how to change the accumulator?

what is the easiest way to change the accumulator on 90SC? is there enough room to remove it without taking off intercooler tubes? do I have to bleed the brakes after replacing it? thanks a lot!

Take the windshield wipers off. Remove the rubber hood strip from the front of the cowling. Loosen the driverside cowling. Pump the brake pedal 1/2 dozen times with the key off and then take the proper size metric hex bit and loosen the accumulator. With the cowling loose, you should be able to get the old one out and the new one in w/o unbolting the HCU from the firewall.

I found that the accumulator will squeeze through fine if you just remove the air charge temperature sensor. Thiers detailed steps around here somewhere, you would be wise to find them. Removal of the windshield wipers and cowl takes too much time away from drivin'.


Tyler (Tickler)
1990 SC

I've had mine off a few times.....

It will just barely fit between the master unit and the cowling......

Hope you don't have big hands.......

I'm going to be doing mine soon. Luckily I don't have the wiper motor or linkage installed on my car right now and I can have the cowling off in like 2 minutes.

I had a bad wiper motor and when I did my head gasket job I decided to take the whole assembly out until I got a replacement motor. I got one, but it had the wrong number of plugs, so if/when I get another one I'll put it back together. I just use rain-x frequently and I have no problems. Some people might not like not having wipers, but I'm so used to it, been almost 2 years now without them, and I have driven it through two snowy winters also.

I have thought about using my firm ride switch to power on a nitrous kit, and using the wiper squirt harness to power the purge solenoid. It will be stealth. Just flip the firm ride switch on, and push the wiper contol in to purge the air out of the lines. That way looking into the car it will not be noticeable.

I assume this is a simle swap for the accumulator and shouldn't require bleeding the brakes but it may not be a bad idea anyways. I think I'm going to bleed all 4 of mine afterwords. I plan replacing pads/rotors/calipers this summer too, so I might do it all at the same time. Hopefully then I won't be scared to perform an emergency stop.

Scott Long said:

I assume this is a simle swap for the accumulator and shouldn't require bleeding the brakes but it may not be a bad idea anyways. I think I'm going to bleed all 4 of mine afterwords.

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It doesn't require bleeding the lines, but its never a bad idea. When I replaed mine years ago, I bled the lines and some rather foul looking gunk came out of the rear lines; who knows what problems I've dodged as a result.

Thats what I'm thinking, it can't hurt, plus maybe the last time I bled them I didn't get 100% of the air out and maybe theres a little more thats worked its way through the system over the last year.