Powermaster to Hydroboost conversion

[turbonut85]

Most of us agree the Powermaster brake system is unreliable and expensive to repair. So for those who want to do the Hydroboost swap, here goes.....

You have two choices:
1. pick up a used system off another turbo car. 83-84 TR's sometimes 85 too.
2. go to the local parts store (NAPA, Oreilly's, Autozone etc..)

---if using option 2, have the parts guy look up the parts under 1984 Buick Regal 3.8L turbo, VIN 9...and SHOP AROUND!!! prices will differ greatly between stores!!

Parts needed:




you will need:
-booster



-master cylinder



pressure line (pump to HB)



pressure line (HB to steering gear)



3/8 return hose



-you can get these from the local parts stores (NAPA, Autozone, Oreilly's etc.)


Master Cylinder
Cardone 10-1984


Hydrobooster
Cardone 52-7211


Hose (pressure: pump to hydroboost)
Duralast 91660


Hose (pressure: hydroboost to gear)
Duralast 71187


Hose (return: 3/8" bulk transmission hose)
Gates
4'

T fitting
(standard 3/8" vacuum T)


Hose clamps
3/8" hose clamps
6

Brake fluid (DOT 3-4)
1 quart

 

[GNTIM]

Good info. I am in the middle of this conversion myself and I got my stuff from Rockauto. Only correction to your post would be to get a brass 3/8 tee instead of a vacuum tee, which is usually plastic.

 

[turbonut85]

-Pump down the acc ball on the PM. (10 pumps with 50lbs of foot pressure, ignition off)

-Use a turkey baster (NOT one you want to use in the kitchen EVER again!!) and suck out as much of the old brake fluid as you can from the reservior.

-unplug all the wiring harnesses from the PM (I believe there are two)

-Disconnect the brake lines form the PM. Be sure NOT to slop or drip ANY brake fluid on any painted surface of the car....BRAKE FLUID IS A GREAT PAINT STRIPPER!!!!!
-inside the car, remove the locking pin from the PM booster rod, its easier to get the rod off the pedal after you take the bolts loose. Then remove (4) 15mm nuts from the brake pedal as seen in the pic. (the ones with the green insert) These are lock nuts so they will be stiff until you get them all the way off.


-Remove the actuator rod from the pedal and the PM should be free.
-Install the HB booster in the same fashion the PM came off. You can try to find a new firewall gasket or just use some 3M strip caulk to reseal the booster to firewall area. The same 4 nuts will work in the HB. Keep in mind, the studs on the HB actually hold the brake pedal on as well.
-hook up the actuator rod as your helper (needed) holds the booster in the engine compartment.

more to come.....

 

[turbonut85]

Good info. I am in the middle of this conversion myself and I got my stuff from Rockauto. Only correction to your post would be to get a brass 3/8 tee instead of a vacuum tee, which is usually plastic.

Plastic vac T has been fine on mine for the last year...no problems, but each to his/her own.

 

[charlief1]

LOL Looks like you're following my example Keith. Way to go bud.

 

[turbonut85]

Next bolt up the Master cylinder to the booster. You can use the two nuts that are on the PM where it bolts to the firewall adapter plate seen here:




Once bolted up, Do not connect the brake lines yet...time to "bench bleed the Master cylinder. I prefer to do it on the car. You will need two port adapters, some 3/16 clear plastic tube, and a pair of small zip-ties. (string would work as well...) Here is a pic of the port adapters and plastic tube:



The adapters are available at most parts stores, and the tube can be found at your local Lowes/Home Depot/etc..

Screw the adapters into the ports and connect the hoses, routing them into their respective reservior. I used the ty-wraps to secure the hoses to the D-rings that hold the reservior cap in place. Tie the two rings together, and then attach the hoses. (I tie the rings together, so they will stay on top and the hoses don't flop out of the reservior.) Make sure the ends of the hoses are down in the bottom of the reserviors. Next, fill the reserviors about 3/4 full with DOT 3-4 brake fluid from a NEW SEALED container. This is a spare master cylinder I had laying around...hopefully yours is new and clean...but you get the idea.




With the hoses in place, you can sit in the car and bleed the master cylinder. SLOWLY depress the brake pedal and watch under the edge of the hood...you will see the air bubbles being pumped through the hoses, and into the reservior. Repeat this until there are NO air bubbles passing to, or from, the ports to the reservior. Check the reservior level part way through...don't let it run dry, or you will suck air back into the master cylinder and you will have to start over! There MUST be a SOLID flow of fluid through the hoses. When you think you are done...pump it 10 more times, just to be sure. When you get to the point where you have pumped AT LEAST 10 times with NO air present....you are probably good.

Now its time to connect the brake lines. Then you will need to bleed the lines at each wheel. I prefer the pump and hold procedure, myself. There shouldn't be all that much air in the lines, so long as they were bled correctly before. This would also be the perfect time to flush out all that 20 yr old brake fluid from the system...you will need more than 1 qt of fluid if you choose to do this. It's as easy as bleeding the wheels until you get nice clean fluid at each wheel.

Proper bleeding now, will save a TON of troubleshooting headaches later...

I called Oreilly's today 1/9/10 and they quoted me $139.99 +$20.00 core charge for the Hydrobooster. = $159.99
Autozone has it for $196.99 + $35.00 core charge = $231.99
Oreilly's only lists a NEW master cylinder at $91.99
Autozone has both new and reman. (I have a reman on my car with absolutely NO issues)
New: $91.99
Reman: $12.99 + $18.00 core charge = $30.99
Pressure hoses $32.99, and $20.99 respectively...again, at Autozone.

THIS is why I say to shop around! Do some research, it pays to do so.
The only difference in these prices, and the price when I did mine, is the M/C. Amounting to $11.00.

So get the booster from Oreilly's, and the master cylinder, and two pressure hoses from autozone and you have the system for right at $250 and some change....once you get the fluid and return hose/clamps.

 

[turbonut85]

Now it's time to connect the pressure hoses. First, you need to remove the existing pressure hose that runs from the p/s pump to the steering gearbox. then, install the pressure hose (Duralast #91160) into the passenger side port of the HB, and route it to the p/s pump.





Then run the other pressure hose (Duralast #71187) from the driver side port on the HB to the empty port on the steering gearbox.






Finally the return hose. Route the return hose from the return port on the HB down toward the steering gearbox. Where you choose to tap into the existing return hose is ultimately up to you. My car is a Hot Air car, so the pics I have of the return hose tap may be slightly different than those on an I/C car. I cut the return hose down by the gearbox and installed the "T" there. Clamp on the return hose from the HB and you are good to go.
]

Top off the p/s reservior, and disconnect the orange wire to your ECM so the car will crank, but NOT start. DO NOT START THE CAR!! Crank the engine for several seconds, and then check the p/s fluid level. Top off as needed. Connect the ECM wire and start the engine. Turn the steering wheel from stop to stop twice and stop the engine. Discharge the internal accumulator by depressing the brake pedal 4-5 times. Check the p/s fluid level, and top off as needed. Repeat this two more times. If the p/s fluid becomes foamy, let it sit for an hour and wait for the bubbles to dissapate, then check the fluid level, and add as needed. The Hydroboost system is generally a self-bleeding system, and the above procedure will remove most of the air form the system. Normal driving will remove further trapped air.

When you are done bleeding, test the pedal feel. Depress the pedal and hold as you start the car. When the car starts, you should feel the booster push the pedal up towards your foot. When you are ready, CAREFULLY test drive the car.....if the brakes don't "Throw you through the windshield" then something isn't right. Troubleshoot ALL issues BEFORE you drive on the street!!!!


Good luck and post up your experiences/tricks/issues and questions!!!

---Keith

 

[jdpolzin]

Good write up Keith! I'll get a couple pictures of the TEE on an 86-87 car.

 

[turbonut85]

Good write up Keith! I'll get a couple pictures of the TEE on an 86-87 car.

Sweet!!! :biggrin:

 

[chadly]

Keith excellent write up! I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. This is something that I MUST do this spring. My brakes suck at best as they have from day one. I will need to reread this in the a.m. as the words are getting blurry now. I’m celebrating two more deer in the freezer. It was beyond cold this morning. Going out for Mexican now with the wife and kids. She’s driving.

 

[turbojay]

Great write up. This is #1 on my list come this spring.

 

[Boost231]

do you guys know if we can use one of the wilwood master cylinders instead of the cardone? if so which one? here is a link?

MasterCylinder

 

[turbonut85]

do you guys know if we can use one of the wilwood master cylinders instead of the cardone? if so which one? here is a link?

MasterCylinder

I don't see why it wouldn't work, so long as the bore diameter, stroke depth (piston travel), and mounting holes were the same. I'm not sure on the specs for the stocker...maybe someone else knows?? ---Keith

 

[geenex]

thanks for the great info. will the same hoses work on an 86 gn with a power steering pump with seperate resevoir?

 

[turbonut85]

thanks for the great info. will the same hoses work on an 86 gn with a power steering pump with seperate resevoir?

Yes. The pressure hoses will work for both the I/C cars and the H/A cars. ---Keith

 

[Evaddave 87gn]

nice info

Great info here!

 

[TurboTnZ06]

I can't seem to get my pedal attached to the loop on the rod (hole seems too small) nor does my pressure line (pump to HB) seem to be oriented correctly but it looks exactly like the one in your picture as far as the bends and angles and lengths are. Is it easy or does it require some encouragement?

 

[GNtype1]

Sorry to be such a noob (which I am) but what is the purpose of this? Again sorry lol

 

[jdpolzin]

I can't seem to get my pedal attached to the loop on the rod (hole seems too small) nor does my pressure line (pump to HB) seem to be oriented correctly but it looks exactly like the one in your picture as far as the bends and angles and lengths are. Is it easy or does it require some encouragement?

The PowerMaster pedal is the same. It does take some effort to get the pedal back on. Sometimes it's a little easier if you take the black bracket loose from the firewall to get a little more angle of the dangle!

The pressure hose HB to Pump is a little tricky as well. You will need to twist it upward a hair. It's sometimes easier to take the the AC compressor loose to get the fitting orientated to the correct angle. Once you get it in, you'll see that the line tucks just perfectly under the AC compressor.

 

[TurboTnZ06]

The PowerMaster pedal is the same. It does take some effort to get the pedal back on. Sometimes it's a little easier if you take the black bracket loose from the firewall to get a little more angle of the dangle!

The pressure hose HB to Pump is a little tricky as well. You will need to twist it upward a hair. It's sometimes easier to take the the AC compressor loose to get the fitting orientated to the correct angle. Once you get it in, you'll see that the line tucks just perfectly under the AC compressor.

It fit once I disconnected the line from the hydro unit, and then tucked the line to the pump behind the return line. To be able to tighten the nut I had to remove the tensioner, but left the alt and A/C bolted up. Then I twisted the line to bolt down the to the pass side as you pictured. The T and the other line to the gear was easy. Now all that's left is to jimmy the pedal to fit and move the brake lines to fit into the master. Thanks for the info.