Mk1 Galaxy Brake Master Cylinder

[gemguy]

hi can anyone help me please i have just gone to change my brake master cylinder order 1 when i got it .it has 4 ports for brake pipes but mine has only 2 . my car is a ford galaxy 1.9td 1996 .ive been told that the master cylinder with 2 ports is for a galaxy with abs mine has not got abs .so should mine have 4 ports or 2 ports cheers

[sparky Paul]

4 port master cylinder is for non-ABS cars - the four brake units connect directly to the two circuits of the master cylinder.

 

If yours has only two pipes coming from it, I would have thought it would have ABS... Where do the two pipes go? If they go to a large lump to the rear of the battery, you must have ABS. The only other option is that the two brake circuits are split externally, but I would think that very unlikely indeed.

Edited January 26, 2011 by sparky Paul

[gemguy]

4 port master cylinder is for non-ABS cars - the four brake units connect directly to the two circuits of the master cylinder.

 

If yours has only two pipes coming from it, I would have thought it would have ABS... Where do the two pipes go? If they go to a large lump to the rear of the battery, you must have ABS. The only other option is that the two brake circuits are split externally, but I would think that very unlikely indeed.

 

 

hi the two pipes come out the masdter cylinder and behind the engine in to 2 t pieces then go off to each brake ?? should i put a 2 pipe master on it or adapt the pipes to a 4 pipe master cheers

[sparky Paul]

Right, scratch that last bit... I've been looking on VW ETKA this morning, as well as the more usual non-ABS 4-port master cylinder arrangement with separate brake lines, there is indeed a drawing on there of a non-ABS system with a 2-port master cylinder. The master cylinder feeds two 'brake line distributor' blocks which split the circuit between front and rear corners. They should be mounted on a bracket which is attached to the master cylinder mounting.

 

It's worth noting that the 2-port ABS master cylinders certainly won't fit, the ports are M12.

 

VW list a couple of master cylinders for non-ABS models, looking at the limited info shown they seen to be different bores - 23mm (most common) or 25.4mm. However, they also list M10 sealing plugs for the ports, which makes me wonder if they supply a 4-port master cylinder, and for your arrangement you have to plug two of the ports. This is all a bit of a guess, but do two of the ports line up with your existing pipework, or is the new master cylinder completely different?

[sparky Paul]

Sorry about that, I got distracted and cross posted with you.

 

hi the two pipes come out the masdter cylinder and behind the engine in to 2 t pieces then go off to each brake ?? should i put a 2 pipe master on it or adapt the pipes to a 4 pipe master cheers

 

It sounds like you have the arrangement I described above with the 'brake line distributor' blocks (tee pieces). I would stick with the arrangement you have, first of all I would try to obtain an exact replacement MC with two M10 ports.

 

If they are not available, there's no reason why you cannot plug two unused ports (one front, one back) on the new master cylinder if that's what you have to do, providing of course that the other two ports line up. A 2-port ABS type MC will be no good because the ports are M12.

 

What's the new master cylinder like, compared to the old one? Where are the ports?

Edited January 27, 2011 by sparky Paul

[sparky Paul]

I've found some more info, have a read of this thread...

 

http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php?showtopic=15813

 

 

It seems that the master cylinder fitted to yours is obsolete, and is indeed replaced by the 4-port master cylinder and two blanking plugs.

 

Hope this helps! :)

[sparky Paul]

Main dealer part numbers for the blanking plugs are

 

Ford part no. 1106343 - Plug - Blanking - Threaded

 

VW part no. 443 611 190 - Sealing plug M10X1

Edited January 27, 2011 by sparky Paul

[gemguy]

Main dealer part numbers for the blanking plugs are

 

Ford part no. 1106343 - Plug - Blanking - Threaded

 

VW part no. 443 611 190 - Sealing plug M10X1

 

hi just hope it is the master cylinder i cahanged the rear calpier for mot and since then the peddle has been rubbish when engine not running peddle goes hardish but sinks a little but when engine running peddle sinks bad brakes do work but not that good .also the brakes have never been the best .1 more thing is where the master cylinder bolts on servo just underneath it has taken the paint of the servo and started to rust in a line towards the ground ????? help please as i dont want to start replacing eveything cheers

[sparky Paul]

1 more thing is where the master cylinder bolts on servo just underneath it has taken the paint of the servo and started to rust in a line towards the ground ?????

 

If it's in a clean line straight down, the paint could have been stripped by leakage from the front seal of the master cylinder at some time. You could remove the master cylinder and find the front seal is wet, or equally the master cylinder could have failed in the past and been replaced. Even if you don't change the master cylinder, I might be inclined to unbolt it from the servo just to have a feel to see if the front seal is okay.

 

To be honest, your problem sounds more like air in the system somewhere. Galaxy hydraulics can be a pain to bleed properly, and as the problem has appeared since changing the caliper, I would get some more fluid and make absolutely sure that the brake lines are clear. I had a similar problem when I replaced the pipes at the back, despite seeing clear fluid at each nipple, the pedal felt very soft with servo assistance. I ended up bleeding the brakes several times over a period of a few weeks before I was happy with the pedal, I was also starting to think something else was wrong.

 

Fortunately, you don't have ABS, as air in the ABS modulator can be virtually impossible to push out without diagnostic equipment.

[gemguy]

1 more thing is where the master cylinder bolts on servo just underneath it has taken the paint of the servo and started to rust in a line towards the ground ?????

 

If it's in a clean line straight down, the paint could have been stripped by leakage from the front seal of the master cylinder at some time. You could remove the master cylinder and find the front seal is wet, or equally the master cylinder could have failed in the past and been replaced. Even if you don't change the master cylinder, I might be inclined to unbolt it from the servo just to have a feel to see if the front seal is okay.

 

To be honest, your problem sounds more like air in the system somewhere. Galaxy hydraulics can be a pain to bleed properly, and as the problem has appeared since changing the caliper, I would get some more fluid and make absolutely sure that the brake lines are clear. I had a similar problem when I replaced the pipes at the back, despite seeing clear fluid at each nipple, the pedal felt very soft with servo assistance. I ended up bleeding the brakes several times over a period of a few weeks before I was happy with the pedal, I was also starting to think something else was wrong.

 

Fortunately, you don't have ABS, as air in the ABS modulator can be virtually impossible to push out without diagnostic equipment.

 

hi have tryed everthing to bleed it even pressure bleed have you any idea wat to do next cheers before i replace the master cylinder ?? cheers guy

[sparky Paul]

Have you bled all four brake lines? If the brakes have always been a bit iffy, you don't know if there has been previous work on the hydraulics which could have introduced air. According to Ford TIS, the correct sequence is NSF - OSF - OSR - NSR.

 

Also, make sure you aren't introducing bubbles with the pressure bleeder by working on too high a pressure.

 

One other thing that comes to mind, have you checked all the flexible hoses?

[gemguy]

Have you bled all four brake lines? If the brakes have always been a bit iffy, you don't know if there has been previous work on the hydraulics which could have introduced air. According to Ford TIS, the correct sequence is NSF - OSF - OSR - NSR.

 

Also, make sure you aren't introducing bubbles with the pressure bleeder by working on too high a pressure.

 

One other thing that comes to mind, have you checked all the flexible hoses?

 

could it be to do with the caplier i put on some said you shouldnt connect the hand brake cable first which i did coukld this cause a problem my handbrake is about 4 clicks and seems to be fine ???

[sparky Paul]

could it be to do with the caplier i put on some said you shouldnt connect the hand brake cable first which i did coukld this cause a problem my handbrake is about 4 clicks and seems to be fine ???

 

This will give you a long pedal travel, rather than a 'soft' pedal, but it's not always easy to tell the difference.

 

You should make sure the handbrake is completely released by loosening the cable adjusters, or better still disconnecting the cables, after any work on the back calipers. You should then push the brake pedal down firmly to set the auto adjusters in the calipers, before re-attaching and adjusting the handbrake cables.

 

You can correct it by slackening the handbrake cables off, making sure the levers on the calipers are fully retracted, then pushing the brake pedal firmly to set the caliper auto adjusters.Then re-attach the cables and adjust as necessary.