I've got a 98 exploder in beautiful condition. It rides awesome, but just won't stop. It has all new brakes, and i've bled them a hundred and one times, but the pedal is still mushy. My wife already has gotten into a couple accidents at less than 5 mph because if you need to stop suddenly, it keeps rolling about 15 feet until it feels like stopping.

My belief is that the rubber old brake lines are swelling and not allowing the pressure to stay high when you need it most. I want to install steel braided brake lines, and there are a lot of websites that sell them, but after waiting two to three days they all say the same thing- DISCONTINUED ITEM.

How can I find steel braided brake lines that will fit my exploder? Can I just buy lines that fit another vehicle and modify them? Is there a universal set that someone sells?

HELP!!

 

Have you considered the master cylinder or PB booster? I doubt if both flex lines could go bad at once. If not, then it should pull to one side when you stand on the brakes. Also, it might be ABS related, but I'm not very well versed in the 98 ABS system. I'm sure someone else will jump in with advice.

 

If any one of the brake lines goes bad or swells, the entire system will have low pressure and all four wheels will have weak brakes. Just like if only one brake line blows out, the entire system loses pressure. The master cylinder will either work or not work, it will either make pressure or not make pressure. The power brake booster will only make the pedal easier or harder to step on, but not make the pedal so mushy that it goes to the floor during hard braking. If the pb booster was bad then the pedal would be stiff, and be harder to push down. I wish it was one of those things though, theyre much easier to find in stock....

 

You won't find any steel lines on the shelf. You have to have them custom made. I've been in touch with every manufacturer there is over the last 5 years, and no one makes them.

I've got a company locally that says they will make them for me, but I haven't gotten the lines off yet to take to them. I've thought about having them make a set for me and see how they do. If they work better and hold, I might have them make a few sets. I'll keep you in mind if I do.

 

oh ok, thats what i've been thinking of doing since they were recently discontinued by russell. But if both ends of the brake lines are the same as like an f150 or something, then i'd just buy ones for an f150 instead.

 

I don't remember the specifics now, but I looked at Ranger and Mustang ones checking to see if I could use them and for some reason (wrong ends or something) I couldn't.

 

i know the xploder lines are mounted to the frame, instead of hanging free.

 

I guess anything is possible, but I would put swelling brake lines way down on my list of possible causes. If this was a common problem it would probably be more discussion of it. I have a 1998 Explorer with original lines and the brakes work just fine. There is an old saying, if you hear the sound of hooves, first think horses, don't think zebras. I would check out the master cylinder, PB, etc. ....the usual suspects first. But good luck in sorting this out.

 

i would check out the vacuum line for the booster, sounds like you might have a leak...causing a loss of break pressure...now wait, you would still be able to mash it down to the floor and they would work, check your master cyl. id be willing to put money on that being the problem. Heck if got orignals on my 92 and my 96...not to mention bother my 80's f-150's and there hasn't been a problem with any of them.

 

I've talked to quite a few people locally who have all complained about mushy brakes on their trucks. They all said the same thing, switching to steel braided brake lines fixed their problem. My cousin is the lead mechanic at his dealership, same story there, the mechanics he works with all agree, the pedal should only travel about halfway down, if it continues to go to the floor only when you really step hard, then there is a swelling brake hose. Its very common and most people who aren't mechanics throw all the wrong expensive parts at it like brake boosters etc. That will only make the problem worse, if you have even more booster assistance then the pedal will get even softer with a stronger booster.

Heres a question, when you bleed your brakes you normally do it with the engine not running right? I hope so... Well.... there is no PB booster being used at that point. So after you get the air out, the pedal suddenly feels solid like a rock- right? In my case the pedal is just plain soft no matter what, and when you start the engine it only gets softer.

It feels like I'm literally squeezing a balloon, the pressure stays exactly the same no matter how hard you step on it. And as you release the pedal it pushes your foot back up like a spring.

ANYWAYS, back to my original question. Who makes or sells steel braided brake hoses that fit the exploder. I'm not asking how to troubleshoot brakes, as I'm a mechanic of over 15 years myself, and an aircraft mechanic for over 10 years. I just want to know who sells them, or if theres another vehicle that is a close fit. Right now I don't know anyone at the local parts store who will let me rummage through the shelves to compare sizes.

 

no one, you have to have them custom built.

 

Since you have talked to 'quite a few people locally' that have switched to steel braided lines and fixed their problem, maybe they can tell you where they got the braided lines or where they had them installed. How about your cousin, the lead machanic at his dealership. Since he and the other mechanics know of the problem and are fixing it(as I assume they are since a brake pedal going all the way to the floor is a major safety isuue) with braided lines, maybe he can tell you who their supplier is.

Just curious, so I started my 98 Explorer and stepped on the brake pedal to see the travel. It stopped well above the floor and felt solid. Then I placed both feet on the brake pedal and applied my entire body weight (185lbs) and pushed against the pedal with a lot of force. It still stopped well above the floor and felt solid. My flexible brake lines are original and are well over 7 years old and they don't seem to be casuing any problems with the braking system on my particular truck.

If you are having a braking problem to the extent you are saying, involving accidents as you descibed in your original post, I would take it to someone who can fix it and fix it pronto no matter what the cost. Brakes are nothing to be guessing about and screwing around with. You could be saving someones's life here.

 

thanks for all your help

 

thats what I was afraid of, I was hoping to take em straight out of the box and install em, I hate disassembling and then waiting for the new parts to show up..... that sucks.

 

thanks genius, never thought of that one, I went ahead and followed your advice, and asked the mechanics and everyone I could find locally who fixed their weak brakes by installing steel braided brake lines that have ZERO swell by design. I asked them where I find explorer brake hoses, and they said that since noone knows where to buy them- because they are hard to find- they said I should go onto this- "ford-truck enthusiast"-- website that has lots of knowledgeable helpful members who know where to find hard to find ford parts. Ever heard of the website? You see I started this thread to ask other members if they know where to find explorer steel braided brake hoses, and if you don't know where, then don't worry about it. BTW I'm glad you can tell whats wrong with my truck by stepping on your brake pedal, excellent troubleshooting.