I prepare my car by adjusting the rear brakes so they just start to drag with 0 pedal. I also run an inline checkball in the vacuum line before the second checkball in the booster itself. This is key to maintaining vacuum assist under boost.
Still PowerMaster or converted?
- Thread starter Jerryl
- Start date
I prepare my car by adjusting the rear brakes so they just start to drag with 0 pedal. I also run an inline checkball in the vacuum line before the second checkball in the booster itself. This is key to maintaining vacuum assist under boost.
MeanBuicks
Scaring the neighbors!
- Joined
- May 24, 2001
I voted Converted to Vacuum Brakes but let me qualify this by saying that my current GN was already converted when I bought it. My other GN had 230,000 miles on the original PowerMaster with no problems other than replacing the accumulator ball a few times. The vacuum setup doesn't work as well as my old PowerMaster with the hard pedal symptoms stated above but perhaps it can be tweaked.
Well I had to go confirm it today. Took it out at lunch, made 2 attempts at it. I calibrated the boost harness before trying it, first attempt logged between 15.0-14.9 for two full frames before I let out in the third frame, it sat there and "burned" for what seemed like an eternity to get those data frames, boost gauge in the car read 16, was getting a bit of knock too. Saved it and logged another, this time I had the throttle clear to the floor and it would not build more than 13 or so according to t-link, boost gauge read 14. But it sat there and held that number for a long time, 5 or 6 seconds. I felt really bad for what I was doing to that poor car. Drove it around town awhile to get the trans and turbo temps back to normal after that one. I don't think it's the brakes being awesome, I think it's the car fighting bottlenecks. For what it's worth, it's a restalled d5 with a te44 on a mystery engine that was built 15 years and 2 owners ago. Was told it's basically stock as far as heads go, has an aftermarket cam that I think is a 194/204 grind. Will it still do that once the front mount goes on and the dump pipe gets opened? Time will tell. 
I'd post screenshots of it but I wasted half my night trying to figure out how to get data off that 1995 windows 98 laptop and onto a newer computer. Short of taking pictures of the computer screen with my digicam and editing them to be readable on here, I can't figure out a way to do it between these 2 computers. No cd burner and the usb/pcmcia adapters and memory sticks I have are all too new to be recognized by win 98. But i'll show anybody that happens to bump into me and ask about it. LOL
Never say never
I'd post screenshots of it but I wasted half my night trying to figure out how to get data off that 1995 windows 98 laptop and onto a newer computer. Short of taking pictures of the computer screen with my digicam and editing them to be readable on here, I can't figure out a way to do it between these 2 computers. No cd burner and the usb/pcmcia adapters and memory sticks I have are all too new to be recognized by win 98. But i'll show anybody that happens to bump into me and ask about it. LOL
Never say never
I have had cars that were converted to vacuum that worked great and I had one blue T-Type that was converted when I bought it and it was not good at all so it seems the install and parts used for the conversion make a sizeable difference. Our local track is pretty short at just over a half mile long total so you have to brake as hard as you accelerate to make the 90 degree turn at the end so brakes are important there! I have a car now that still has the PM and I am going to convert it to something because a PM problem at our brake could be really bad but I am not sure what yet. I have one of the aftermarket vacuum reservoirs that are made for cars with big cams and low vacuum to help with brakes and I was thinking about giving that a shot. I got it for free so I am not out anything for trying it. With the Bailey two step now brakes are not that important for building boost on the line like they used to be.
big reazon
Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2006
Would the b body dual diaphram work better since it is bigger in than the monte ss one by about 2 inches. B-Body Dual Diaphram Brake Booster Upgrade - MonteCarloSS.com Message Board also how about a vacuum canister with a check valve before it
My vacume assisted 4 wheel disc brake setup will hold just about as much boost as you can throw at it. All you have to do is think about stopping and the car starts to slow down. Very little peddle effort needed to stop it, I mean almost non at all.
WH1_T-Type
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2009
Bought it converted to vacuum..first I've heard about hydroboost..I can't even get to 0 pounds of boost before it starts to try and move...
northerngn
Master Monkeywrench
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
Converting to manual using a mopar style master from Strange and a custom adapter mounting bracket from a local speed shop made especially for G-bodies...ill post pics tomorrow
-Dan
-Dan
no options
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2007
Converted to vacuum last year. Could only hold 0 psi. Went through my rear brakes and did the s-10 cylinders and soft long shoes and can hold around 4-6 psi. My powermaster started leaking from the motor, and from all the horror stories I have read from failing PM's, I have not regretted it once.
I would have rather left it stock if the Power-Master wasn't problematic & so expensive to repair.
Supposedly the Power-Master is hard to beat when it functions correctly.
~JM~
turbo nasty
Turbo Dojo / MNTR
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2001
Several years back I rebuilt the internals on my PM also....new motor, switch and Accum over 700 bucks in it!!!
2.5 years later the switch went bad and it was 165 bucks back then.
I went vacum cause i was sick of poring money into it. I figured it up and since it was new in 87 I have put well over 1200 bucks in the PM thats not including teh accum that went out under warranty..and I dont mean the orignal one imean the recalled one...... 2 or 3 accum, 2or 3 maybe more switches....nuff said.....im vacum now.
2.5 years later the switch went bad and it was 165 bucks back then.
I went vacum cause i was sick of poring money into it. I figured it up and since it was new in 87 I have put well over 1200 bucks in the PM thats not including teh accum that went out under warranty..and I dont mean the orignal one imean the recalled one...... 2 or 3 accum, 2or 3 maybe more switches....nuff said.....im vacum now.
I converted to vacuum on the 86 GN
and to manual on the 87.
I had a brand new (not rebuilt) complete NOS powermaster that I bought for $100 and sold for $750. They have no place on any car I am driving, holding boost is not my concern as much as stopping on the public roadways.
and to manual on the 87.
I had a brand new (not rebuilt) complete NOS powermaster that I bought for $100 and sold for $750. They have no place on any car I am driving, holding boost is not my concern as much as stopping on the public roadways.
turbonut85
Rarely used member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2008
First converted my 85 from PM to HB since the PM was still a P.O.S. AFTER I dumped $350+ into it. Liked the HB so much, that a month after I bought my 87 T, I converted the fully functioning PM to HB and never looked back. HB had better pedal feel than the good PM for sure....JUST MY OPINION THOUGH.......
Liked the HB so much, that a month after I bought my 87 T, I converted the fully functioning PM to HB and never looked back. HB had better pedal feel than the good PM for sure....JUST MY OPINION THOUGH.......northerngn
Master Monkeywrench
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
DONE!
Now I have a good pedal feel and THE SAME pedal feel everytime!!!
Engine running, engine not running, coasting, being towed, rolling off the trailer, plus now there is no vacuum to run out of or pressure ball to replace or motor to go bad....
Well OK, but you didn't loose your brakes right when the fuse blew. On the powermaster you still get several good brake applies even if the system dies. The fuse blew sometime before went into the carport.
standupjskiguy
Member
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
Two Turbo Buicks still with power masters
The wife's 85, with 140K still has the power master. Had to replace a couple accumulators and one pressure switch.
My 87 with only 12.3k, due to age I had to replace one accumulator but the switch stuck on one time and burned the motor.
I could smell something burning from inside the car. When I went to pull over, I discovered the hard pedal and little brakes.
I installed a lightly used pump and a new switch. I replaced the 20 amp fuse with a 10 amp to keep from burning the motor to a crisp again. It's been fine since.
The wife's 85, with 140K still has the power master. Had to replace a couple accumulators and one pressure switch.
My 87 with only 12.3k, due to age I had to replace one accumulator but the switch stuck on one time and burned the motor.
I could smell something burning from inside the car. When I went to pull over, I discovered the hard pedal and little brakes.
I installed a lightly used pump and a new switch. I replaced the 20 amp fuse with a 10 amp to keep from burning the motor to a crisp again. It's been fine since.
