- Joined
- August 1, 2008
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- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 94 & 95 XLT's
Well, as you can tell I am a little upset over the ongoing brake issue that has haunted this rig for a couple years now and has left it sitting more than it should be. I will state what the issue is, what has been done so far, and what has been done again. Any insight no matter how small or big is welcome, and I will do my best to keep an open mind on what your thinking.
The rig: 1995 Explorer XLT 4wd w/cruise
Main issue (started 2 years ago): Soft pedal & intermittent pedal pressure loss.
Symptoms: The pedal has been soft when operating it, and every now & than the pedal loses all pressure and drops to the floor causing no brakes at all. The pedal will pump back up again when this happens after a few seconds, and work again.
Work done to correct the issue:
1) Replaced Master cylinder. Three times. All failed and bypassed just as the original issue.
2) ABS Delete mod.
3) New 3/16" hard lines installed except the line in the frame rail.
4) New power booster installed and Motorcraft Master cylinder (#4) at same time.
5) New calipers & pads.
6) New soft lines.
No leaks fluid or air to be found in the system, and checked by myself, friends and eventually a brake shop. Brake shop said master bypassing is all they can figure what was wrong. Replaced master again with another Motorcraft (#5), same issue happens.
Power bleeding, gravity bleeding & manual pump bleeding have all been done to try to get a firm pedal, with no luck.
Just recently replaced the junction tee and all 3 flare nuts with new flares made to make sure that wasn't the issue. Nope, still the same issue.
Today after another gravity bleed and a quart of new fluid flushed through the system, the following happens:
Engine off: Pedal pumps firm & holds perfectly.
Engine on: Pedal drops to the floor and wont pump back up.
Turn engine off: Pedal pumps right back up and holds pressure perfectly.
Restart engine: Pedal fails and drops to floor again and wont pump back up.
Checked for leaks, none to be found.
So I have done everything I can think of, and others have tried as well to offer suggestions in the rigs registry, but I thought to get a larger audience by making this thread and hear some others opinions on this issue.
I'm seriously at my wits end and am VERY serious about scrapping the rig if this can't be solved. Thank you in advance for any thoughts on how to fix this. I will answer any questions when I come back to check on this thread as I sneak time away from work or what not.
The rig: 1995 Explorer XLT 4wd w/cruise
Main issue (started 2 years ago): Soft pedal & intermittent pedal pressure loss.
Symptoms: The pedal has been soft when operating it, and every now & than the pedal loses all pressure and drops to the floor causing no brakes at all. The pedal will pump back up again when this happens after a few seconds, and work again.
Work done to correct the issue:
1) Replaced Master cylinder. Three times. All failed and bypassed just as the original issue.
2) ABS Delete mod.
3) New 3/16" hard lines installed except the line in the frame rail.
4) New power booster installed and Motorcraft Master cylinder (#4) at same time.
5) New calipers & pads.
6) New soft lines.
No leaks fluid or air to be found in the system, and checked by myself, friends and eventually a brake shop. Brake shop said master bypassing is all they can figure what was wrong. Replaced master again with another Motorcraft (#5), same issue happens.
Power bleeding, gravity bleeding & manual pump bleeding have all been done to try to get a firm pedal, with no luck.
Just recently replaced the junction tee and all 3 flare nuts with new flares made to make sure that wasn't the issue. Nope, still the same issue.
Today after another gravity bleed and a quart of new fluid flushed through the system, the following happens:
Engine off: Pedal pumps firm & holds perfectly.
Engine on: Pedal drops to the floor and wont pump back up.
Turn engine off: Pedal pumps right back up and holds pressure perfectly.
Restart engine: Pedal fails and drops to floor again and wont pump back up.
Checked for leaks, none to be found.
So I have done everything I can think of, and others have tried as well to offer suggestions in the rigs registry, but I thought to get a larger audience by making this thread and hear some others opinions on this issue.
I'm seriously at my wits end and am VERY serious about scrapping the rig if this can't be solved. Thank you in advance for any thoughts on how to fix this. I will answer any questions when I come back to check on this thread as I sneak time away from work or what not.