hello everyone.

my buddy's 1960 edsel ranger has been running like a champ with the new carb, distributor, tune up, and trans filter cleaned. he still hasnt had the valves adjusted, but soon....

now he is having a brake problem, and im lost on troubleshooting this one.

it has the factory master and drum brakes all the way around.

he now says sometime when setting at a traffic light in gear with his foot on the brake, the pedal will slowly go all the way to the floor... then when he pumps it up a few times, he will get about half the pedal back.

could the master be going, is there air in the system ?

he will pop the master cover off this morning and check the level.

thanks for the help, and happy holidays everyone.



leonard

Sounds like a bad master cylinder to me.

Dan      Kingman Az.      86409

And if any of the wheel cylinders leak, you can see that from the wet spot on the bottom of that drum. just check behind the wheels . Does it pull pull to right or left when braking? If it does, the problem is at the opposite side.

 Seppo from Järvenpää, Finland
www.hollowheads.net (just click the hole in the head to proceed)

+1.  Bleed down with constant pressure like that is typical for a bad master cylinder.

Ron Grove

Wauconda, IL

If the fluid level is not dropping then the wheel cylinders are NOT leaking.The fluid is bypassing the internal seals in the master.Time for a new one.Good time to chack the wheel cylinders anyway.What can happen after you replace the master is that the full pressure from the new one will cause marginal wheel cylinders to start seeping.I would suggest checking all cylinders and rubber connecting hoses for condition.Cheap insurance. 

  

thanks guys...

he stopped by this morning and we unscrewed the master cover and it was about half low. we topped it off, and i told him to check the inside of the wheels for wetness, but we didnt want to get dirty this morning and he will check that later this weekend. i told him its not gonna be good news, so get ready for something to be replaced..

thanks again guys, and happy thanksgiving.



leonard

Actually parts are cheap.Around $100.00 for  a set of 4 wheel cylinders.The master could still be the problem if its leaking out the back.Pull back the boot and see if its full of fluid.I would be pulling all 4 wheels and do a full check anyway.Now that the Eddy goes it needs to stop too!

  

ok guys, i did a search on NAPA's website, and found the master cylinder new for 37 bucks, but wheel cylinders they only show the fronts... no rears..... why would that be ?



http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Results.aspx?Ntt=brake|wheel%20cylinder&Ntk=Keyword|Keyword&N=599001%20101960%2050087%202087005



also they dont show any brake shoes....... crazy...



thanks guys..

They only made Edsels for 3 years.Its a good thing most of the mechanical parts are the same as regular Ford cars.According to Macsantiqueauto who has a catalogue for Edsel the rear cylinders are the same for 52-59 Ford as 60 Edsel non station wagon.Napa part# up17508 and up17509 for rear cylinders.The brake shoes are 11x21/2 same shoes front and rear.The Ford part # is for 1960 fullsize Ford with 11x21/2 brakes.Napa does not show a listing for 60 Ford.If you cant find a source with a catalogue  listing shoes for  60 Ford or 60 Edsel you may have to go to Macsantiqueauto and buy from him.Also the master cylinder from Napa at $37.00 is a reman unit.Personally for $20.00 more I would buy the new one instead.Front flex hoses are the same as 54-56 Ford.Napa # up18167(2).The  rear flex hose is the same as a front on a 57 Ford and there are a couple of choices because of length.You will have to measure and order from Napa or just order one from Macs if you end up buying shoes from him.Hope this info helps.

  

oldcarmark,

thanks for the detailed info, as usual...... will let you guys knwo what happens in the coming days...



leonard