Where do I get a kit to bleed the master cylinder for a 97 Explorer? I think air is in there because the brake lines have been bled, but I still have this issue. The issue is strange and rarely occurs (but occurs enough); when I back up quickly, sometimes the brakes will "shutter" for lack of a better term...it actually feels like there are air bubbles that make the pedal feel temporarily soft and the car make a stammered stop. Even MORE rarely will it happen driving forward. This is very rare and I don't want it to sound too bad, because it really is not. However, I really want to fix the problem.

 

Try this site. You can make one of your own from a garden sprayer but you will need a spare master cylinder cap to modify for the connection. I have made one of these and it works very well.

 

Sorry, this is the site
http://www.motiveproducts.com/02bleeders.html

 

just bleed the master the same way you bleed the brakes one guy pumps them up real good the other cracks the line on the master repeat several times on each line. Then do all 4 wheels if you still feel the sponge.

J>M>O

 

I agree with the other posters regarding methods for bleeding the brakes, but to me your problem sounds more like an intermittent issue witht he Antilock Braking System (ABS). Air bubbles in the brakelines don't come and go. Do you feel a pulsing in the brake pedal when this is happening. That would be indicative of ABS activation.

 

You're probably right. It just seems strange because I had changed the pads on both my wifes Explorer and my truck and both seemed to experience the same issue. All I did was take the old pads out and put new ones in. The problem will almost always happen if I back the car into the sloped driveway and then pull accross the alley into another sloped drive. In my truck, I do get the ABS light on while I'm driving.It won't come on as long as I'm reversing, but after a few feet forward it turns on. Again, in my F150 it RARELY occurs. But, if it's about to occur, the ABS light goes off for a few seconds and then it might happen and it returns on. What exactly could be wrong with the ABS and I find it more than coincidental that they both occurred right after I simply changed the pads? Is there something special about changing pads that I didn't realize and might have messed up? Thanks!

 

you should be able to get some sort of bleeder kit from a auto parts store somewhere,but if you want one that hooks up to a air hose,you,ll have to mabe look around a little more & pay more,good luck

 

I used to work at a Saturn dlr, and I remember that those ABS pumps cycle routinely under certain conditions, one of which may have been backing up, but they definitely did it on the first drive off of the day, if I'm not mistaken.

I don't know that Fords do this, but I would experiement on your mother-in-law's wet grass, and get your veh. into ABS motion at slow speeds, and see if it's the same feel/sound. Might make you feel better. Just my .02, but let us know, okay?

Peter

 

Not sure what the problem is...(By the way...I didn't realize y'all had posted or I would have responded sooner. My e-mail was routing to junkmail). Thanks for responding and I will let you all know if I get it resolved. I can't really describe it but it does sound like what you all are saying ABS shuttering or cycling under certain conditions. It happens when it's cold too. Still not often and mostly after I reverse, go a little bit forward and then reverse again to get out of a tight spot. Then when I go forward again...all is fine! Is there anything that I neglected when I simply took the old pads off and put new pads on?

 

Bleeding the brakes might help. Instead of making a pressure bleeder (which I did - and it works pretty well) - go to a parts store and buy some speed bleeders. They are about $10 a pair and simply replace the bleeders on the calipers/ wheel cylinders. I've done the front so far on my 94, and bleed both sides in about 5 minutes....just open the bleeder 1/2 turn, put a hose on the end to run the old fluid into a jar and pump the brakes a few times.

As for the ABS light - I don't know if 97's are different than 94's, but you might just need to clean the sensor in the rear differential (If this is where it is on 97's). My 94 is just one electrical connection and one bolt. Slides right out the top. Wipe 'er down and shove it back in. My ABS light has been off ever since. For this repair, it took longer to put the truck on jack stands than it did to actually get the sensor out and clean it.

By the way - there used to be a great explorer maintenance forum that was hosted I belive by the University of Maryland....anyway, that site went away. Several people on this board were disappointed, so someone was able to 'recover' most of the articles on that site somehow. Here's a link to the 'how to make a bleeder' article. The rest of the site has some good stuff...check it out...

Matt

http://www.xauthority.com/exp/brakebleeder.html

 

Oops. Looks like only the top of the page is there...none of the links work.

I just checked my favorites and found another link (that works - sorry 'bout that!) to a homemade pressure bleeder....

http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/bleeder.htm

Matt