Priorrman vs Stock Accumulators. Any Difference?

tbirdboy

Registered User
Needed a accumulator for my 89 and planned on going through Priorrman. Is there any difference, performance wise from a stock acc. vs a Priorrman in it's ability to keep the ABS pump from working as hard.
My pump just keeps running and I pulled the fuse to keep from burning it out(doesn't cycle on and off). Replaced the relays but to no avail. Acc. comes next with the pressure switch the last resort.

I guess preventive maintance is my excuse for poor diagnostic skills, oh well...
 
There shouldn't be any difference. As they are very simple devices.

An accumulator is a common part in hydraulics. It is simply a rubber bladder inside a steel container. The steel container can handle high pressures and the rubber bladder is filled with Nitrogen gas. The Nitrogen gas compresses with the hydraulic pressure from the pump effectively storing the pressure created by the pump. So that when assist is needed, the pressure from the nitrogen bag is used until depleated and then the pump kicks in to help and repressurize the accumulator.

On Hydraulic Rams they are used to absorb shock when used for Pusher or Trailing axles on Ready-Mix or Dump Trucks that need to haul a lot of weight in a small footprint.

Though my research is making me think that ours is a Diaphram rather than Bladder type of Accumulator. Either way, it's the same properties. but instead of a bag of nitrogen gas, you have a diaphram that splits the steel container into sections, one section with the gas, and one section with the hydraulic fluid.

Either way, as the rubber used for the diaphram or bag ages, the nitrogen gas is able to permiate it, and it slowly loses it's ability to store pressure. Thus the hydraulic pump now must always run as no pressure is stored.
 
Can there be a noticable improvement in braking after replacing a accumulator??? I am assuming that you woudln't notice a difference unless there was some serious issues leakage in there....

My lights don't come on until about 10-12 pumps of the pedal, but with the key on engine off, I can hear the pump cycle every other press of the pedal....

I have 2 threads below asking about everything from brake pads and rotors to swapping for the brakes on a lincoln Mark VIII,,,,

My brakes work, but just not as good as I remember the brakes on my first SC acting....

There is an improvement after having the tire guy bleed and fill the brakes, since I was already there....


Any ways...... I'm not happy with these brakes....
 
I had a decent working OEM accumulator, when i swapped to the Priorr(whatever) unit the pedal was stiffer and had less "feedback" from the brakes(went to ABS with little or no warning), had a detached feeling. Beats me if the NEW OEM units have the same feel as the NOS units.
 
I just put an accumulator from Prior on two weeks ago because my car was doing the same thing that yours is.

At first I tried to attribute the ABS not working properly to the age of the car and the extremely cold weather. But after running the tests like you did I determined that it was the accumulator.

I have to say that the brakes do feel a little different at times than they did before. I think that they need to be bled because they feel a little soft here and there. But the Prior piece is top quality and is an easy install. If your ABS unit is not fixed by the new accumulator, Prior will offer you a $75 credit towards a total rebuild. A total rebuild is around $500. I would try the Prior unit for $99 and see if it fixes the problem.

Hope this helps.

Bob
 
Robert Kohlman said:
I just put an accumulator from Prior on two weeks ago because my car was doing the same thing that yours is.

At first I tried to attribute the ABS not working properly to the age of the car and the extremely cold weather. But after running the tests like you did I determined that it was the accumulator.

I have to say that the brakes do feel a little different at times than they did before. I think that they need to be bled because they feel a little soft here and there. But the Prior piece is top quality and is an easy install. If your ABS unit is not fixed by the new accumulator, Prior will offer you a $75 credit towards a total rebuild. A total rebuild is around $500. I would try the Prior unit for $99 and see if it fixes the problem.

Hope this helps.

Bob



Were you reffereing to my problem??

Mine seem to be intermitently poorer stoping power, and it feels like only the front is stopping the car sometimes. But like I say, I never get brake lights, cept of course when I crank the car, and not for more than a few seconds(5-6 give or take.....)


By accident, the other day I kinda lifted up on the brake pedal, and it seems like the pedal "raised up" and became firm again for the next couple of presses... then the pedal kinda got lighter and lower to the floor again...
It seems to happed like this every time Ilift up on the pedal....not that it has more than a hair of movement..more like I take the weight of the pedal off itself...


Does this sound like accumulator.
 
sizemoremk..

After the first startup of the car, your brake/antilock lights should never come on again.
When you see this happening, 9 out of 10 times this is due to a worn out accumulator. If yours is original equipment, its time is up. The next common thing is the pump motor relay, but you stated that you have replaced yours. The last most common thing is the pressure switch itself. Then there is the pump motor itself. Every now and then someone has one which goes out.

Oh, and when you have no power assist, you also have no rear brakes :eek:
 
I think you have me confused with another guy, I haven't replaced the relay yet....

And I meant that the ONLY light I get are at startup for 5-6 seconds....


I get no brake codes, but I will do this again for good measure....

My brakes just seem sorry.....

I just had the brakes re-bled when I got my tires balanced, and before that I had the red brake light come on ONCE IN AVERY BLUE MOON, but haven't had that happen since...(I think it was the week before last when bled and 300+ miles)

I have said in another post that with key on engine off, I can hear the pump cycle every other pedal press, but I get 10-12 pumps before the lights (both) come on......
 
A few more things to add...

MY Cruise Control doesn't come on very fast.. It kinda coast back down a few MPH and then finally engages and gets to set cruise control speed.

The other day, when the brakes felt particularly sorry, my ARC green light started flashing several times when I'd ht the brakes.....

I read something about a vacume tube near the brake pedal....should I look at this?

Thanks again guys!
 
I just had the brakes re-bled when I got my tires balanced, and before that I had the red brake light come on ONCE IN AVERY BLUE MOON, but haven't had that happen since...(I think it was the week before last when bled and 300+ miles)
So, are they better now?
I have said in another post that with key on engine off, I can hear the pump cycle every other pedal press, but I get 10-12 pumps before the lights (both) come on...
This indicates a worn accumulator. The lights should never come on after the initial charge up (which Ford says chould be up to a minute). Even with the key on and engine off. That quick 5-6 second charge up also indicates a loss of capacity of the accumulator. These are the same symptoms I experienced couple of years ago.

Note, when I say never, that also means when the ABS is engaged. The anti-lock light does not come on when you jam on the brakes and the ABS kicks in. The brake light though can also indicate a low brake fluid level.

Don't know about the ARC problem, but its related. There is a 400psi pressure switch on the proportioning valve which signals the ARC.

You should know that while you aren't in immediate danger (you have no ABS right now.. find a wet road or some ice and check it out), if you don't fix it, you will eventually loose all power assist making it hard to stop and the constant cycling will overwork the pump motor. Pump motors are expensive.
 
TbirdSCFan said:
So, are they better now?
This indicates a worn accumulator. The lights should never come on after the initial charge up (which Ford says chould be up to a minute). Even with the key on and engine off. That quick 5-6 second charge up also indicates a loss of capacity of the accumulator. These are the same symptoms I experienced couple of years ago.

Note, when I say never, that also means when the ABS is engaged. The anti-lock light does not come on when you jam on the brakes and the ABS kicks in. The brake light though can also indicate a low brake fluid level.

Don't know about the ARC problem, but its related. There is a 400psi pressure switch on the proportioning valve which signals the ARC.

You should know that while you aren't in immediate danger (you have no ABS right now.. find a wet road or some ice and check it out), if you don't fix it, you will eventually loose all power assist making it hard to stop and the constant cycling will overwork the pump motor. Pump motors are expensive.



Like I said, just to be clear....
The only time the lights ever come on, is when I start up...it comes on for more like 2-3 seconds(just measured it a few times during lunch) After that it doesn't ever come on.

As for 10-12 pedal presses, I mean if I pump the brakes 10-12 times, the light will flash, but only for a few seconds, and the pump doesn't cycle for very long after the lights go out.

Now, are you saying that if I pump the brakes 10-12 times (consectutively) that this is abnormal?

I've read alot of posts that say this is normal.

I also called the priorre accumular guys,m and asked him if I should order one, he says NO, and that it sounds like pressure is being held.....He said to test it out, with key off pump brakes 25-30 times and it would get hard.....and then turn key on and see how long it took for pump to go off. HE said it may take up to a minute. It took about 50 seconds and went off. But what was weird is that the brake never seemd to get hard. It obviously had purged the pressure...but there was plenty of travel in each pump, but each pump from 1-100(I kept pumpin to probably 100 and they never seemed to get hard....

Whatdya think????
 
as not to hijack a thread....affraid its too late for that....
I've started a new thread on my brake woes....
 
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