Update!! (Fixed)Problems after ABS to conventional brake swap

Paulio91184

Registered User
Well I got everything in, bled the brakes and now here comes the next set of problems.....I can push the pedal twice and it will get rock hard meaning that they are free of air correct? When the motor is running and the brakes under vacuum the pedal is really soft and goes to within 3 inches to the floor....Then I put a ball bearing in the master between to the point where the front brakes were dragging and the pedal was still terrible, whats going on?!?

EDIT++++FIXED!!!!! Well after days of chasing my tail, and almost smashing the car with a bat, I decided to start from scratch....took the M/C off and went to bench bleed it again, well after 2+ hours of almost all air coming out, I came to the conclusion that the M/C is bad.........Brought it back and got another unit from my local parts store, reinstalled everything, rebled everything and they work fine!!!(just need to get the pedal perfect by rod adjustment) I just thought that since I bought a new M/C that it wouldn't be bad but I was wrong!!! So the moral of the story is never assume that just because a part is NIB does not meant that it will work!! Thanks again for all the help guys, I really appreciate all your time, effort and knowledge!!
 
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I recommend using something more adjustable. I used an old headlight adjustment screw. I don't think I ever got mine adjusted perfectly, but the screw is very easy to tune. Regardless, it sounds like that's not your problem since the brakes are dragging. Are you sure you got all the air out of the lines? What parts did you use for the conversion?
 
I took it out so the brakes aren't dragging anymore....I'll try rebleeding them tomorrow but I didn't see anymore bubbles in the clear tube or jar I used.....as for parts I used a 90 tbird non abs booster and a 90 tbird MC since all of the lines bolt right up and there is no need to make a junction of lines and stuff.... The brakes work but the pedal travels to 3" above the floor before they grab....I think I need to fine tune the rod
 
To use the 90 non-SC MC in a SC you will need to re-route your brake lines just like the 90 non-SC was. Otherwise you will need to get the CrownVic MC with proportioning valves which will require less brake line work. :confused:
 
FWIW, I would have just gone ahead and fixed whatever problem you were having with your Teves system....;)
 
I went by what NWNSC did...look at his post, Post #275 and on here http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59901&page=19


i did the exact same thing....the car stops fine but there is way to much pedal travel

Brakes that stop and brakes that stop like they were designed to stop are two different things. Disc brakes require a lot more fluid than drum brakes, so using a master cylinder designed for drum brakes on a disc brake system is not going to result in effective braking. You may think that it brakes "ok" but you have no idea how you are distributing your braking forces and may end up with a variety of problems. Low pedal would be the first problem, others may follow.
 
Brakes that stop and brakes that stop like they were designed to stop are two different things. Disc brakes require a lot more fluid than drum brakes, so using a master cylinder designed for drum brakes on a disc brake system is not going to result in effective braking. You may think that it brakes "ok" but you have no idea how you are distributing your braking forces and may end up with a variety of problems. Low pedal would be the first problem, others may follow.

Are the rear-disc base T-Bird mc's different than the rear drum mc's? I'm not using a T-Bird mc..just wondering...
 
How do you go about adjusting the push rod in the booster? My 94 seems to have no ability to adjust the length.
 
the one I got has an adjuster screw on the push rod, I'll take a picture of it for you next time I have the master cylinder off (probably tomorrow), I almost have it perfect but there is a little more to go, pedal still travels a tad too far for my liking but it stops good. BTW what year booster are you using, Mine is a 90 booster, I'm not sure about the 94
 
the one I got has an adjuster screw on the push rod, I'll take a picture of it for you next time I have the master cylinder off (probably tomorrow), I almost have it perfect but there is a little more to go, pedal still travels a tad too far for my liking but it stops good. BTW what year booster are you using, Mine is a 90 booster, I'm not sure about the 94

94 booster. A picture would be helpful. There is what looks like a cap nut on the end of the rod so one would think it'd be adjustable, but for the life of me I can't figure it out. The whole rod spins by hand but never changes depth.
 
What you need to do is push the pedal out a bit, I use a hockey stick, pipe or have someone hold it out, Mine is a 7mm nut.....with the rod out put a vice grip with a piece of leather or something (to keep it from getting scratched up) and hold the rod with that to keep it from spinning, then the bolt should back right out.... I'll get a pic if you need but try that first
 
What you need to do is push the pedal out a bit, I use a hockey stick, pipe or have someone hold it out, Mine is a 7mm nut.....with the rod out put a vice grip with a piece of leather or something (to keep it from getting scratched up) and hold the rod with that to keep it from spinning, then the bolt should back right out.... I'll get a pic if you need but try that first

I'll take a look at it and see if that helps. Take a pic if you get a chance though. I'd like to see if there is a difference between yours and mine. Might be mine is fixed mounted... or broken. :rolleyes:
 
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