Weirdest thing to ever heppen. Ever.

[tydaug]

I bought a '92 explorer. I was told the clutch went out. I got in and tried to shift, and there was no pressure on the clutch and it wouldn't go into gear without grinding. OK. So i came back a week later to tow it and found out the brakes and parking brake are not working. Both mashing to the floor like the clutch pedal did.

Went to the store and poured brake fluid into the empty resevoir. Still no brakes. (Clutch fluid has been good the whole time)

So now I'm thinking someone messed up the rear brake caliper when changing the pads and the fluid probably leaked out. (since the parking brake didn't work. I've seen it before)

So i called to have it towed and went back to the truck to meet the guy to tow it. On a whim I started it up and tried putting it in gear. FLAWLESS.

OK. I drove a little bit and tested the brakes. They work FLAWLESS.

I will take the drums off and check the rear brakes when I get a chance this coming week.

Any explanations????? Is there some safety mechanism that doesn't let you put the trans into gear if there is no pressure for the brakes? (That doesn't even make sense)

What do you think?

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Well let's break it down.

What systems are connected to everything? Is the vacuum system hooked to everything?

 

[tydaug]

The vacuum lines are all hooked up the way they are supposed to be.

I towed it about a mile down the road (because the brakes wouldn't stop the truck) then left it for thirty minutes and came back and everything was working.

The bad clutch is the reason dude was selling it in the first place, but now it seems fine.

 

[doonze]

Just FYI, that is weird I will admit, but weirdest thing to ever happen with THESE trucks????? Not so much, maybe like top 20...but not THE weirdest!!! j/k, busting your chops a bit....that is pretty weird....

I would say it almost HAS to be vac line related in some way. Even though the clutch uses break fluid, it's a total separate system from the break system. they are in no way interconnected that I know of....does the clutch us vac anyway???? I'm not sure IT even does....

However, having it towed that 1 mile was the answer, so maybe it being tilted to tow allowed a pocket of air in the clutch master cylinder to finally bleed out and poof, working now? Maybe the same for the break cylinder? Or, on the breaks at least, the rear tires moving caused some back pressure in the lines that either cleared a "clot" or air bubbles somewhere???

My .02 cents.....

 

[tydaug]

I guess i can say the brakes came back because I poured fliud in it and waited thirty minutes. Maybe some air floated up and out.......

As for the clutch, I was lookin through the haynes manual and saw a picture of a "brake fluid level sensor". WTF is THAT?!

More importantly, what does it do if the fluid is low?? I tried finding it on the electrical diagrams in the back of the book to see what else hooked up to, but haynes didn't spend much time on their diagrams.... not found.


Ford magic?

 

[LBarr2002]

I guess i can say the brakes came back because I poured fliud in it and waited thirty minutes. Maybe some air floated up and out.......

As for the clutch, I was lookin through the haynes manual and saw a picture of a "brake fluid level sensor". WTF is THAT?!

More importantly, what does it do if the fluid is low?? I tried finding it on the electrical diagrams in the back of the book to see what else hooked up to, but haynes didn't spend much time on their diagrams.... not found.


Ford magic?

If the fluid is low the e-brake lights on the dash... that's it.

Possibly the reason for the brakes starting working is it could have been out of fluid because of a leak. You added fluid and it gravity bled the system through the leak. When it runs out of fluid again, you won't have brakes....

just a possibility.