How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

This writeup, along with others is permanently hosted on my website:
http://www.lukekailburn.com/boostermc.html


How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster


Swapping the Brake master cylinder:


Open the resevoir cap and remove the fluid from the resevoir. a syringe works if you have one.
Remove the two brake hardlines that run from the master cylinder to the prop valve. you can simply remove the mc side
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0520.jpg
since i was upgrading to a new Master cylinder that requires new lines i fully removed the stock mc to prop valve lines.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0521.jpg
Disconnect the resevoir cap wires
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0523.jpg
remove the two 12mm nuts securing the MC to the booster and remove
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0526.jpg
comparing some master cylinders.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0529.jpg
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0530.jpg
at this point if you are ONLY replacing or upgrading the master cylinder, skip down past the booster swap steps. If you are also replacing or upgrading your booster, continue below.


Swapping the Brake booster:


Now we climb under the car and locate the 4 12mm nuts and the pin and cotter clip. remove all
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0532.jpg
here's a view of the pin and the cotter clip
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0535.jpg




All the hardware removed
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0536.jpg
remove the brake booster vacuum line from the front of the booster
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0528.jpg
Now remove the booster from the engine bay. you may find you have to unbolt the bracket that holds the throttle cable and clutch slave line. You can see it unbolted and moved aside.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0537.jpg
comparing some brake boosters.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0538.jpg
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0541.jpg
make sure you install the gasket on the back of the brake booster where it mounts to the firewall.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0548.jpg
Now if you are installing a much larger booster, like i am with the teg abs booster. you may find some difficulties squeezing it in. i actually had to take an angle grinder and cut a small tab off my y8 IM.
the IM before
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0542.jpg
the IM after
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0543.jpg






You might also find it benicial to unbolt the bracket that holds the clutch slave softline the firewall. this gives you more play on the hardine.
Finally, got the new huge booster fitted into the firewall.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0544.jpg
Now go back inside the car under the dash and reinstall the 12mm nuts(torque to spec) and the pin and cotter pin. Here's a picture lining up the booster arm with the brake pedal.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0546.jpg
Now reconnect the brake booster vacuum line. You can also reconnect the clutch slave cylinder line brackets if you unbolted them earlier.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0547.jpg

If you have to make new lines like i did read here. if not skip over the making new lines part

Making new MC-prop hard brake lines

Here's what you need. you need youre stock MC to prop valve lines. a brake line bender tool and some new brake hard lines. The brake hardlines come preflared with the fittings already on the line. All you have to do is measure the lengths of your old ones and get the closest line longer than that. Don't want to get one too short. Now on this particular MC (1" 94-97 integra abs) has two different sized ports. so i had to get a line that had both smaller sized port, cut off one end, put the new bigger fitting on and then reflare the end.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0553.jpg
temporarily mount the master cylinder to the booster so you can mock up your new lines.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0552.jpg
Now start bending your lines. i started with the easier shorter line. I removed the vac booster line for clarity.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0555.jpg
Both new lines made
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0557.jpg



Installing the master cylinder.

It is important to bench bleed the cylinder first. Install bleed lines (u can make your own) that feed right back into the resevoir. fill the resevoir with new dot3 brake fluid then manually press in the master cylinder piston, you'll watch air and some fluid push through the lines and into the resevoir. It is important to have the lines in the fluid so that as you release the piston back out it draws in brake fluid and not air. It takes roughly 10 pumps to bench bleed the MC. do it slowly and carefully and until you see no more bubble in the lines or resevoir.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0562.jpg
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0563.jpg
When installing the MC back onto the booster, make sure you have the seal shown here
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0551.jpg
now install the MC to the booster(torque to spec) with the bleed lines STILL attached. this way you can disconnect them one at a time and quickyl install your brake hard lines, minimizing fluid loss. Torque the lines to 6.5ftlbs
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0558.jpg
Now reconnect the wires on the resevoir cap, top off the fluid,rest the cap ontop and your ready to bleed the brakes.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/media/ch...c/100_0557.jpg

Both Haynes and Helms state the brake bleeding order for 96-00 civic as:
1. Right Rear
1. Left Front
1. Left Rear
1. Right Front


congrats you have successfully replaced your brake master cylinder and booster. You can now enjoy pushing more fluid to those big brakes :-)


-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

we build turbo kits from scratch and now your a hero because you can swap a booster? Maybe you could do a write on on changing spark plugs to ::)

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

if you added some more info as to common boosters size and such for different cars then i could see a write up or maybe go on to a big brake conversion with part cross references but like it sits it wasnt that hard.

put something in this to make it stand out

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

The ex that I was looking at this weekend in the wrecking yard had a 15/16 master cyl. Why in the hell would you go through all that work of swaping the booster for 1/16? :1

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

All I can say is that the work is nicely documented with photos. When Im working I hate to stop, take off my dirty gloves, and start taking pics.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

haha wow what are you talking about? i'm just trying to add some info to the site. thats why its posted in GENERAL DISCUSSION. and yes, i've built my own turbo kit from scratch. do you want a writeup on that too? :6

I have a DX. dx comes with a 13/16".
an ex has a 7/8" stock


If you want i'll add a list of known MC sizes to the list

-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

You forgot to mention how much of a pain the the ass that cotter pin is to get back into the hole. Now add to it a write up on rear disc swap and upgrade the front rotors/calipers and this could easily become a sticky. As it is, its just common info well documented. Do the other brake upgrades all in one thread and youll probably get a stickied thread out of it.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

Great write-up, thanks Luke.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

nice write up

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

built and tuned my own setup i might add. daily drive it for over 2 years now

-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

I recommend you folks check out his website, some very nice write ups there.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

Then it must have been a stock replacement like this one. http://www.raybestos.com/wps/portal/...aster+Cylinder

But anyways it was a very detailed write up.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

i run a 10.3" front with ITR calipers. i don't really have a write-up on that; i could make it into a writeup. but i have a lot of pictures and comparative info here:

http://www.lukekailburn.com/brakes.html

and i'm working on a writeup for the rear disk brake swap.

As of now i've swapped from 9.5" DX caliper fronts/rear drums/ 13/16" mc and booster
to
10.3" ITR caliper fronts/ 9.5" GSR rear disks/ 1" gsr mc and booster

and let me tell you the increased stopping power is phenominal. i'm very happy with the setup. once the rotors and pads in the rear mate i'm expecting an even firmer stop. Very pleased tho.


Thank you for all those who had nice things to say. Just because we know how to do these swaps doesn't mean everyone else does. I take the time to take clear pictures and write detailed writups to BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY of honda gear heads. If i help out a few people then i'm happy. If you dont' need the info in my writeups just simply ignore them.

-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

If you already have the ITR calipers, you could upgrade to NSX calipers.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

the problem with NSX calipers is the heat fins on them take up so much room you have to get big rims. the biggest summer rim i want to run is a 15x7. i'd hate to go bigger than a 15 and i'm not sure all 15's would clear front nsx calipers.

as is i run 14" del sol rims in the summer and 14" steelies with snows in the winter. i had to shave the wheel weights to clear the ITR calipers up front :-P

-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

lol I'm sure people here can change a master cylinder.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

Grind the heat fins off :P

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

you know i wouldn't be so sure about that. i posted writeup's for making a det can and installing a wideband.. people oo'ed and ah'ed and made them stickies. what's to say upgrading a booster and MC is any less difficult. :1

Like i said, if you don't need the writeup GREAT. neither do i, thats why i was able to do the damn projects. But i take the time to make the writeups because i can garuntee that atleast 25% of the forum users will find something usefull from the pictures or comments.

Sorry for trying to make the ricer community smarter :S hahaha

-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

Does this look like a ------- ricer community? Die.

Decent writeup btw, all jokes aside.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

you all are a bunch of friggen ricers you know it :P

but seriously, go look at my site, i'm running an hmt setup too nogs. i do all my own work, tuned it myself. next project is rebuilding a good y8 tranny out of two, building the bottom end with some custom rods, and then building a new manifold and dp for the new turbo setup. sounds yummy

-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

you forgot cursing god and kicking the cat. I hate doing those and get to do one this weekend hooooray

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

Now is it worth upgrading from a 15/16" mc and booster to a 1" mc and booster?

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

very much so and the price is right. Im amazed alot of guys on here havent done more brake upgrades

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

pretty detailed write up. i swapped my clutch master cylinder one time and didn't put the cotter pin back in because it was a bitch, stupid pin fell out while driving down the street lol.
what would be the benefit of swapping for a larger one? (serious question)

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

re-read the writeup, i'm swapping from a 13/16" to a 1". thats a HUUUUUUGE difference in MC piston size.


jeffsciv23 - the benefit of swapping to a larger master cylinder is the fluid. a larger MC has a larger piston which pushes more fluid. more fluid is required to be pushed to support larger calipers which themselves have a larger piston and require more fluid to operate.


swapping to a 1" shows a HUUUUGE difference in braking power. i'm now able to fully utilize my 10.3" with ITR caliper fronts and the new 9.4" gsr rears. The ITR fronts has some massive pads. setup feels great.

-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

yeah i figured that for the brake MC but what about the clutch MC?

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

Actually the 92-95 EX came with BOTH the 7/8 AND the 15/16. The ABS models have the 15/16.

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

yeah there are a lot of exceptions. i haven't made an all inclusive list so, most likely you are going to come across a 7/8" from an ex. not many had abs

-Luke

Re: How to Swap your Brake Master Cylinder and brake booster
 

Luke is my hero!