The Black Hole

[turboexplorer]

UGH!

My back is going to hate me removing that thing.

Nothing has ever been easy on this rig, why would this be the exception? LOL

So true!

 

[gmanpaint]

Found a used Booster for $35 local if I pull it. Thinking I might as well swap it out just in case mine is causing the issues for some weird reason. Will be a while before I can actually get to it due to another round of days of rains heading this way.

When the funds are available, I will try to run new front hard lines and a new Junction tee block as well. Trying to find a steel 3/8" double flare junction tee (have brass now) is proving to be harder than I thought for this.

 

[CDW6212R]

If you make brake lines, try to find a line that I think is called annealed, it's copper/gold in color and much more flexible. It's also stronger reportedly, and made for ease of use like that. It is seamless and common in many places. I had to buy some line a while back for a friend, to make one short line to the LF. I hadn't heard of it before, and questioned the guy before taking it from Royal Brass and Hose. We loved it for how easy it was to work with. I don't think it was very expensive, but we only needed about two feet.

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks Don, I will check the local brake supplier here in town for that type.

 

[crazyflights]

I watched your vid on master cyl movement. I don't think that has anything to do with loosing pedal. That is just the flex in the firewall and I have seen that before on vehicles I have worked on. Not a big deal.
As long as you have a good master cyl, black vacuum boost canister might be correct name??
No leaks in lines or connections
good calipers
you bypassed abs
then you shouldnt have any issues.

You could put a bolt in master cyl for front or rear, just bleed to the front or rear and see after getting it all firmed up, if you loose pedal, just be careful driving sicne you will only have front or rear. This can help you confirm maybe if the issue is coming from rear or front of vehicle.

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks Brad. I understand what your thinking. Since it is all sealed, the issue should be a leak somewhere.

I pulled the booster today. I will try to grab one over the weekend.

The stocker I pulled has a wobbly push rod thru it, and looks as if brake fluids had been dumping inside it from the master. I wonder if the fluids over time could have ate away at the diaphragm causing it to leak out???

To add to all this, the brakes still worked with the soft pedal, but the master was bypassing on a hard stop, or just at random.

Thinking that the master was at fault all this time because of that. Installing a known good master, and still have a soft pedal after trying to bleed the fronts is almost like a entire diff problem.

This is getting way to confusing & over complicated than it should be.

I do not see any leaks anywhere, but that doesn't mean that there isn't any. Knowing that the rears hold the pedal firm & to the top, and can't get the pedal to pump back up after the front bleeder is opened and bled, leads me to believe the issue is with the fronts somewhere. Thus the want to replace the front hard lines and the junction tee for the prop valve.

Good gawd this is aggravating!

 

[GRNMACHINE]

WoW I wish I could add something here aside from moral support. Can only feel your pain on this one.

 

[gmanpaint]

WoW I wish I could add something here aside from moral support. Can only feel your pain on this one.

Thanks. I appreciate that a bunch. I will take all the good juju I can for this.

Anybody a Priest and feel like doing an exorcism?

 

[crazyflights]

Maybe a pre smorr trip is needed do some repairs, deliver some parts....

 

[gmanpaint]

Sheesh, be lucky to make the Smorr forum meet in May as it is.

 

[turboexplorer]

Find anything on the firewall pedal mounts? I know where bronco2guy is coming from but I am dead certain its to much movement. Look at a good know 2nd gen and you wont see that.

Man I'm still at a loss though. Diaphragm shouldn't affect it at all but if that ends up being a cause then I can chalk that up to another very weird real world experience that doesn't make sense on paper.

 

[gmanpaint]

Pedals are solid at the mounts, firewall looks to be in great shape with no cracks or anything out of the order on both sides.

I have 1 month to get this rig and the 94 ttb 3rd member swapped out for our meet at Smorr. No work, and no funds for any of this right now, so it is going to be hard to pull off.

 

[turboexplorer]

Pedals are solid at the mounts, firewall looks to be in great shape with no cracks or anything out of the order on both sides.

:scratch: Humm....

 

[gmanpaint]

New front hard lines are arriving in the AM. Also going to pick up the booster tomorrow. Just need to find the proper junction tee still.

Attempt # 665 at these Brakes. If this doesn't fix it, it will be parked at the closest Catholic Church. Because the next attempt, will need to be done in the parking lot, with an Exorcist on hand.

 

[lynchy wa]

'Bout f***en time you called in a professional mate!!!!

 

[GRNMACHINE]

I am thinking you could make some serious coin doing brakes! You have to know the Explorer brakes like the back of your hand, you could probably do rotor/pad changes in your sleep! Take the money, get an old priest, holy water, and one of those miracle crying mary statues made in marble. Maybe even "friend" Linda Blair on facebook.

 

[lynchy wa]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa

 

[gmanpaint]

Loving the humor out of all this. How about a little more.

Ok, went to the salvage yard and got the booster out of a '97. (95-97 work)

Let me tell you that was fun.

For those of you that have removed one of these you know what has to be done, for those that don't....

You have to jam half of your upper body between the drivers seat, and under the dash to get to the 4 nuts that hold the booster on thru the pedal assembly. Harder at a salvage yard with power seats and no batteries to move them back.

So there I was, working away in broken glass on the last nut when all of a sudden....CRUNCH!!!!!

The Ex was being lifted up in the air, with half of me still in the damn thing scrunched up under the dash.

I jumped out of that thing so fast that I didn't realize I was already about 3' in the air. My feet were running in mid-air, so when I hit the ground, I literately hit the ground running!!!!

The skid loader operator seen me flying out, and shut it down. I looked at him, and I think he was more scared than I was. I just shook my head at the guy and gave him that look...."Jackass"

All that happened to me was a bunch of cuts from the broken glass & the busted jagged edge rocker trim, on my arms and backside.

When I was paying for the part, the driver came in and told the counter guy what had happened (might been thinking I already said something), & the counter guy just started laughing. Then he said...."Haha, Remember that time when you had a couple of crushed cars on the skids, and drove right into the side of that Ranger with that old guy inside it? You gave him a heart attack....Hahaha!"

WTF?

The operator just put his head down and mumbled..."Yeah, I remember".

So my eyeballs are bugging out at this time in disbelief. The counter guy looks at me, puts on his serious face and says....."Sorry about that, I will take $5 off the part for the inconvenience".

Gee...Thanks dude.

Anyways, I have the parts, and will hopefully have them all installed by the end of tomorrow. Sheesh.....The Haunting follows me even to the Junk yards now.

 

[corkey]

could have been sign that wasn't it?
dang i hope not,
working so tough on this, hope it works out this time,

 

[gmanpaint]

Pete, I don't know about a sign, but I think it is more an American Haunting. I am talking myself into believing this thing is really possessed.... ack!

Booster is installed. Didn't bleed it, but it already feels better than it did before, but still spongy.

Note to self....Always pay attention to how the 2 bushings and the BOO sensor is hooked up to the brake pedal

I got the longest line with the inverted ends & line nuts pre assembled as I could at 70" long for the passenger side. I hope it works! Drivers side is a nice 40" long, & I know that's plenty.

Running new hard lines is something I haven't done for 20 years. This is really really going to be fun for me.