Hi,

Last visited this site in 06! Wow, how the time flies.....

I bought this lo top conversion van, a 5.4, with 34k miles in Nov 2005 and now has 59k miles on it.

My update on previous issues, were a bad coil pack which cut power depending on the angle of the road, and slipping / non-functioning tranny caused by use of Mobile One tranny fuild after a complete flush. It ran about 18 months with that fluid until it started shifting back and forth quickly from 4th to 2nd and the OD light blinking but no faulty sensor codes showing. Both issues were diagnosed and fixed by the out of town Ford Dealership, both took about a week to figure out.

I have put on six sets of front pads, five rotors. Each set lasts a year or just over.

I am told it is all wheel ABS. I just had the rotors, bearings, pads, calipers, steel brake lines, front hoses and rear wheel cylinders replaced. Same shoes from 05 and still at 80%.

I have talked to three garages, three seemingly knowledgeable people from our parts store, one owned the same type van and owned his shop for 35 yrs, plus the best Ford dealership I know of and waiting for someone to return my call on the questions.

The local shop that did all the work last week said he was not aware of this having a metering valve. The Ford Dealer said it did, but the tech did not know where it was, nor if it is repairable. The parts person with a similar problem said his was a defective metering valve and had to buy one from a salvage yard.

I have a stone driveway, and noticed when I brought it back and parked, the front wheels locked up and slid in the stones, the rear did not.

I am now going to replace the rear brake hose and still looking for info on this metering valve, if they are available, where it is located and what they cost.

The last measure would be a master cylinder. So far, I have spent over $2k just on the brakes, for a vehicle that is driven about 4k miles a year, or less. Other than that, it now runs great.

If anyone has some suggestions, if you would forward that to my personal e-mail please, it would be appreciated. yechave@ptd.net.

I've been to the best mechanics this area has to offer. The very best techs are at the Ford Dealership in the city, which would be a minimum 1.5 hr drive for me, and twice that if I have to leave it. They are stating they need to look at it, but I do not understand what they can see on these parts that would identify why the rear brakes do not seem to be carrying their weight here.

I would like to get whatever parts could be the problem and replace them before they damage the $800 worth of parts I just had installed.

Thanks in advance and appreciate and suggestions...other than getting rid of it.

PS: A tip for those using one of these vehicles in snow. The Hoppakalita snow tires are fantastic. Not sure of the spelling, but I put these on four years ago, run them all year and have not had any issues in snow, and they are not at all noisy as one might think for such an agressive tread. Also, the $20 Walmart fuel system cleaning was done twice and worked magic on an engine that has spent most of its time looking at the grass.

 

The metering device is located on the first outgoing line from the Master Cylinder, closest to the firewall.

Doesn't look like much, but sure did take a hell of a lot of time to find someone that knew where and what it was and how to clean it. Advanced Auto Store was the winner of this search for identifying this braking problem / solution!