2

I am replacing the power brake booster on my 2005 Ford Escape V6 3.0 XLT. When I go the new booster in and put the master cylinder on the bolts, the master cylinder was leaning to the left, so it is not level. The bolts are not in the exact same placement. Also, getting the left side brake line back on was a little difficult because the master cylinder was a leaning.

Is this normal? Is it okay?

The original vacuum booster is the one that is out, and the alignment of the bolts angles up the left. The replacement doesn't.

enter image description here

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

What the ?? For a repair like that something is definitely wrong. What exactly is causing the off kilter position?

  1. For the brake system to operate correctly the "linkage" driving the master cylinder plunger must be aligned perfectly. Smooth operation no hang ups any where.

  2. The reservoir must ALWAYS provide fluid to the inlet during normal vehicle operating conditions

  3. The output lines from the master cylinder must work well (no kinks)

While some offset might be functional, on that car on a simple repair something seems amiss. You definitely need to figure out what's causing the odd alignment.

If I had to guess something is wrong between the brake pedal an the master cylinder; or you are using parts designed for a different car. Perhaps you need to rotate the booster 90 degrees? I think it's intended to be mounted in a particular orientation.

Let us know what you find.

Improve this answer
5
  • I had it mounted the correct way and eveything fit just fine, except the master cylinder bolts were at 3 and 9 o'clock, instead of 4 and 10. I took the part back to the shop and they told me I got the wrong part. This part is made for my car, but for the one with disc brakes in the rear, not drum brakes like mine. I got the part number off their website using my car model, so I chose the cheaper of the 2, without it telling me one works for the vehicle with drum brakes and one for the vehicle with disc brakes. I get the new part tomorrow so I will see.
    – ScottK
    Sep 11, 2016 at 4:54
  • Confirmed, it was the wrong part. Got the correct one in today and the bolts were in the correct orientation.
    – ScottK
    Sep 12, 2016 at 3:35
  • @ScottK good find. Doesn't that feel good knowing it's now fixed right?
    – zipzit
    Sep 12, 2016 at 14:25
  • Yes it does! However, I did not know that I needed to bleed the brake lines to get the air out after I was done, because I detached the brake lines from the master cylinder when I replaced the booster. After I replaced it, I was wondering why the brakes were so squishy. I did some research and bleed the brakes today, and now everything is back to normal.
    – ScottK
    Sep 13, 2016 at 4:22
  • Nicely done. And thanks for sharing so others may learn from your experiences.
    – zipzit
    Sep 13, 2016 at 4:39

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .