Ok, I'm looking for a sanity check here. I put on a new "zero travel loss brake booster" F5TZ-2005-CA during my recent brake saga. All was good for about a week, then when backing up one day at the store there was a POP! and that was it for the booster. It started leaking vacuum and provided no boost. As things tend to go from bad to worse, the receipt and box were destroyed in a storm so I had to wait a bit and get a replacement. As it turns out RockAuto sells this part, so for about $160 a new one arrived this afternoon. I put it on and HISSSSSSSSSSSSSS, ITS LEAKING! I can't imagine what, but is there something I'm doing wrong in my R&R of this part?

Here's how I went about the install.

- Disconnect the vacuum hose from the brake booster.

- Disconnect the electrical connections from the master cylinder, remove the master cylinder mounting nuts and set it to the side.

- Under the dash, I pulled the clip from the brake pedal.

- I removed the 4 nuts from the booster studs and, while the booster was loose enough to provide some wiggle, slid the rod off of the brake pedal pin and removed the washer, stop light switch and bushing.

- I placed the new booster in the engine compartment with the actuator rod in place but the studs not in the firewall holes at this time.

- My assistant provided support for the booster while I put the rod, the stoplight switch and the bushing on the brake pedal pin.

- My assistant aligned the booster mounting studs with the firewall holes and slid the booster into place.

- Secured the booster nuts.

- Placed the clip through the hole in the brake pedal pin.

- Mounted the master cylinder, reconnected the wires, and hooked up the vacuum hose to the check valve.

- Fired up the truck fully expecting to have good brakes, but had a ROCK HARD pedal, a/c ducts defaulting to the defroster vents and a nice HISSSSSSSS from inside the cabin.

Is there something I'm doing to harm the boosters??

I'm about to go a bit crazy(er) here.

 

Are you sure it's the booster and not a general vacuum leak? You could disconnect the vacuum supply to the hvac and see of you have brakes.

 

Yeah, it's for sure the booster. I pulled the vacuum hose to hook up my mityvac and all the other symptoms go away. The system is pulling 19" of mercury, just about what the pump should do.

 

That is really unfortunate.

 

Nat


I guess you got some of my luck......There is nothing wrong with how you installed that booster.


I spent 5 hrs trying to put my booster in today.......I beat, cussed and threw a few things.
I put in a new booster and master cylinder yesterday in my truck. Last night I remembered I did not put any type of sealant between the fire wall and booster, this morning I removed the booster and cleaned the fire wall and installed a strip of hi density foam............Then the War began...trying to put that sum beach back in.


After most all day fighting to get it back in the 4 holes........I remembered that when I put it in the first time I had the master cylinder connected to the booster.


I had benched bleed the master cylinder, adjusted the brake piston rod then hooked it to the booster. Also I had connected all the brake lines to the m/c, so all I had to do was bleed the brake lines.


This morning I removed the m/c and pushed it toward the engine to removed the booster. Put on the sealer and fought 5 hrs........by my self. Then I remembered that when it went in easy.....the booster had the m/c connected.


I went and got the old m/c attached it to the booster.........10 min. later the booster was back in place. I did drop the black bushing while trying to connect the switch, which took me 2 hrs to find.


So tomorrow I will start bleeding the brakes on the truck, maybe it will go better than the booster install.


You just got a bad booster.........it happens and some times even with new parts

 

"I did drop the black bushing while trying to connect the switch, which took me 2 hrs to find." HAHAHAH. Mine bounced when I removed the switch, I looked and looked. Somehow it wound up flying into the coffee cup that was on my center console. It's the revenge of the bushings.

I'm starting to wonder if Ford had a bad run on the zero travel loss boosters. The first one popping in just a short time followed by one that just plain didn't hold vacuum. When they ship the replacement it's fer sure I'll check it with my vacuum pump before it goes on the truck. Not doing all that work again just to find it leaking.

 

Did you check (no pun intended) the check valve?

 

Yup. Check valve only works 1 way. I have a collection of these now too. HA! The new boosters come with a new check valve, and a tag that say's DON'T REMOVE THIS OR SOMETHING HORRIBLE WILL HAPPEN TO YOU, YOUR TRUCK AND YOUR DOG. Or something like that.