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Hydroboost Rebuild Overview/Cheat Code for Bleeding
Hey y'all!
Just wanted to share my experience rebuilding the Hydroboost in my 2000 Super Duty. So some people say that the rebuild is the hard part, but I didnt really find it all that difficult. I went ahead and took out all the battery box and intake box and intake tubing going to the turbo. I chose to take out the master cylinder and hydroboost as one piece and then to just rebuild both of them while I had them out. Got the Master Cylinder rebuild from Advance Auto, they told me Motorcraft doesnt make a rebuild kit for it so I got whatever brand they had... AutoCraft or Dorman or something. For the HydroBoost itself, I ordered the Master Rebuild kit from SouthWest Performance Parts. Apparently genuine Bosch/Bendix rebuild kits are unavailable, and I was worried about getting no name cheap knock offs from eBay... SouthWest had good reviews as a company and on this kit, plus I was partial to them because I lived in Phoenix for a little while. The process of taking everything out, rebuilding it and putting it back in the truck only took about 6 hours, 2 days of me working on it after work. I thought I was home free, till I started trying to bleed it... I had an ungodly time trying to get it bled, and the pump was screaming and whining the whole time, and if I got on the brake hard and turned hard, it literally blew out my low pressure return line... I fixed it 4 times before I determined there had to be something else wrong... so I investigated the power steering pump, all the lines, proportioning valve... all the non rebuilt stuff... all checked out.... so I bit the bullet and pulled the HydroBoost and Master cylinder back out thinking I'd messed something up... took it apart again and couldnt find anything wrong.. when i was putting it back together, i got to looking at the little yellow check valve, because it was slightly different than the original, and in just the right light a caught a little hairline crack in it... tried blowing into it both ways and had no resistance, and could actually feel my breath coming out of that crack. In a perfect world, I'd have warrantied it through SouthWest, but I wanted it done so I used the old valve I had pulled out. Put it back together and fired up the truck, still couldnt get it to bleed... as soon as I cut the truck on, the Power Steering pump would suck down almost all of the fluid in the reservoir and inevitibly suck in some air. Even adding fluid wouldnt work... after fighting it for a week, I wised up and determined that at least on my truck, the reservoir totally full is basically the BARE minimum required to prime that pump... so being a plumber, I had a 2" Fernco and 2-1/2' section of 2" Flex PVC with union flanges on it. The flex PVC actually came off of a pool pump that I was repairing. I wouldn't use flex PVC at work under basically any circumstance, unless theres no other option, but it worked great in this setting, and the union flange on the end helped the Fernco not crush the flex pipe... I filled it slam full of ATF and cranked it up... did the same standard method everyone recommends, same as I had done before and like magic it worked. Once I got 99% of the air out of the system, I stuck my Performance Tool Vacuum Pump down in the flex pvc and sucked out the amount that wouldn't fit in the reservoir... There was still a little air in the system when I went to test, but after a little 15 minute drive it all seems to have made its way out.
In summary, if your relatively mechanically capable, the removal and rebuild isnt that bad. Part of my job as a plumber is rebuilding pumps, so I may be a little biased, but I really did not thing that it was that hard. HOWEVER, always check your new parts to make sure they have no defects, or you might send yourself on a week long wild goose chase. And if you do choose to do the rebuild, take the warnings that everyone posts about what a pain the bleeding process is... HOWEVER, giving it an extra 2' of fluid volume seemed to make it a breeze, so going forward this is what I would do. Happy to answer any technical questions etc, just didn't want to do a full detailed writeup as my writeup would be the same as the other really detailed one on here since thats what I followed.
Hope this helps somebody else!!
Have any photos of your bleeding apparatus? Sounds like a neat trick (that I hope I’ll never need).
If I read that correctly, he used flex PVC to add reservoir capacity so the PS pump wouldn't suck air until all the system was almost fully bled. He then used a suction pump to suck out any excess fluid in the flex pipe before capping the reservoir of the PS pump.
If I read that correctly, he used flex PVC to add reservoir capacity so the PS pump wouldn't suck air until all the system was almost fully bled. He then used a suction pump to suck out any excess fluid in the flex pipe before capping the reservoir of the PS pump.
Yes sir! Youre spot on
Originally Posted by RacinJasonWV
Thanks for sharing.
Have any photos of your bleeding apparatus? Sounds like a neat trick (that I hope I’ll never need).
I didnt get s picture of it while I was doing tbe project but its still laying in my driveway lol along with all my jack stands and the gallon of ATF that I sucked out into a bucket that ended up all over the driveway when I fell off the engine bay of the truck and stuck my landing right onto the bucket lol... I'll snap a couple pictures of it whenever I get home tonight... I think you probably could get away with using regular ol Foam Core PVC, and just solvent weld you an 8th bend coming out of the reservoir a short stub up and then another 8th bend to clear all the stuff in the engine bay.. however, I didn't feel like using stuff I'd actually use for my work on the truck... once you glue up that PVC the only way to get it apart is with an inside pipe cutter and that can be a big pain... plus I wouldn't feel right about using those used parts at another job... like I said, Flex PVC bucks in general, but it worked well for this... only reason I mentioned the union flanges is because if it didn't have those, my Fernco would've crushed the flex pipe... so if you do use Flex (honestly I don't even know where to buy it), buy you a coupling or something hard to solvent weld on the end thats going in the Fernco... I don't think Sched 40 or sched 80 is necessary... although I do use it for my drain/return lines to the pool pumps I put in, all the solid core pipe is really made for pressurized systems... being that the Hydroboost Reservoir return line isn't pressured per say, I think Sch40 and Sch80 is overkill.
Glad this may help someone and will be sure to post a picture of it tonight, as well as a picture of that valve that was cracked. Please let me know if you have any other questions or requests, love to help people not go through the 3 week headache I did lol!!
If I read that correctly, he used flex PVC to add reservoir capacity so the PS pump wouldn't suck air until all the system was almost fully bled. He then used a suction pump to suck out any excess fluid in the flex pipe before capping the reservoir of the PS pump.
Yes sir, that’s the way I read it as well but just had some trouble visualizing how it was “sealed” to the reservoir. Figured a photo would go nicely into this thread for future readers (again, hopefully not me! lol) looking to copy this method.
Yes sir, that’s the way I read it as well but just had some trouble visualizing how it was “sealed” to the reservoir. Figured a photo would go nicely into this thread for future readers (again, hopefully not me! lol) looking to copy this method.
Oh I see. I’m guessing the flex PVC got wedged into the reservoir opening.
Yes sir, that’s the way I read it as well but just had some trouble visualizing how it was “sealed” to the reservoir. Figured a photo would go nicely into this thread for future readers (again, hopefully not me! lol) looking to copy this method.
i used a Fernco to seal it in there. Its a plumbing connector that is used in low/no pressure drain lines for repairs of cast iron, or PVC that solvent welding something to would be a pain, or you don't have enough play in the pipes to fit a regular PVC coupling in. Like I say, I'll throw a picture here up in about half an hour! I don't think a standard No Hub repair coupling is quite stout or thick enough to seal together 2 sizes that are so different (relative to plumbing lol)... even a Fernco isn't really made for that, you'd need to get one that's say 3" Cast Iron to 2" PVC... but for this it was only temporary so I just sorta jammed that 2" in there... whenever I post the picture tonight you'll get what I'm saying it's jjust a big ol rubber boot with cutouts for huge hose clamps in it.... loosen it up real good and slide in on the ends of the pipe you're trying to seal. Crank the house clamps down (5/16 on true Fernco brand ones). Your done!
I’m guessing something like this (which is what I pictured after your last description.
Part of the reason I was asking for photos is this may be something Y2K would want to include in the tech folder. First time I’ve heard of someone using this method.
I’m guessing something like this (which is what I pictured after your last description.
Part of the reason I was asking for photos is this may be something Y2K would want to include in the tech folder. First time I’ve heard of someone using this method.
LOL I HEAR THAT... that's part of the reason I posted this, cuz when I was trying to figure it out I wanted answers right then too! But anyway, as promised here's the pictures Far Away Closer The 2" Flex PVC with tbe union flange... this came off a WaterWay pool pump, but I have no idea where to get it The fernco I used... mine was not a Fernco branded fernco... that part number is 1056-22, you can get the genuine ones at basically any plumbing supply house... the one pictured is an LDR brand (P/N: 156-22)from Tractor Supply... i generally prefer originals and not knock offs but I had this one in my shop and it worked fine.
So that's the gist... and as you can see, not hard at all... if you couldn't get flex pvc, I think you could fit a 8th bend or street 8th bend coming right off the Fernco to clear the intake pipe... let me know if you need another angle or somethin! And yeah by all means post it or pin it or whatever if its actually that helpful, i figured somebody else had already done it... its a trick i use to prime hard to start pool pumps or ones way up hill from the pool they are circulating lol. But I reckon most pumps function similarly...
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