VP Brake Booster Info..

[allthis4what]

Hi! I have a VP BT1 and after searching your forums i discovered the air i hear under my dash is infact the brake booster. So off i went to the brake place who confirmed it is the booster. They asked me if it was metal or plastic and it is in fact metal unsure why that matters and being a bt1 it may be a double diaphragm booster, i dont know what that means but the more i try to read posts and google it the more confused i get lol.. So is a double diaphragm only v8's as i cannot find a clear answer? and logic tells me not to replace with a second hand one as it would break soon anyway .. can i buy a reconditioned from a wreckers? Bottom line is i'm not going back to anyone to put one in until i know what i can do and what i need as being female i seem to get taken for a ride easily and ive learnt that knowledge is the only way to avoid it! For that matter is it a job i can do myself or with help from a mate? Any help would be much appreciated at this point!! As i'm utterely confused and so sick of being ripped off by mechanics! lHe also quoted me $330-350 for reconditioning plus labour to pull out and more labour to put back in, does anyone know if this is reasonable, on a plus my brakes work fine!

 

[Pub247]

A V8 brake booster is a dual diaphragm with metal casing it is larger than v6 version and is paired with a 1 inch master cylinder compared to the 15/16 that v6's have.

2nd hand they can go anywhere between $50-$150 depending where you buy. I think $100-150 with brake booster and master cylinder is a decent price 2nd hand.

A wrecker will most likely sell you a 2nd hand one and tell you its a reco and charge more than its worth.

It's not a hard job to change one but it most likely require you to bleed your brakes which needs 2 people. You may be able to remove it without having to remove brake lines though i have never tried.

$350 is not a bad price to recondition remove and refit if it includes and brake fluid flush and bleeding which a decent brake shop should do if they are undertaking such a job

 

[allthis4what]

hi! Thanks for you reply!! So mine is metal does that mean it can still be a single diaphragm? May sound silly but can i go out and measure it to make sure i am looking for the right one? Well i think i can put a second hand one out of the equation by the sounds of it.. nearly everything in my car has been replaced in the last year why stop now hahaha... sad thing is the brake pads were replaced and system was bled last week... dammit! The quote for $350 is solely reconditioning the booster, he said it will cost me extra to get it out and put it back in!! Also does this mean the master cylinder will be on its way out also??

 

[Morton]

$350 for reco is perfectly reasonable and standard for the industry. Larger ones can cost up to $400. Installation is always going to be more on top of that.

Your BT1 will just have V8 gear in it, so there's going to be no difference between your booster and any other V8 booster. I can't remember if they're double-diaphragm, but I know they are longer.

There should be no reason to remove the brake master cylinder from the brake lines unless you have ABS. I've removed more than a dozen boosters in the past, and all it requires is that you "persuade" the master cylinder forward a little.

That said, removing the booster is a little bit labour intensive than you would think. You have to get under the dash, clear out a bit of junk, and unbolt the back of the booster from the pedal box. Then you have to wriggle in and pop off the circlip holding the brake pedal onto the plunger, and slide the drive pin out. Mechanics hate doing this, because it's fiddly, and I've seen some people struggle for half an hour. Then unbolt the master cylinder (2 bolts), slide it forward, pull the vac hose off the booster and remove it from the car. Should take about 10 minutes for anyone worth their salt, I pulled one out recently at a wrecker and it took me about 5.

Installation should take another 10-15 minutes.

 

[allthis4what]

Wow! Sounds like i should just get a few quotes and leave it to them! I really dislike getting under the dash, into the dash or anywhere near the dash or letting mates into that stuff either i always end up with screws missing or things broken etc does more harm than good lol... Thank you for that info much appreciated! I'll be leaving this one to the professionals to deal with and knowing a decent price makes a huge difference as i had absolutely no idea what was reasonable! Thankyou!

 

[allthis4what]

Based on that i will also go to a mechanic more specialised in brakes i think!