99% sure it's the booster. Thoughts?

Cubey

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If you pump it with the plugs in place (by hand) you should see bubbles come up through the reservoir. Just keep pumping as long as you see bubbles. The stroke should get shorter and shorter. Once you can't get and travel out of it (Or 1/8" I guess) then it's fully bled.

You can't really look into the reservoir, because it has that floating thing in the middle. 1/8" is what the instructions say. That's where the QR code on the paperwork with the MC takes you:


I drove down to pick up my packages (about 7 miles round trip) and it feels about like it did before with the old, leaking MC. At least it's not worse; so I can go to town next week for groceries. I'll try working on it after I'm stocked up on groceries for couple weeks. I picked up the delivered DOT3 today, and the speed bleeders should be there for pick up on Monday.
 

Cubey

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Help me understand why this is listed as not compatible. It's listed as fitting tons of old F-250/350s from the 60s-90s. It's 3/8-24 threads and 1.5" long.

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Meanwhile..... the one listed by O'Reilly and RockAuto for the front is 3/8-24 and 1.5" long.

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So, why wouldn't it fit? The tip being slightly different maybe? Or do they just do a crap job of listing compatibility?
 

Cubey

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Oh ffs, I found the clamp on vise in the cargo trailer today. I dunno why I thought it was in Arkansas. Well.... now I can try using that to level out the MC to bleed it, when I'm ready to try again next week.

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IDIBRONCO

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Isn't that the way it always seems to go? I thought about suggesting it, but figured that you had already thought of it and there was a reason you didn't use it.
 

Cubey

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Isn't that the way it always seems to go? I thought about suggesting it, but figured that you had already thought of it and there was a reason you didn't use it.
It was a bit hiding on the floor with something over it. I was going through a few boxes today in there to condense/get rid of a few things, and there it was. I think I mentioned in this thread somewhere, how it was in Arkansas. Or maybe I thought about saying it.

Edit: Yep, exactly month ago I said it: https://www.oilburners.net/threads/99-sure-its-the-booster-thoughts.93885/page-2#post-1149423
 

Cubey

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I decided to grab this from eBay for a decent price. The shipping costs more than the item, but it's going pretty far.

Consumer shipping rates are high, compared to commercial rates. That's why I argue that RockAuto shipping is pretty cheap. If I was in Arkansas, the shipping would have been about $5 less.

It has the 0107 cap that goes on the master cylinder included with it. Those kits are $70+tax new, so that's still a good deal.

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I will try using that with Teflon tape on the rear, regular bleeder screws, before I try the speed bleeders, since those can be returned.
 

Cubey

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hmmmmm, did all ford trucks get rabs after a certain year? i dunno where to look on this van for it. maybe that's the problem?
 

IDIBRONCO

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I'm pretty sure that trucks got it in 1987. I don't know about vans. Maybe they didn't get it until the body change in 1994(?).
 

Cubey

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I'm pretty sure that trucks got it in 1987. I don't know about vans. Maybe they didn't get it until the body change in 1994(?).
Yeah 87 for F I think. I never had to mess with it to bleed the the brakes on the F250 I had, assuming it was still there. Probably was, the BRAKE light would come on randomly.

The RV was 85 so I don't think had it, unless it was well hidden.

I guess I need to dig out my old Chilton 1961-1988 Econoline book and see if it says anything about RABS.
 

Cubey

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The Chilton book gives the first thing to check for a low pedal is the rear brake adjustment. I wonder if that's the entire problem. Could be why it's not any better, no matter how much bleeding I do.

Or rather it says to let the adjusters adjust it, and replace the adjustors if it's not any better.

It gives a ton of other things. Spongy says air or rear adjustment.

I don't see any mention of RABS.

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I may have found the problem though. That's the proportioning valve that goes in the master cylinder. It didn't have the plastic part on it. It's not stuck in the old master cylinder either.
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But.... i found this review for a Dorman MC that comes with a piece installed. That describes the one on mine. it's just a reducer basically. maybe they have the valve built into the MC now and it doesn't need the plastic part? maybe certain MCs you buy need it with the plastic and some don't? i transferred it from the old MC to the new one. the new one only came with the o-ring.

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The Chilton book refers to it has the proportioning valve but doesn't show any illustrations of the piece by itself.
 

Cubey

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Oh, maybe it doesn't need the plastic part, because it has that height sensing setup. Chilton calls it a proportioning valve.

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Although, this Ford parts site claims that this fits 89 E350.

That part number is apparently a rabs? unless it's the wrong photo. second photo is a ?????

Weird though, the gvwr on mine is 9100, and the specs for say 9000, 9300, 9400.

Unless its wrong information. i might have to spend the next 5 hours looking through the factory pdfs for part numbers and diagrams, like I did for the A/C system hoses.
 

Cubey

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So, evidently that's the right part number above, but the wrong photos. I... guess mine would end in B? 9000 is B, 9200 is E. Nothing lists 9100 GVWR

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but..
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The_Josh_Bear

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I was gonna say that the height-sensing valve should do the proportioning. So I suppose it's not a big deal that the unit at the master is just a spacer. I don't have any experience with the type your van has, but understand the concept.

No matter what you do with the hydraulics, bad rear adjustment will always make for a soft pedal(until it finally takes up the slack in the rears) and is quite un-pleasant during a panic stop. I've been very amazed how bad these brakes are when out of adjustment, and how nice they are when running good!
 

Cubey

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I was gonna say that the height-sensing valve should do the proportioning. So I suppose it's not a big deal that the unit at the master is just a spacer. I don't have any experience with the type your van has, but understand the concept.

No matter what you do with the hydraulics, bad rear adjustment will always make for a soft pedal(until it finally takes up the slack in the rears) and is quite un-pleasant during a panic stop. I've been very amazed how bad these brakes are when out of adjustment, and how nice they are when running good!

The master parts catalog doesn't point out a proportioning valve on the master cylinder, so I'm guessing that's why, it was probably just an adapter tube. It does also change the thread size smaller vs the MC threads, probably so you can't accidentally reverse the front/rear connections.

I guess I'll suck it up and try adjusting the shoes. I might wait until I go to town in a couple weeks, and do it in a shopping center parking lot, where I have pavement to safely use a jack stand. I don't need to remove the wheels, just jack it up, support it, and adjust. i do hate messing with drum brakes though, so I'm dreading it.

i kept meaning to in Arkansas before i left a few months ago, but between being busy and being sick, it slipped my mind enough that i never did.
 

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