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OK, so an attempt at humor in the title to break things up here. [color=#ff00bb][b]Always appreciative of those with so much knowledge that are willing to share!
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So I’m driving around in city traffic in my 1994 Taurus GL, 3.0L Gas, AT, with 98,500 miles. Lots of stop & go with traffic lights and stop signs.So I am sitting at a traffic light with foot on the brake when all of a sudden I get that air brake whoosh sound and the pedal goes to the floor! I pump the brakes and am able to get some stopping but it isn’t strong. So I put my foot over on the e-brake.
Cut my business short and drove immediately home, by coasting and riding the e-brake. (one hand on steering wheel and one hand on e-brake release lever). So I get home and apply the foot pedal brake to stop in the driveway and get out and look around. The brake fluid reservoir is dry or drawn down further than I can see and there is fluid on the ground in front of the left rear tire. So I jacked up the car, pull the LR wheel off and have a look.
There is what looks like a proportioner valve/assembly behind the knuckle and it is wet. But the undercarriage and exhaust pipe is wet a full foot in front of that. (dry in between) So I started car and pumped the brakes. Went back and looked and now there is a puddle a foot forward of the wheel. Could not see the lines very far from the wheel well as wasn’t able to crawl under the car.
Filled the reservoir with DOT 3 fluid and got the car in the garage with the regular brakes (now had brakes!) Came out after over night and there is a puddle under the car by the LR wheel. (Oh yeah! Gravity “bleeding!”)
[color=#00bb00]So did one of those spaghetti thin hydraulic lines rot through, burst or get hit with a rock?
Why are there 4 lines into that valve thingie when there are only two wheels?
Anything else I should check?[/color]
- Replies
You have a leak you know that.
Couple of options,
Option 1: with a friend, safety glasses and a flash light….. get under there and as they apply the brakes back and forth find out where the leak is coming from.
Option 2: With Eric’s famous needle nose vice scripts covered buy rubber fuel hose, pinch off the rubber hose close to the medal line and pump the brakes. If the go soft it is the metal line or the proportion valve your mentioned with would lead you back to step 1. If it is solid. It would be rubber hose to caliper/ wheel cylinder or it would the caliper/ wheel cylinder its self.
Hope this helps. Spend some time bleeding the system when your done. Don’t let it run dry to avoid air problems in master and ABS.
Don’t understand your question. If it is how leaks happen, well it happens. How old, how many miles, rust belt, braking stile, gravel or pavement, etc
Thanks!
Its old, 1994 model
Not in rust belt, East coast
Lower miles <100K
Usually don't ride brakes, coast as can
No off road use.Just didn't know if this was common?
or something I did and could avoid?Car is 22 years old, time was not on its side. Probably nothing you did. When you done, probably good idea to flush brake system.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic. That means it will draw in atmospheric moisture at any chance. Good brake fluid looks clear like water. As it absorbs atmospheric moisture, it will start to look like coffee. That means the inside if the steel brake lines along the chassis are rusting from the inside out. That color of coffee indicates liquid rust rolling through the brake lines, which can also cause wheel cylinders and calipers to be sticky and sometimes freeze in place. I do a full fluid flush on mine about every three years. If the fluid is looking like coffee or nearly like coffee, then flush it. If it’s clear or you can still see through it, then it’s fine.
The part you called a proportional valve is likely a T connection that splits off one steel brake line into two lines leading to each wheel.
The fastest test to pin the exact leak down accurately, is to clean that area off well with a can of brake spray cleaner. Use it to clean off the whole area well. Then let it dry for two minutes. It stinks horribly and burns like fire in the eyes, so be in a place with fresh air and definitely use eye protection.
Refil the resivior. Get in position at that corner, with the wheel off, then have another person gently push the brake pedal down firmly. You will see the leak. Car does not need to be running for this test.[quote=”peshewa” post=176950]Brake fluid is hygroscopic. That means it will draw in atmospheric moisture at any chance. Good brake fluid looks clear like water. As it absorbs atmospheric moisture, it will start to look like coffee. That means the inside if the steel brake lines along the chassis are rusting from the inside out. That color of coffee indicates liquid rust rolling through the brake lines, which can also cause wheel cylinders and calipers to be sticky and sometimes freeze in place. I do a full fluid flush on mine about every three years. If the fluid is looking like coffee or nearly like coffee, then flush it. If it’s clear or you can still see through it, then it’s fine.[/quote]
OK, gotcha! I think I had coffee when I rehabbed the brakes on the Honda, but new pads, rotors, one rebuilt caliper, new drums, shoes and wheel cylinders and complete flush. Haven’t see the condition in the Ford however, but I hear ya on the hydroscopic nature of brake fluid!
[quote=”peshewa” post=176950]The part you called a proportional valve is likely a T connection that splits off one steel brake line into two lines leading to each wheel. [/quote]
What it looks like is there are TWO steel lines coming from the front of the car. Oops! Looked in the service manual and yes, there are two lines. One they call the Brake Fluid Distribution Tube (#1) and the other they call the Brake Fluid Line Tube (#4). Those lines go into something they call “Brake Load Sensing Porportioning Valve! (#16). Then there are two lines out of that, one each to the rear wheel cylinder! So it looks like spaghetti here! Interesting the use of two lines from the front!
[quote=”peshewa” post=176950]The fastest test to pin the exact leak down accurately, is to clean that area off well with a can of brake spray cleaner. Use it to clean off the whole area well. Then let it dry for two minutes. It stinks horribly and burns like fire in the eyes, so be in a place with fresh air and definitely use eye protection. Refil the resivior. Get in position at that corner, with the wheel off, then have another person gently push the brake pedal down firmly. You will see the leak. Car does not need to be running for this test.[/quote]
OK, good advice! I have plenty of Brake Kleen! That stuff makes a nice “poor man’s” parts washer!
I’m thinking that if one line blew out, I might have to just replace BOTH lines! Oh what fun! 8-ft of tubing with bends & flares!
Thanks again!
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