Oringally posted by themetalmaster (http://www.ecoboostownerforums.com/member/1515-themetalmaster)This FAQ / DIY is being updated sporadically, some things may change. I may add pictures later, but honestly if you need pictures to do this, you shouldn't be doing it.
Outcome:On my stock 2011 Ford Taurus SHO the brakes started to engage after depressing the brake pedal about halfway. Being such a heavy (and expensive!) car, this can be quite nerve wracking.
After the retrofit, brakes engage with less than half an inch of pedal travel. The pedal is still somewhat soft, but that is just a characteristic of the car. The pedal feel is exactly what it feels like on the 2013 MY SHO. This is a great supporting mod for a big brake kit, but makes a huge difference with just the stock brakes.
A few things to note:
- The brake line farthest away from the master cylinder needs to be bent slightly in order to fit into the updated master cylinder. The fittings screw into the new master cylinder just fine.
- The white plastic elbow connector that provides vacuum to the brake booster needs to be reused.
- There is also an electrical connector on the new model master cylinder that is used for the park assist on the 2013 cars, but is not used for this installation.
- The use of Ford High Performance DOT 4 LV is not required because the 2011 Taurus is not equipped with the torque-vectoring system introduced on the 2013 Taurus. The LV (for low-viscosity) fluid is used on many high performance cars that implement torque-vectoring through the ABS / Traction Control system. Any good quality (DOT 3, 4, 5.1 non-silicone) brake fluid will be adequate for this retrofit. I used Valvoline DOT3/4 because of price/performance and availability.
Obligatory:Its not my fault if you screw up your car. Follow these instructions at your own risk. This is the same exact procedure I used, and it worked out fantastic. Your results may vary.
The tools you need are:
- An assortment of metric sockets (including deep sockets)
- Metric crescent wrenches (ratcheting GearWrenches are your friend)
- Metric flare-nut wrenches (also referred to as line wrenches)
- A good work light
- Vinyl tubing (with OD about the same size as the brake line fittings on the master cylinder)
- Lots of old towels and rags
- Screwdrivers of various lengths
- Vise-grips (locking pliers)
- A plastic bucket
- Tube bender
- A buddy to help you bleed the brakes.
- A knife
Parts:
- BRMC167 (Master Cylinder)
- BRB65 (Brake Booster)
Both of these are about $230 shipped from RockAuto.
Consumables you will need:
- At least 32oz good quality brake fluid (I like Valvoline DOT3/4, blue bottle sold at autoparts stores)
- Some form of vinyl cap to cover the brake lines, I used an assortment of vacuum line caps I had lying around
- Electrical tape
The procedure:
- Start with a cool car that has been sitting for several hours. The intake manifold is metal, and gets really hot and you will have to lean over it.
- Move the drivers seat as far back as possible and tilt the seat back as far as it will go.
- Open the hood and place towels on the drivers side fender and front bumper. This is to keep from scratching your paint and getting brake fluid on it. Brake fluid eats paint. Multiple layers of towels are better.
- Disconnect the battery cables, negative first.
- Unbolt the battery and remove from car. Do not set the battery directly on concrete, preferably place it on a towel. (This is to prevent the battery from discharging).
- Wipe off your hands and grab your work light, a flathead screwdriver, some needle-nose pliers, and your small socket wrench. Position yourself in the drivers seat so your head is in the footwell looking up, and your feet are by the headrest (I would recommend taking off your shoes for this).
- After you are comfortable (hah) use your screwdriver and needle nose pliers to remove the pin that connects the brake booster push rod to the brake pedal. Basically you want to grab the clips that hold the pin in with your pliers, and use the screwdriver to leverage it out.
- With your small socket wrench, remove the 4 bolts that attaches the brake booster to the car. Ford was kind enough to use lock nuts, so they take forever to remove. Your hand will hurt after this.
- Climb outside of the car and remove the oil cap, then remove the cosmetic engine cover. Replace oil cap so you don't lose it or drop a socket into the engine.
- Pull the white vacuum fitting out of the brake booster. Leave it attached to the vacuum hose if you can. It should just pull right out.
- Remove the front strut brace making sure to unclip the attached wiring harness.
- With a flat-head screwdriver or appropriate nut driver, loosen the hose clamps on the flexible air intake hose coming from the air box. Remove this hose from the car.
- Remove the black, hard plastic air intake piping that was previously attached to the flexible air intake hose you just removed. This pipe goes toward the back of the engine and has one eye hole bolt securing it to the valve cover and one hose attached via spring clip. The other end of this pipe is secured by a worm gear hose clamp. This is where you have to lean over the engine. You will need a short screwdriver to get to this.
- Using a crescent wrench unbolt the master cylinder from the brake booster. It will become very apparent why you want a ratcheting crescent wrench here. After removing the nuts retaining the master cylinder make sure the master cylinder can be moved freely away from the brake booster.
- Pull the plugs out of your new master cylinder and have them handy
- Place as many rags as you can underneath the master cylinder. Brake fluid will come pouring out once you disconnect the brake lines.
- Disconnect the brake fluid sensor wire from the master cylinder. If you can unclip the wiring harness from the master cylinder, if not cut the electrical tape off the retaining clip to free the harness. You can salvage this clip later before re installing the new master cylinder.
- With your flare nut wrench disconnect the brake lines from the master cylinder (Do not use a regular wrench or you will round off the brake line fitting and be in a world of hurt). As quickly as possible plug the holes in the master cylinder with the plugs you pulled from the new master cylinder and use the vacuum line caps to cap of the brake lines. Place the master cylinder in a container (this is where the bucket comes in handy). With the rags mop up any spilled brake fluid.
- Pull the brake booster out of the car. This will require lots of wiggling and re-positioning of wires.
- Take your new brake booster and install it in the car. Make sure the foam gasket is in place on the backside of the booster. The hole for the vacuum line should be on the top right and the part number label should be toward the bottom. Again, this will require lots of wiggling.
- Attach the new master cylinder to the new brake booster.
- Separate the hard brake lines that go to the master cylinder from each other. They are secured with a white clip which holds them together.
- Take the brake line closest to the front of the car, and pull it several inches to the left. This should increase the angle of the bend closest to the ABS pump. Take your tubing bender and bend the other end of the brake line so that the fitting matches up to the new master cylinder.
- Get back inside the car and bolt in the new brake booster. Your hand will hate you after this. Attach the pushrod to the brake pedal with the pin you removed earlier. Its a ton easier to put back together than it is to remove.
- Attach your vinyl tubing to the brake booster. I had some vacuum line in my toolbox that was the right size. Basically just push the tubing into the holes on the outside of the master cylinder. Stick the other end of the tubing into the reservoir and fill the reservoir with your choice of brake fluid. Have your buddy gently work the brake pedal (in and out about 50-80% of the way in) until there are no more bubbles coming through the tubing. This is called bench bleeding and I have found that this is the easiest way to do it. DO NOT LET THE BRAKE PEDAL TOUCH THE FLOOR. Once there are no more bubbles have your buddy press the pedal halfway in, remove the caps from the brake lines and screw the brake lines into the master cylinder.
- I found it prudent to bleed the brake lines coming from the master cylinder to the ABS pump at this point. Similar procedure as before, but do not let the brake pedal come up if the fittings are open. You do not want to let air into the ABS pump.
- At this time you can go ahead and bleed the brakes from the wheels if you feel like it. I was tired, and the brake pedal felt really good at this point so I saw no reason to.
- Clean up any spilled brake fluid and top off the reservoir.
- Attach the vacuum line to the new brake booster. Remember we reuse the fitting from the old brake booster.
- Replace the air intake tubing coming from the back of the engine. Make sure the hose is in all the way and the clamps are tight. Boost leaks are bad.
- Replace the front strut brace. The studs on the struts have loc-tite on them from the factory. It is very important not to over torque these nuts. 10ft/lbs should be fine but will be hard to measure when there is dried loctite on the threads. Hand snug is better. Clip the wiring harness back to the brace.
- Plug the brake fluid level sensor back in and secure the harness with the old clip using electrical tape.
- Connect the airbox back to the air intake tubing. Make sure the hose clamps are tight and the hoses are fitted snugly.
- Replace the battery and decorative engine cover.
- You may or may not have to adjust the brake light switch. The switch is self adjusting once removed and is the blue module attached to the brake pedal. You will have lots of fun contorting yourself to gain access to it. Basically you remove the switch, rotate the locking tab on it, and reinstall the switch. Make sure your brake lights go off when nothing is touching the pedal. Skipping this step is a good way to kill the battery (ask me how I know).
- Start the car and make sure the brakes feel like they engage. Get ready to activate the parking brake just in case. Pump the brake pedal several times and make sure you are satisfied with how they feel. If not bleed the brake system again.
- Close the hood and go for a test drive, be gentle at first. Do a panic stop when safe to do so and make sure the ABS engages.
- You're done!
Things that can go wrong:
- Boost leak (make sure to tighten all the hoses)
- Brakes don't work (Check for leaks and make sure the system is bled)
- Make sure the brake lights work correctly (You will kill the battery otherwise)
Questions and Answers:Question: Originally posted by
mjhpadi Great write-up! Could you take a few photos of the new install and post them. Sent some rep points your way!
Answer: At some point maybe, but there honestly isn't much to see. The only immediately visible difference is a orange sticker on brake fluid reservoir. The location of the MC+Booster makes photography difficult. I didn't take pictures during install so I could avoid getting brake fluid on my camera. Like I said in the guide, if you need pics you shouldn't attempt this.
Question: Originally posted by
RedCandySHO Awesome write-up. I think I will do this at the same time I install the stainless braided lines I ordered. Maybe finally, we can get the 2010-2012's to stop without feeling like your brakes have failed....
Answer: Probably a good idea to do both those projects at the same time. That way you will only have to bleed the brake system once. I haven't found brake lines that satisfy me in terms of quality, Goodridge doesn't cut it for me. The best option would probably be to contact a shop and have them make you a custom set.
Question: Originally posted by
RedCandySHO What was wrong with the Goodridge lines? I ordered them, but haven't laid eyes on them yet.... I've had fitment issues (on several cars) in the past, and known people that have had them fail. Last time I dealt with them their customer support was non existant.
Answer: For my use, the factory lines are adequate. I don't want to worry about having to swap stainless brake lines out every two years. The exterior coating on them gets brittle and cracks, allowing moisture to seep in. This eventually leads to failure. Until someone can make a line that doesn't allow this to happen I will not run them on any car of mine.
I looked at this and compared Flex and SHO parts and they're different part #'s. The Flex/Explorer share the same part #, the SHO is different. It's cheap enough I can order all 3 parts and return the one that doesn't. I would imagine the SHO piece would give a "sportier" pedal feel.
Once I get all the go fast parts done I'll start working on the slow down parts. :)
This looks familiar. :)
According to rockauto.com Ford updated the master cylinder / brake booster for the following vehicles
EXPLORER 2013
FORD FLEX 2013
FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR SEDAN 2013
FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR UTILITY 2013
FORD TAURUS 2013
LINCOLN MKS 2013
LINCOLN MKT 2013
So this procedure should still apply to you.
Quote from: themetalmaster on July 28, 2013, 10:22:15 AM
This looks familiar. :)
According to rockauto.com Ford updated the master cylinder / brake booster for the following vehicles
EXPLORER 2013
FORD FLEX 2013
FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR SEDAN 2013
FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR UTILITY 2013
FORD TAURUS 2013
LINCOLN MKS 2013
LINCOLN MKT 2013
So this procedure should still apply to you.
Thanks for this awesome info!
Mike, did you ever do this? If so, what is your impression?
Nice find as far as this info goes..... :thankyou:
I'm in the middle of doing this swap and would like to elaborate on a couple of things:
1) I removed the driver's seat, which gave me much more room to move around. It only takes a few minutes. Four bolts attach it to the floor and the seat belt anchor bolt must be removed. Mine had two electrical connectors (I have the multi-contour seats, so yours may be different). These are removed by flipping the gray plastic retainers upward. Make sure the seat is centered in its tracks before removing it through the driver's door. This makes it easier since the seat tracks won't be protruding to the front or rear. You need to position the seat in the center of the tracks before removing the electrical connectors or disconnecting the battery.
2) I followed the factory service manual's method for removing the pin that attaches the booster rod to the pedal assembly. Slip an 11mm 12 point socket over the pin to depress the retaining clips and the pin pops right out. Ford says the pin is not re-usable, so order one when you order the booster and master cylinder.
3) I also needed service manual guidance to remove the brake light switch. With light pressure pulling the pedal upward, rotate the switch clockwise 45 degrees and slide it out. Without disturbing the brake pedal, insert it into the slot you just took it out of and rotate it 45 degrees counter clockwise to lock it in place.
4) I used OEM parts, which cost about $200 delivered.
5) The new OEM booster came with the L-shaped vacuum port installed. It is a different diameter than the old one and the hose will not fit, so be sure to keep the old one so you can re-use it.
6) I had to bend the front brake line more than I was comfortable with. The correct OEM brake line is about $30 and worth the peace of mind to me.
7) There's a sticker on the master cylinder indicating use of the new style brake fluid. Remove it or black it out so someone doesn't accidentally use the wrong fluid someday.
8. The bench bleeding procedure described by the OP didn't work for me and just resulted in a bunch of fluid all over the transaxle and garage floor. I'm still going to have to bleed the brakes at the wheels.
9) I used a 1/4 inch drive air ratchet to remove the 4 booster bolts under the dash. This saved an incredible amount of time.
Just curious if after you have done this if you still have this scenario (I do on my Flex)
Car is in drive, put your foot on the peddle. Under light pressure the peddle is fine, push harder and the peddle SLOWLY moves to the floor like there's a vacuum leak. I've verified with another pre-13 Flex EB owner and his does the same thing.
Let me know!
I think this may help change how my car brakes work, I think my pads and rotors are fine just the MC sucks!
Quote from: 4DRHTRD on August 09, 2013, 10:25:57 PM
Just curious if after you have done this if you still have this scenario (I do on my Flex)
Car is in drive, put your foot on the peddle. Under light pressure the peddle is fine, push harder and the peddle SLOWLY moves to the floor like there's a vacuum leak. I've verified with another pre-13 Flex EB owner and his does the same thing.
Let me know!
I think this may help change how my car brakes work, I think my pads and rotors are fine just the MC sucks!
I haven't finished the swap yet, but my '11 SHO pre-swap does the same thing and has since new. My '13 EB Flex does not.
Update on my swap progress:
As mentioned in my prior post, I wasn't happy with the bent front brake line and recommended using the brake line from a 2013 car. Unfortunately, the fittings on the '13 line are much shallower than on the '11, so the ABS pump end doesn't bottom fully, which causes a leak. I tried creating a hybrid line using a '13 master cylinder end and a '11 ABS pump end. It leaked at the joint I created, so it's back to square one. I'm almost to the point of re-installing the old master cylinder and booster and calling it a day. At this point, it's either use a bent, much too short '11 line (lots of stress on the joints) or trying to create another hybrid. Honestly, I'm just tired of the whole thing at this point. Luckily, this isn't my only car or I'd be really unhappy right now.
Assuming I get the line issue taken care of, there's still a couple of other issues:
1) The brake lights stay on no matter how many times I reinstall the switch. I'm hoping that this will take care of itself when I get everything else done, but for now it's an open issue.
2) With the bent line in place and no leaks, I tried to bleed the brakes with a Mityvac unsuccessfully. This may be because I didn't do the bench bleed correctly the first time. I have since figured out how to do it (shoving tubing into the master cylinder holes simply do not work for me) so I'm slightly optimistic about it next time around. In addition to properly bench bleeding the master cylinder, I'm going to use a pressure bleeder to bleed the wheel cylinders to increase my chances of success.
3) My research leads me to believe that getting air into the HCU is a concern. If this happens, the only alternatives are to buy a $1,500 tool or have it towed to the dealer for bleeding.
4) The fittings Ford uses on the brake lines are non-standard. I went to a bunch of auto parts stores looking for them and had no luck. I have spare fittings only because I bought spare OEM lines from Ford.
Right now, my enthusiasm for this project is non-existent. I'll continue to post updates, but for now I recommend that anyone considering this swap think about the pros/cons really hard before proceeding.
You may have got to dealer to get the brakes bled properly. My friend garage mainly work foreign car, but recently he work on Ford and in order for him bled the brakes he had to cycle ABS pump. He did this with a snapon scan tool, I don't know if there is backyard way of doing this.
Quote from: RealityCheck on August 19, 2013, 08:55:01 PM
Update on my swap progress:
As mentioned in my prior post, I wasn't happy with the bent front brake line and recommended using the brake line from a 2013 car. Unfortunately, the fittings on the '13 line are much shallower than on the '11, so the ABS pump end doesn't bottom fully, which causes a leak. I tried creating a hybrid line using a '13 master cylinder end and a '11 ABS pump end. It leaked at the joint I created, so it's back to square one. I'm almost to the point of re-installing the old master cylinder and booster and calling it a day. At this point, it's either use a bent, much too short '11 line (lots of stress on the joints) or trying to create another hybrid. Honestly, I'm just tired of the whole thing at this point. Luckily, this isn't my only car or I'd be really unhappy right now.
Assuming I get the line issue taken care of, there's still a couple of other issues:
1) The brake lights stay on no matter how many times I reinstall the switch. I'm hoping that this will take care of itself when I get everything else done, but for now it's an open issue.
2) With the bent line in place and no leaks, I tried to bleed the brakes with a Mityvac unsuccessfully. This may be because I didn't do the bench bleed correctly the first time. I have since figured out how to do it (shoving tubing into the master cylinder holes simply do not work for me) so I'm slightly optimistic about it next time around. In addition to properly bench bleeding the master cylinder, I'm going to use a pressure bleeder to bleed the wheel cylinders to increase my chances of success.
3) My research leads me to believe that getting air into the HCU is a concern. If this happens, the only alternatives are to buy a $1,500 tool or have it towed to the dealer for bleeding.
4) The fittings Ford uses on the brake lines are non-standard. I went to a bunch of auto parts stores looking for them and had no luck. I have spare fittings only because I bought spare OEM lines from Ford.
Right now, my enthusiasm for this project is non-existent. I'll continue to post updates, but for now I recommend that anyone considering this swap think about the pros/cons really hard before proceeding.
You are really over complicating this. The brake lines are manufactured straight and are bent in to shape. You need to bend the original lines to fit. The only thing you have to worry about is kinking them (this is hard to do), short of that you can't break them. They are pretty thick metal.
Bench bleeding is essential. You are supposed to take 2 pieces of tubing that fit inside the holes on the master cylinder and route them so they empty back into the reservoir. It may take about 20 minutes of slow pumping before you get all the air out. I mentioned this in the guide. It requires a VCM + IDS setup to bleed the ABS pump, the at home mechanic doesn't have this. If you bench bleed correctly, you will not need to bleed the ABS pump.
The brake light switch must be reset before you put it back in. It says this in the manual. I said this in the guide. There is a piece that rotates on the top of it that will make the switch extend fully. When the switch is in its fully extended state (heh), you put it back in to the brake pedal and rotate it to lock it in. This will allow your brake lights to function normally.
Attached are pictures of a 2013 brake line vs a bent 2011 line. The 2011 is much shorter. It works, but puts a fair amount of strain on the connections and rubs on hard parts. I'm not comfortable with that.
Also attached are pictures of the brake light switch. Page 417-01-100 of the factory service manual describes installation and removal of the switch, but there is no mention of resetting it. After experimenting with it a bit, I found that you must depress the plunger fully, then rotate the black taps so that they're aligned with the blue protrusions directly above them. The last picture is in the reset state.
(https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=609.0;attach=21288;image)(http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/MarkJ84/P1010031.jpg)
(https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=609.0;attach=21290;image)(http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/MarkJ84/P1010034.jpg)
(https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=609.0;attach=21292;image)(http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/MarkJ84/P1010035.jpg)
(https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=609.0;attach=21294;image)(http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/MarkJ84/P1010036.jpg)
Perhaps you can find a adapter so you can use the shallow line fittings. Or find someone that can do a double flare and have then swap the fittings. Perhaps something like this? Not certain of size but maybe a solution.
http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-19714-3278401.aspx
Looks like you got the brake switch figured out. Put it back in when its fully extended and it will self calibrate.
For the booster, this is what mine looks like. I'm not taking my car apart to get a better picture. Sorry.
(http://i.imgur.com/E38GKgn.jpg)
You will get plenty of room if you make the right angle coming straight out of the ABS pump about 15 degrees wider. It was bent in to a right angle once, its not going to hurt it any if you bend it back.
The flexible part of the brake line can be bent up some, its meant to be flexible. From there you should be able to bend the last joint down so that it will fit in the new master cylinder.
Metal, did you ever report back on what this upgrade did to improve your cars braking?
Its posted at the top of the writeup. Under outcome.Thanks for reading it :)
Outcome:
On my stock 2011 Ford Taurus SHO the brakes started to engage after depressing the brake pedal about halfway. Being such a heavy (and expensive!) car, this can be quite nerve wracking.
After the retrofit, brakes engage with less than half an inch of pedal travel. The pedal is still somewhat soft, but that is just a characteristic of the car. The pedal feel is exactly what it feels like on the 2013 MY SHO. This is a great supporting mod for a big brake kit, but makes a huge difference with just the stock brakes.
Finished the swap tonight. Outcome is exactly as described by themetalmaster - the pedal engages much sooner and the pedal feels much firmer than the stock 2011 setup. Unfortunately, the 2011 is still cursed with undersized brakes, so my next mod will probably be a TCE front brake kit and 2013 rear rotors/calipers. During the master cylinder/brake booster update, I also noticed the vacuum manifold that feeds the brake booster is different. Among other things, it uses a hard plastic tube along the fire wall instead of a rubber hose. The entire setup is around $50, so I may give it a try.
Great success! Your break lights operate normally as well?
Quote from: themetalmaster on August 22, 2013, 10:19:37 PM
Great success! Your break lights operate normally as well?
Yes, brake lights are good.
I think I need to do this ASAP! :)
Quote from: EcoPowerParts on August 22, 2013, 11:07:02 PM
I think I need to do this ASAP! :)
Sorry to resurrect an old one but this is a pretty common problem with a LOT of 2010-2012 SHOs.
Mike, did you ever get around to doing the swap? I am going to attempt it once things warm up in the spring. I just want to make sure all of the components fit and last for years.
So I was studying this as I need to complete the swap on the Lincoln.
It appears the the PN for the booster may have changed.
For the MKS and SHO application, Rock Auto is showing the PN as BRB137
Quote from: FoMoCoSHO on May 26, 2018, 04:37:46 PM
So I was studying this as I need to complete the swap on the Lincoln.
It appears the the PN for the booster may have changed.
For the MKS and SHO application, Rock Auto is showing the PN as BRB137
Correct FoMoCo! It looks like Ford Part No DG1Z-2005-B is replaced by
DG1Z-2005-D-
BRB127-
BRB137- Best of luck. Z
Booster Assy - Brake
When Replacing This Component, 2L523 Has To Be Replaced
$94.81https://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts/ford-booster-asy-brake_dg1z-2005-b.html?Vin=1FAHP2KT5DG183206&Filter=()&Location=pd:, (https://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts/ford-booster-asy-brake_dg1z-2005-b.html?Vin=1FAHP2KT5DG183206&Filter=()&Location=pd:,)
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6514950&jsn=416https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6514950&jsn=416 (https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6514950&jsn=416https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6514950&jsn=416)
(https://i.imgur.com/Z2buk4cm.jpg)
Pads, rotors, calipers upgraded, with part numbers.
https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,299.msg152960.html#msg152960 (https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,299.msg152960.html#msg152960)
Bringing back an old thread..
Owned my 2012 Ford Taurus SHO for a few years now and just heard about the 10-12 master cylinder and booster retrofit. I just installed parts from a 15 SHO and currently am having a vacuum leak around the master cylinder and brake booster connection. Is there a gasket that mates the two parts? Also after bench bleeding and bleeding all four calipers I'm still having a squishy pedal until about halfway down.
Any insight would be much appreciated.
Did you install new, oem parts or ...?
there IS a seal between the MC and booster that if compromised will leak brake fluid into the booster, not sure about a vacuum leak tho.
did you bleed the calipers in sequence, with fluid topped off in the reservoir/cap open? have you tried bleeding the abs yet?
I purchased a used oem booster and master cylinder off of a parts car. Originally, i was missing the gasket that went between the booster and master but i've since located one. It looks like i had some air in the ABS module because it several hours of bench bleeding and bleeding each caliper to firm up the pedal. Braking has definitely improved over the 10-12 setup.