having. My brother just bought a 1996 Ford Explorer XLT with a 4.0 engine. He got it real cheap but it has a few issues. The biggest issue is the brakes. I dont know much about what was done but I do know that somehow the previous owner broke a bleeder screw off of the drivers side caliper.
Long story short Im doing the brakes for my brother and helping him get it road worthy and safe. I replaced the front drivers side caliper this morning, everything went smooth and no problems. My brother and I were attempting to bleed the brakes after I had replaced the new caliper but I still can't seem to build up any pressure no matter what I do. We tried pumping the crap out of the brakes and cracking the bleeder but hardly any fluid would come out of the bleeder and the fluid resivour was still full and was not sucking any fluid out of the res. I gravity bled the front brakes one side at a time and when gravity bleeding I can get fluid to come out of both drivers and passengers side bleeder valves but when i pump the brakes it wont build up pressure. We have bleed the front brakes 15+times each and still no pedal at all and the fluid level still has not gone down.

I talked to one of my friends and he sugested to try bleeding from the brake master by pumping it up and then cracking each line one at a time. I am going to try this later tonight. I also searched the forum and it seems that alot of people bleed the rear brakes as well starting with the furthest caliper from the master and working your way to the front closest. If bleeding it from the master does not work I am going to try starting from the rear and working my way up.
Does this sound like a bleeding issue or possibly a bad master cylinder? Is there anyway to check the master cylinder to see if its bad? And last if anyone else has any comments or sugestions feel free to chime in. Replies are very much appreciated. Thanks in advace:salute:

when you changed the caliper did you let the m/c run dry?
 






when you changed the caliper did you let the m/c run dry?

I appreciate the quick reply.
And no the master cylinder never ran dry. It was alittle low when we got the truck but it never ran dry and I made sure I kept adding fluid when gravity bleeding and changing the caliper. It got a bit low but never ran dry.
Ive changed a few calipers before and never had problems. Usually when I bleed the brakes though the fluid shoots out from the built up pressure but I cant get it to build up pressure.
 






I appreciate the quick reply.
And no the master cylinder never ran dry. It was alittle low when we got the truck but it never ran dry and I made sure I kept adding fluid when gravity bleeding and changing the caliper. It got a bit low but never ran dry.
Ive changed a few calipers before and never had problems. Usually when I bleed the brakes though the fluid shoots out from the built up pressure but I cant get it to build up pressure.

Better check the rust on your brake lines if you are from upstate NY. I had one corrode out recently and lose brakes.

I'm quoting the manual for you here. There is a procedure to prime the master cylinder. Was the braking working fine before? I heard issues with older M/Cs and manual bleeding where the piston is pushed into areas it never traveled and the unit gets damaged. The other thing you can try is a vacuum bleeder setup.

Quote....manual...

When any part of the hydraulic system has been disconnected for repair or replacement, air may get into the lines and cause spongy pedal action. This requires the bleeding of the hydraulic system after it has been properly connected to be sure all air is expelled from the brake cylinders and lines. The hydraulic system can be bled manually or with pressure bleeding equipment such as Rotunda Brake Bleeder 104-00064 or equivalent.

Bleed one wheel location at a time. Start the bleeding at the right rear wheel and then the left rear wheel. Then proceed to bleed the front brakes, starting with the right front brake and finish bleeding on the left front brake.

System Priming

When a brake master cylinder (2140) has been installed, or the brake system emptied or partially emptied, fluid may not flow from the bleeder screws during normal bleeding. It may be necessary to prime the brake master cylinder using the following procedure:

Use a tubing wrench to remove the front brake tube (2264) and the brake master cylinder outlet rear tube from the brake master cylinder.

Install short brake tubes in the brake master cylinder and position them so that they curve into the brake master cylinder reservoir (2K478), and the ends of the tubes are submerged in brake fluid.

Fill the brake master cylinder reservoir with new Ford High Performance DOT 3 Brake Fluid C6AZ-19542-AA or equivalent DOT 3 fluid meeting Ford specification ESA-M6C25-A.

CAUTION: Brake fluid is harmful to painted and plastic surfaces. If brake fluid is spilled onto a painted or plastic surface, immediately wash it with water.

Have an assistant pump the brakes until clear, bubble-free fluid flows from both brake tubes.

Remove the short brake tubes and reinstall the front brake tube and brake master cylinder outlet rear tube on the brake master cylinder.

Bleed each brake tube at the brake master cylinder using the following procedure:

Have an assistant pump the brake pedal (2455) 10 times and then hold firm pressure on the brake pedal.
On the brake master cylinder, loosen the rearmost brake tube fitting with a tubing wrench until a stream of brake fluid comes out. Have an assistant maintain pressure on the brake pedal until the brake tube fitting is tightened again.
Repeat this operation until clear, bubble-free fluid comes out from around the tube fitting.

Refill the brake master cylinder reservoir as necessary.
Repeat this bleeding operation at the front brake tube fitting.
If any of the brake tubes, disc brake calipers, or rear wheel cylinders have been removed, it may be helpful to prime the system by gravity bleeding. This should be done after the brake master cylinder is primed and bled.

To gravity bleed the brake system:

Fill the brake master cylinder with new Ford High Performance DOT 3 Brake Fluid C6AZ-19542-AA or equivalent DOT 3 fluid meeting Ford specification ESA-M6C25-A.
Loosen both of the rear bleeder screws and leave them open until clear brake fluid flows. Be sure to check the brake master cylinder reservoir fluid level often and do not let it run dry.
Tighten the wheel cylinder bleeder screws to 7-9 Nm (62-79 lb-in). Tighten rear caliper bleed screws to 17-24 Nm (13-17 lb-ft).
One at a time, loosen the front caliper bleeder screws. Leave the bleeder screws open until clear fluid flows. Check the fluid level often in the brake master cylinder reservoir and do not let it run dry.
Tighten the front caliper bleeder screws to 17-24 Nm (13-17 lb-ft).
After the brake system has been primed, bleed the brake system at each wheel (1007).

Keep the brake master cylinder reservoir filled with Ford High Performance DOT 3 Brake Fluid C6AZ-19542-AA or equivalent DOT 3 fluid meeting Ford specification ESA-M6C25-A. Never use brake fluid that has been drained from the system.
 






Do what 96eb said, but my guess is that it's a bad master cyl.
 












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