Master cylinder woes fixed!!

HarveyP · 01-18-2009, 03:24 PM

We are in Washington, DC and tried to get out of town before the inauguration really got things messed up. As we pulled out of our kids yard, our brakes were really soft. After consulting our diesel mechanic in Kansas, I decided it was our master cylinder with seals gone bad. Our chassis is an Oshkosh, now owned by Freightliner. Two days to get a part shipped to a dealer in Baltimore, great guys at the parts window. I thought the weather would not allow much work, but today was in the mid 30's instead of the teens predicted. Four bolts, two brake lines, and one electrical plug later, I had the new one installed. My wife helped me bleed brake lines, and I think we are good to go. I think the lesson here is to flush your brake lines sooner than you anticipate. The fluid I drained out of the old master cylinder was rusty and thick instead of clear and clean. I had never flushed, maybe the previous owners had not either. The cost to me was under $250, but I did all the work and running around myself. Let me know if you have paid for the same, so I can tell my wife how much we saved today. Maybe it goes into the fun fund. I don't know too much, but I'll be glad to share what I learned today. HarveyP

LVJ58 · 01-18-2009, 06:53 PM

Glad to hear you got it fixed and are up and running.

Have a fun and safe journey,

Jim

J Walker · 01-19-2009, 03:12 PM

Great post. You should have a big sense of accomplishment. It is tough to take on a DIY job and come out rather quickly, efficiently, and relatively cheaply with a fix. I had a master cylinder replaced on an 88 P30 chassis and it cost around $1000 including some work on the wheel cylinders. Fortunately I now have a DP with air brakes.

K & G · 02-06-2009, 01:28 PM

I paid $470 to have my Master Cyclinder replaced by someone else. The cyclinder itself was $250 (included above), same as you and the balance was labour and brake fluid