Getting pushrod out of master cylinder

[ncfromwv]

Anyone have pointers for how to get the master cylinder off of my all drum ‘74? The pushrod wants to come out with it. Thanks

 

[B RON CO]

Hi, there is a small snap ring on the MC end of the push rod.
If it is really stuck you will have to remove the pushrod end from the brake pedal, and then it will come out, then you can get a plier or vice grip on it out on the workbench.
Sometime it is a pain before they let go, other times they just fall out.
Good luck

 

[jrwyant]

There's a spring clip on the end of the pushrod, within the master cylinder, that you would need to fight.

Here's a picture from Bronco Graveyard's website showing the clip:

I tried to remove a pushrod from my old master cylinder, and finally was successful (after rigging up a combination of vices and gear-pullers and so on.) But, I ended up gouging the hell out of my master cylinder and the pushrod.

 

[Rustytruck]

Out of the 6 or so i have tried i have never gotten one apart without destroying something else

 

[DirtDonk]

Correct. In the old days the new, or rebuilt master cylinders all came with a new shaft already installed. The correct method of removing the master was to simply disconnect the shaft at the pedal and pull the whole thing out.
Once you remove the rod from the master, it rarely will snap back in fully and may pop out when you least want it to.

I think new ones have now come with the shaft separate (for more consistent boxing and less shelf space) but the fact remains I believe that it's a one-time deal if you ever have to remove the shaft.

Of course our results may vary... But not as often as we'd like!

Paul

 

[rustbucket]

Correct. In the old days the new, or rebuilt master cylinders all came with a new shaft already installed. The correct method of removing the master was to simply disconnect the shaft at the pedal and pull the whole thing out.
Once you remove the rod from the master, it rarely will snap back in fully and may pop out when you least want it to.

I think new ones have now come with the shaft separate (for more consistent boxing and less shelf space) but the fact remains I believe that it's a one-time deal if you ever have to remove the shaft.

Of course our results may vary... But not as often as we'd like!

Paul

I just picked up a new one, and it has two rod options. Any suggestions on how to get it in? I’m pushing and twisting and cussing!


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[Rustytruck]

Put a little oil on it then sharply smack the push rod with a hammer you want to shock it in not push the piston all the way down and drive it in.

 

[rustbucket]

Put a little oil on it then sharply smack the push rod with a hammer you want to shock it in not push the piston all the way down and drive it in.

Well, mangled the $&$@ outta that! That damn clip just doesn’t want to compress enough! Can those clips be found?


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[cs_88]

Can those clips be found?

I was never able to find one when I needed one.
I had to “fix” and reuse the old mangled one.

 

[Jfryjfry]

Do you even need the clip? What would happen if you assembled it without?

 

[DirtDonk]

If your pedal did not have a limiter, you could literally pull the pedal back accidentally and the rod could fall out of the master. Leaving you with ZERO braking.

All depends on the vehicle of course, but it's easy to test that theory once it's installed. If you can pull back on the pedal far enough that the rod falls out, you need a Plan-B.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

This is also why most, if not all, manual master cylinders have very deep recesses in their pistons, vs the very shallow type typically found on boosted brakes.
The reason that many aftermarket setups come with a deep piston for use as a manual master, but with an insert to adapt it to shallow use with a booster.

My original master's clip failed at one point and my pedal could move rearward more. but it was not able to move far enough to dislodge the rod from the master.
So maybe yours will work the same.

Paul

 

[rustbucket]

Got it all put back together and on the Bronco. It seems the ends of the clips were too long. When they compressed in, the ends would touch, and prevent further compression, so basically I had to fold 1/8”-3/16” over on itself to allow it to compress enough. There should be a better way!


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