brake questions

[deamon3]

I just got another 94 explorer limited for 300$ , yea 300$.

Anyway the rear brake lines are not installed just the front. The pedal however goes all the way to the floor and you really really have to pump the brakes for them to do anything (i drove it home with the e-brake). The guy I bought it from said he put brand new lines on the front which caused the rear lines to start leaking so he just removed them and capped off the rear line. He thinks there is just air in the front lines that's making the pedal go to the floor.

So my question is could this happen if there is just some air in the lines? I know a bad ms could also do this , but if there is just air in the lines then I'll attempt to bleed them.

PS. I already know you SHOULD have rear brakes connected but it's a 300$ beater and I truly don't care. lol. I just want the front brakes to work is all.

 

[Anime]

Air will do it some, but the system will probably not work without the rear brakes connected, or at least it will not work correctly enough to be driven normally, especially on public roads, ever, and not even as a wheeler.

The 94's have 4-wheel ABS, and a proportioning valve. Without the rears hooked up and functioning, the system as a whole will never work correctly, as designed, since there will never be the feedback from the rear brakes.

The rear hose is a $8-14 part. Buy one, hook it up, bleed the whole thing, done. If the lines aren't hooked up, hook them up. If he removed all the rear lines for some reason, get some off a used truck from someone on here or spend the $10 at the parts store for new line and bend it up from the tee to the wheel cylinders and you've got working brakes.

Don't be stupid and try to get away with only front brakes, it's unsafe, and not worth your life or someone else's, and definitely for for the few dollars it would cost to have done it right.

 

[FIND]

First, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for spelling brake right. You know how often I read people spelling it break on forums?

second, yes, it is entirely possible. You of course know it needs rear brakes, and you REALLY should put lines in. This is a major safety issue.

Third, 94s have four wheel ABS, so without working rear brakes, none of it will work right.

That being said, if you insist on running it that way, you will need to bleed out the brakes at the point he capped the line. Basically you would do this the same way as bleeding your brakes normally, only you wouldn't be able to put a hose on to watch for when you have all the air out. Just loosen the cap and bleed it out a few times. At least this will give you an opportunity to troubleshoot the master cylinder if you are waiting to have money to buy parts. Please though, don't run it this way though......

Now that I have done my bit to help, I am going to rant about how nonsensical it is that someone would just cap off their rear brake lines because they were leaking. If you cannot afford to repair your vehicle, don't drive it. Owning a vehicle is a responsibility, you can hurt people when you are driving a poorly maintained or unsafe vehicle. Just watch what the insurance company and law enforcement says when they are checking out your vehicle after an accident and see that the rear brakes are disabled. Sure, you can drive it like it is, but it isn't safe for you or anyone else. Yeah yeah, you can say you are a good driver, you got it handled, it is just a beater, or you are fine, but no. There is a reason vehicles are designed with brakes on all four wheels. Please, do yourself and everyone on the road a favor and fix them.

edit: looks like anime beat me to this one

 

[huntman58]

If it's just a parts truck never to be driven again then why worry about even bleeding them? But if you want to bleed them that mean it’s not a parts truck and you plan to drive it be it trail or street matters not your safety and others demand that you fix the rear brakes also not later but now before you drive it again ever. The life you save may just be your own. We may be harsh on this point but that’s only because we may also be on the same trail or road with you or maybe our kids are. Between a junk yard parts pull and or buying parts you will not be into it much compared to a law suit if you do not stop in time once.

 

[deamon3]

All the brake lines from the ms all the way to the rear wheels is gone , If I need the rear brakes to work I'd have to buy all new lines and I'm rather broke at the moment. I just wanted to see if I could get away with only front brakes because it would be free.

How much would a shop charge to install them? Or rather how much SHOULD they charge so I know what to look for.

 

[Anime]

The whole hard line along the inner frame rail is just gone?

As you can see, we are telling you, you CAN'T get away with front brakes. Not on the street, not on a trail. The only way it's acceptable is to putter around to move it from one spot to another on your property.

To do a proper brake line replacement will be very costly, but it has nothing to do with the lines, it's because to do it, they need to drop the fuel tank to get to the inner frame rail where the lines go. In terms of labor, that's gonna cost ya. You might be able to get a shop to cob job it and just stick a line through the frame rail without attaching it, or maybe they can shine a light down there and get it to clip in, but I'd say even with a whiz at bending brake line, you're looking at an hour or two in labor for installation, and that's not including whatever it takes to hook up the lines, hoses, and bleed the system.

If you're going to use this as a driver, why not get the parts and fix it yourself? You can use your '94 as a guide to where the lines go and do the whole job for the price of some brake line, fittings, and a rear hose. You could even buy brand new tools just for the job and still save tons over what a shop would charge.

Otherwise it's a parts truck.

 

[deamon3]

Well today my jurassic park truck's heater valve broke and was just pouring fluid out , so I decided to use the one from the 300$ explorer and while trying to remove it I broke that one too. Now I gotta go to the junkyard and get two of those too. lol

The only way it's acceptable is to putter around to move it from one spot to another on your property.

Yea that'd be fine , I almost ran into my garage wall trying to use the stupid e-brake lol.

 

[Tony H]

All the brake lines from the ms all the way to the rear wheels is gone , If I need the rear brakes to work I'd have to buy all new lines and I'm rather broke at the moment. I just wanted to see if I could get away with only front brakes because it would be free.

How much would a shop charge to install them? Or rather how much SHOULD they charge so I know what to look for.

Don't buy prefabbed Braklines, Buy the 25' coil of steel line sold at NAPA and Flare your own for Cheap.

If you are not seeing any leaks from the brake system then you could just need to bleed the Fronts. The Previous owner went through this yet he didn't do the few minute task of Bleeding. I bet there is more going on here.

 

[deamon3]

Ok I'll try just bleeding the fronts to see if it effects anything.

 

[92exp4x4]

Well today my jurassic park truck's heater valve broke and was just pouring fluid out , so I decided to use the one from the 300$ explorer and while trying to remove it I broke that one too. Now I gotta go to the junkyard and get two of those too. lolQUOTE]


$25 brand new at my local Ford dealer. Mine blew up this morning on the way to work... rather inconvenient

 

[deamon3]

I bought 3 at the junkyard along with a headlight switch and two fog lamps switches for 21$. yay junkyards! lol

 

[deamon3]

Ok rather then just guessing , I'm going to just upload a bunch of pics of the situation and have you guys analyze what it is I need to do and buy.

Those are some parts that he said go to it. On another note , I bled the front brakes and they work perfect now. However , there is a slight problem since the drive wheels are on the rear and the brakes on the front they sort of fight each other lol.

 

[FIND]

looks like he just tore stuff apart without a clue about what he was doing....

 

[1Aauto]

I'd get the rears fixed also. Even if it's just a truck to have fun in the woods with,you're going to wish you have them I'm sure.

Tony

 

[Tony H]

Ok I'll try just bleeding the fronts to see if it effects anything.

Passenger side first

 

[huntman58]

looks like he just tore stuff apart without a clue about what he was doing....

I agree. Being that is what it looks like I would likely say every thing from the MC back as no telling what other may be damaged or broken. Best bet is a junk yard run and pick up the parts there and that way you will also have a better idea what it is and were it go's.

 

[deamon3]

Well recently the jp ex has been running terribly so since the front brakes on this ex work fine I'll have to put a hold on repairs till the jp truck is running correctly and drive it as is.

 

[huntman58]

Well recently the jp ex has been running terribly so since the front brakes on this ex work fine I'll have to put a hold on repairs till the jp truck is running correctly and drive it as is.

I pray to heck NOT ON THE STREETS!

It is unsafe to even think about taking it on any street period no matter what especially if the roads are wet or icy!!

 

[deamon3]

Until my other car is working I'm stuck with it basically. lol. Can't ride a bicycle to work lol

 

[OneLever]

Rent another car, get a ride, something. If you get into a wreck without rear brakes you will be at fault. Not to mention you can seriously hurt yourself or someone else. What if you slide past a stop sign into an intersection? Be smart man.