Hi All,

2002 Expedition, 5.4 2V.

I recently replaced my cruise control cancel switch. I had forgotten about the fire recall, but as I understand it, if my vehicle has the extra pigtail, then it's up to date. Mine does.

After the replacement, I'm getting break fluid all over the ground when parked. I can only assume that it's also leaking while driving. However, pressing the brake pedal to the floor repeatedly doesn't seem to cause a profusion of leakage.

I now have a theory that the fluid is leaking through the switch and down the wiring, which would explain why the source of the leak is so hard to find.

The question - can THAT much fluid leak through the switch? I'm talking about big puddles in multiple places on the floor underneath the car.

The weather here in DFW has been quite bad the last few days, so I'm finally about to go crawl around and take a look from below now that it's getting nicer out.

I should also note that I just completed an intake manifold gasket replacement, so it's possible (but unlikely) that I tweaked something and cause an unrelated leak. With the volume of the leak, and the fact that the brakes are working perfectly, I would suspect the master cylinder reservoir, but it's high and dry. No sign of leakage in the area.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Tom

 

Yes it is possible for the fluid to leak through the switch. BTW, if the recall was done then the pigtail will be blue.

 

Thanks. I got my switch from the dealer, and the pigtail is definitely not blue. I expect I'll be talking to them again anyway because I'm pretty sure that's the source of the leak.

Tom

 

If I recall correctly, the cruise control deactivation switch recall was for 1997-2003 expeditions and navigators.

 

dont park it near the house in case it bursts into flames!

 

Unplug the harness to the switch until you get it fixed, your vehicle doesn't have to be running for it to catch on fire. Here's some info on the recall on this.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...-vehicles.html

 

Follow up. I never positively identified what happened here, but I have a working theory:

FACTS:

1. Shortly after replacing the cruise cancel switch, and after a long road trip, the master cylinder was nearly drained of fluid and there was "wetness" in a large area around it.
2. Noting this, I did an R&R on the switch, inspecting the cable harness for signs of brake fluid (finding none) and taking extra care to make sure the switch was properly installed. I refilled the MC.
3. At the same time, I began finding a significant puddle of clear fluid on the garage floor every morning. I later narrowed the source of the leak to be from somewhere "above" the driver's side cylinder head.
4. This went on for weeks, but the size of the puddle steadily diminished and became "dirty" looking. The fluid level in the master cylinder remained constant.
5. The drips eventually stopped, except for the occasional droplet, which is very discolored.

Here's the theory:

When I first installed the switch, I did not get a good seal, which allowed brake fluid to squirt all over the place, but most of it must have ended up pooling somewhere in the engine compartment. The brake fluid then slowly drained from this location, accumulating noticeably when parked overnight on a clean garage floor. As the pool aged and diminished, the drops got smaller and became discolored.

What do y'all think?

Tom

 

I think you shouldn't be parking it in the garage is what I think.