Brake booster question and suggestions

[Diesel Dan]

Hello friends

I am helping out my neighbor diagnos a problem w/ my old 89 CTD. He is frequented by a very hard brake pedal and no stoping power. We feel it is the booster. We went to Mopar4less and they want to know if it is a 2 port or 3 port??????????? They are qouting apx $436 for the booster and we want to get the right one. Truck is a 2500 LE 4X4 w 35 inch BFG's



Commments or suggestions anyone??????



TIA



Diesel Dan

 

[paccool]

Dan

Try NAPA. I got a booster with a rebuilt Master cylinder a few years back for something like $200. I think it was actually less than that. I wouldn't recommend a rebuilt cylinder though, that one failed in about 6 months and I got a new one and installed and it has been fine ever since.



Don't know what the 2 or 3 port thing is though. They didn't ask that question on mine.



Make sure the vacumn pump is working good.



The test for a leaky booster for the 93 is to let the vacumn build then turn the truck off. There should be enough vacumn assist in the booster to allow the brakes to be applied 3 times before the assist is used up.

 

[ARhine]

my dads suffered form the same problem until we upgraded the vacuum pump.



The 1st couple of years they used little vacuum pod style pumps similar to what ford and chevy used in the 80s. There are two of them on an assembly in front of the power steering pump.



His had one blown so we unhooked it and ran one. Then it died so we got the new style pump like a 91+ style truck whould have. Bit of expense involved.

 

["Mad Max"]

I'll second all of the above. My 93's brakes were never great, but the ones on my 74 crewcab dually were awesome. The difference was the dually had brand new booster and m-cylinder, and I know the 413 made good vacuum. I'd second checking the vacuum being produced and go from there. Since the engine itself does not make/supply any vacuum to the truck I'd check the pump and trace it out from there. Might just be a bad (or going bad) pump.



There was a thread a while ago about a supplemental vacuum source, electric I think. I remember wanting to go that route to augment the vacum pump capacity. Anyone??



- M