My Latest Project: Hydroboost Brakes.

the basics,if your not familiar with hydroboost;

Hydro-boost power assist was introduced in 1973 by Bendix as an alternative to the vacuum booster. The hydro-boost uses the hydraulic pressure from the power steering system to provide the driver assist in applying the brakes. There are three reasons why a vehicle may be equipped with hydro-boost instead of a vacuum booster:



the parts i used for my conversion on my '93 f250HD (same exact stock brake system of the f350)

E5LY-3A697-A RESERVOIR ASY - to bolt onto my power steering pump.
E8TZ-2005-B BOOSTER ASY - the hydroboost unit.
Edelmann 71416 Power Steering Pressure Hose - HYDROBOOST TO GEAR.
Edelmann 71442 Power Steering Pressure Hose - PUMP TO HYDROBOOST.
Goodyear SAEJ189 Power Steering Hose - for return.
Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF - you can use dino if you prefer of course.the F-superduty hydroboost unit calls for MERCON ATF (and as we know ford revised MERCON V in 2006 to meet old MERCON standards.) so either MERCON or MERCON V is fine to use here.just as this info applies to the E40D transmission,it applies to this hydroboost unit.)

Update; I think that's wrong.I think it actually calls for Type F.
You should check on this.

soon to come:
Hayden Power Steering Cooler #1009
Magnefine 3/8" Inline Magnetic Transmission/Power Steering Filter

latter;
stock pulley driven vacuum pump delete w/electric pump swap to run HVAC.


took about 4 hours.now i have some stopping power.

i seem to have a leaking reservoir now though.it's not the bottom return hose either,and i did replace that large O-ring.i wonder if i should have left the old one on.what a bummer.she was finally quieting down nice by getting all the air out.i guess i need to pull it back off and see whats up.
otherwise all went pretty smooth.

update Sunday (8/21/2011)
i highly suggest if your going to do this on the weekend for your work or required daily driver to order this along with your power steering hoses ahead of time just in case:
install tip;
use lots of petroleum jelly on the large pump to reservoir O-ring and smother the inside of the reservoir real good with it as well during install.this could save someone some unneeded headaches and down time for this otherwise,seemingly easy, do it yourself weekend mod.

update two.Sunday evening (8/21/2011)
tip; if you happen to have a spare fuel filter setting around,they come with a new O-ring and will fit the ps reservoir nicely to get you back in action in the event you pooch yours doing this............but you wont right,after reading this.unlike me,you'll know to be careful and lube your O-rings up good with more than just trans fluid or oil wont you?

a tube of petroleum jelly belongs in every garage.
sad thing is,i had it sitting there and i knew better.trying to take shortcuts. DOH!

 

in this pic (not mine.) see the O-ring to the right of dtk3a.where does that one go? i left it out because i couldn't find a place for it.perhaps that's my problem.but i think its probably included because there may be two types of those fittings for f-supertudy ps pump.just a guess though.
the large one i put on like the other pic shows.this im thinking is the one thats causing my issue.
the other small O-rings goes on that fitting that holds the thing on and connect the pump to hydo.those seem fine.

 

Nice job! I got a spare pump layin around ill try and locate the oring...all your truck needs is a turbo now!

 

ok the O-ring in this kit that goes on the outside can't be used on the fitting in the pic (these pics are from oil burners.)
the O-ring that goes on the outside isn't just a standard round O-ring on my '93's pump.it's dished,and the dish points to the outside.
when i took that out i saw it had ripped and caused the leak.so i put my old one back on and that sealed that up.
i wondered why i had such a struggle pushing the thing in against that spring and turning it enough to catch the threads.
when i put the old dished type back on it,it screwed in easy as pie.
that's the good news.
the bad news is,it's still leaking from somewhere lol.
perhaps i will need to remove the reservoir fully to inspect that large O-ring.
maybe i should have gave that res a good coat of petroleum jelly before sliding it on.i had a feeling just using trans fluid wasn't enough.
if you've done this before the second time would be a walk in the park.when its all new to you (pretty much always the case lol) you kinda gotta just follow your nose with a little trial and error i guess whenever trying to retrofit f-superduty parts to combine with f250/350 parts.
if a feller needed a PS pump at the same time,all could be avoided with a direct bolt in deal though.ah well,i'll figure it out.as long as i do before monday.

 

Out of curiosity, what was the pricing on the parts?

 

lets see here.all brand new.

fordpartsgiant.com:

E5LY-3A697-A RESERVOIR ASY 1 26.42 26.42
E8TZ-2005-B BOOSTER ASY - BRAKE 1 290.43 290.43

Subtotal

$316.85
Tax

$36.00
Special Shipping Cost

total:
$352.85

amazon:
Edelmann 71416 Power Steering Pressure Hose
Price: $20.03 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Edelmann 71442 Power Steering Pressure Hose
Price: $24.36 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping

grand total of $397.24

then a quart of mobil 1 atf for around 10 bucks at auto zone,and i grabbed 4' (though i did cut off about 1') of hose.around 15 bucks for that.its low pressure so i didn't need the type i got.but i figured for 10 more bucks since i was doing it,what the heck.

my master was recently replaced by myself,and when Dave S stated the reason for the slightly larger master was due to the rear disc brakes,that sealed the deal there,as iv no plans to upgrade to those (beyond my budget,and just not required imho.)
so i simply (like most) opted to ream the masters holes a bit.

so a bit over $400 all brand new,and should outlast the truck.

what made me finally break down and do this,was carrying a big load of wood and towing the chipper down a busy city street and having a car slam on their brakes.two lanes,but the other was occupied,i did push into his lane a bit which scared us both lol.
so i said ok,that's it.no more messing around. when at 14-16k gross.i want to stop when required.that one was just a bit too close for comfort.

edit;
and oh.i want to keep it all in prime shape of course until my truck rots out (which is likely what will do it in, at only 76k miles currently.)
so the filter and cooler will push me upwards of $450ish or better.
i just grabbed that filter on ebay for 15ish,and the little cooler to just help dissipate some heat right there under the hood,nothing fancy on amazon or around 35$

 

Nice going!!!


Now you'll need a head belt to keep it from hitting the dash

 

thanks.besides the leak,which im hoping is a pretty easy fix.i should have her all wrapped up and ready to go tomorrow.
before i noticed the leak,i took it out a couple blocks,it sure was impressive!
i didn't expect to have a firmer brake peddle though.i mean in the way that it takes more effort to push it.she sure is right there though and when i tapped 'em quick,i locked up them duallies! exactly what i was looking for.just wasn't possible with the vacuum.
it seems very strange to press the breaks and have it sound like your turning,never having hrydo before lol.
im looking forward to fixing/replacing that o-ring so i can actually go for a little drive.i'll probably hook up my chipper and take it down a hill or two,to get the feel for it before i head back out to work Monday.

 

I'd rep ya, but it wont let me.

Thanks for posting all this. Beast needs better brakes too.

 

sure enough the largest reservoir O-ring was broken.didn't lube it up enough or perhaps the f450's ps pump is in fact different? and uses a diff size O-ring.i just don't know.

i tried my old reservoir O-ring and the sucker is still leaking.i lubed it up real good using petroleum jelly this time too.but it looks like i nicked this one removing it.now to see if i can find one somewhere on Sunday......oh joy lol.
if i had this to do over,i would have left the O-ring alone and lubed up the reservoir real good from the start.dangit.

 

Haha I tryed repping him to, won't let me either.

 

oh if i could go back in time and order this so id have it on hand just in case for this weekend:
Amazon.com: Gates 351210 Power Steering Pump Seal Kit: Automotive

im not finding anyone around who stocks this roughly sized 4" reservoir to pump O-ring.
looks like my truck is down for Monday morning.something i tried to make sure wouldn't happen.son of a gun.
of course those who are open Sunday won't say; that's ok.come on in,i'll take the O-ring off my pump i have in stock for ya and charge ya for the kit so you'd be in action for now and i'll replace it on my pump when the kit comes in.but oh no,no.that would be customer service.we couldn't have no one go out of their way now could we lol.least the kit will be here locally tomorrow morning at 8.so i should be able to start work by lunch time.gunna be a late day tomorrow,iv got a massive white pine tree i climbed and topped out all over someones lawn i need to chip up and haul away.that can't be staying there forever haha.
looks like i'll be trying out the new brake system head on with no test run beforehand.

 

so i was out changing my coolant filter,and i decided to remove and clean the fuel bowl in my electric fuel pump,when i decided that looked so bad (its a pre-filter screen type you wash out with fuel/additive) that i was going to change the main fuel filter.
when i saw to my surprise............yup,the O-ring that goes on the bottom water separator.i quickly held it up against my ps reservoir for a size comparison.just a little bit smaller.i lubed that sucker up good with petroleum jelly and slid her on.a little snug,but nothing drastic by any means.
sealed her right up good! no more leaks now.so i took her out for a test run,and all seems great.
i guess im ready to head to work tomorrow morning after all.
if all else fails.............improvise!

 

Looks nice bud! I am considering this....sadly, I just replaced my booster for 212 dollars.

 

ok here are the basics.this is all after.but its so easy,it wont matter.

so unhook the four bolts up behind the brake peddle.once you ubolt the master and gently pull it forward.you won't need to unhook the brake lines,however if your brakes haven't been serviced in a awhile,once your all done,go ahead and bleed the lines out anyway as you pur new fluid in.its a good idea to flush brake fluid every couple years cus it gets nasty.
ok,anyway once the master is pulled forward,turn them 4 bolts out,and remove that red clip.as you pull the brake rod off pay attention to how things come off.there's a white plastic washer a black bushing.note their locations and make sure the rod is free.pull out your old vacuum booster and kiss that old sucker goodbye.



next,if your using a stock master that isn't made of aluminum then simply bolt the master to the hydro.
if you have a newer aluminum master cylder,then you'll need to;
a) replace it with the F-superduty master or;
b) ream out the holes on each side (the outer sides.you'll see the issue) so it can slide on the hydo's studs and bolt her down.

slide the new hydroboost unit in its place and reinstall the same way you removed the vacuum booster.you'll probably gently hold it up there to see how your doing with the holes once in a while like it did.once it fits good,then you can bolt here down and then bolt the master on.
(only new units,not reman units come with all the parts you need!!!!)
now your making some shavings.


swap the ps pump for the f-superduty unit if you need to replace that (make sure it comes with the reservoir.they are sold both ways) or;
swap out the stock ps reservoir for the F-superduty's.
a)unhook the hose clamp on the return line (the only one you have currently) on the very bottom.have a pan ready under the truck to catch the old juice.
b) unhook your old ps line,and remove that large fitting behind it (15/16 socket.) carefully not letting anything spring out of it! install new O-rings on this fitting.making sure they are the same type and size.these come with the new res.however like i stated the outer ring didn't work for my fitting.the inner did.i reused my old outer.
c) remove the old large O-ring that seals the res to the pump.like the pic this guys shows of it:


if your going to save $ here by simply placing a T so as to join both return lines.well alright if your on a tight budget and need the stopping power,it sure beats rear ending someone.
so as to avoid problems with this,just make sure you have the T setup so its a straight shot from the hydro unit.
you can actually drill your own hole in your res and rig up your own 3/8 fitting there up top too.this wouldn't exactly be a hard mod to do.




now don't be like me and try to rush it.your half way home already with the hardest part of this job over now.so lube them rings up good along with the inside of the res so everything slides right on nice and easy without destroying your ring on a weekend when its not fun trying to find special order parts.
slide the fitting you just installed new o-rings on,into the res hole from which it came.this holds that on and your ready to slide your original line on the bottom back on and clamp that now.
grab the power steering pump to hrydroboost line and bolt this up (11/16 at the pump) marked with a blue X as shown.
grab the length if power steering hose you bought at the auto store when you where grabbing your fluid and some 3/8 hose clamps
and slid this new return line on the upper side of the res marked with a red X as shown.


connect the other ends of those two lines here in these locations.
the return hose,just slides on of course........somewhere in here is a good place for coolers/filters. and clamp that down.
the high pressure line requires an O-ring.it is supplied with the line.lube that up and slide it on,and then screw in into the hydro unit as shown,matching the colors.


keeping the above pic in mind,your now at the final major process.......i know already right!
here is where the other end of the yellow marked line goes.as you can see,it can be reached through the drivers side fender well.
for removal; i bent the old line until it broke off so that i could get a 6 point socket on it with a few extensions at screw her out from the engine bay.you may get lucky and she'll turn right out with a wrench....yeah right.
two pics showing this line.this is the hydro to steering box line.
the hydro end is just like the other,you lube up and slide the little o-ring on first and tighten.the bottom,like the other line has its own washer for this end.
don't cross thread these lines boys.it could be VERY easy to do.especially that one on the ps pump.tip; DONT be tempted to just start that with your 11/16.grab the whole line and turn it together.now hold the fitting tight and spin just the line back to you.repeat as needed.you'll see what im saying when the time comes. take your time installing these.you have all weekend.



as you install those two high pressure lines,don't be afriad to gently "tweak" them out away from things.but be careful,you don't want to kink them.they are shaped pretty dang close as is.

plug off that old vacuum booster line by sticking a bolt in it and clamping it.i lubed up a bolt with rtv and slid it in first.
i also cut it back down low in that vacuum block.you can use a plug down there,whatever floats your boat.just as long as she's sealed.
that's it.your done.fill up that new ps reservoir,make sure all the lines are tight and out of the way of everything,find your res cap and have that handy to go back on.start her up and watch your ps level,and as soon as possible (ps pumps HATE to be run dry or even low.you can kill 'em quick,and or forever make them squeal) top it right back up when you see it drop.you can always dip a rag in to take a little out before your test drive.to do it this way,you really should have someone start the truck for you as your ready to pour fluid in.
if your alone,just remove the belt and spin the pump by hand,or unhook the power to the FSS and hit the key a few times to turn the engine over which of course spins the pump without the engine starting,so you can keep topping it up between 5 second spin time intervals or so.however you do it is fine.your main objective is to make sure you don't let the pump run dry,or you could damage it real fast.
look things over and go for a little drive.prepare for a little increase in stopping power.

after the test run,or during just double check the level.once your close,the fluid should be hot now so can use the stick on the cap to get it dead on,either by adding a little or dipping a little out with a clean rag etc.
as you can see,it's not a very hard job at all.a little time consuming.i think i spent half the time reaming them dang ms holes out with a drill bit lol.
that is as long as you make sure to lube things up good during install.
you'll learn from my mistake i just know you will.