chief351

Fixed up the rear brake lines. Used the bending tool - worked great. Cost was only 6 bucks so that made me happy. While putting the lines back into the splitter on the axle one of them striped the splitter on me. What a pain in the ass. Went to the wrecker and got one for 10 bucks, Nissan wanted 40. So I got'er buttoned up last Thursday night and have been driving it to work - so far so good. Actually it is the best it has ever been. Taking a road trip soon so will report back with any problems. Thanks for the help guys Chief

I have to laugh now. I was just out for a drive. Tried a couple of emergency stops and things went well. Once back into town I could feel the pedal getting mushy. I was pisst-off to say the least. Fortunately I was not far from home. I get'er back into the garage and I smell brake fluid and check the master cylinder which is almost empty. I look under the truck and see a puddle at the back right. So I take a closer look and notice where the tab holds the brake line to the axle is all rotted out and it's dripping. I wipe the undercoating away and have a friend push on the pedal and it starts squirting out of this pin hole. What the #$ll are the chances? What next? Replacing the line tomorrow, hopefully it will go smoothly. Chief

Thanks for the responses guys! So that diagram/instruction page posted above - I have a question. Although everything seems to be working ok now is it advisable to bleed the entire system one more time in that order? And what about that ABS valve I have (I have rear drum ABS setup) do I need to bleed it or not bleed it or do something else with it? Thanks again Chief

Just an update on my problems: Master cylinder replaced - hard to say if it helped Wheel cylinders replaced - ditto Clean and adjust rear drums - helped a little Removed front pads, sanded, cleaned calipers up - no change Bled proportioning valve - no change Played with adjusting rod attached to back of brake pedal - helped the feel of the brakes After each of these steps I would usually bleed the brake system, and/or, bleed the brake I was working on and it's partner, so if I was working on the front left then I would bleed both front brakes. In total I think the system has been bled 6 times. After many test drives and many panic stops I started to realize a "pull" to the left. I took apart the calipers a couple of times and cleaned them, lubed them, and buttoned them back up. Nothing seemed to help. Then I put some wood between the caliper and had the wife depress the pedal. What I noticed was that I only had one piston working on the right caliper !!! Fearing the worst I pulled the pistons out and cleaned the gunk off of them. There was very very minor pitting on both pistons but I put them back anyway and bled that brake again. I just got back from a test drive and am very happy to say the least. Another question for the WD21 folks - with oversized tires are you able to lock the brakes up with ease? I am running the 6 spoke gunmetal grey supercharged X-Terra rims with 245/70/17 off road tires and they are heavy.

Thanks for the responses guys. I just bled the entire system again as well I found the proportioning valve and bled that too. I have inspected the calipers for leaks too and found none, as well I checked the lines for any moisture and found none. So I am thinking it is the master cylinder. It must be a bad seal inside of it - however it must be tiny for me to still have decent brake pedal feel. As for the $$$ 88Pathy - I live in Canada and the prices can be ridiculous. The local part stores are actually more expensive than the dealer on the master cylinder for whatever reason. Nissan has a rebuild kit for $33 so I will probably go for that. I will be very confused if the MC does not fix this. Thanks again for your help Chief

Need help troubleshooting. Problem is a soft pedal. When braking it starts out with the regular feel to the pedal and the brakes grab however the pedal slowly continues to the floor and braking power diminishes. I am estimating I have about 40-50 % braking left. A little history - Both my front/rear brakes were new 5000 miles ago. They have been lightly used and basically show no signs of wear. The brakes worked perfectly on a family vacation 2 weeks ago which entailed driving 1200 miles and towing a 3500 lb boat for 400 miles. This problem occurred 6 days ago without warning and since then I have bled the entire braking system once which did not solve the problem. Last night I changed the wheel cylinders because the originals appeared to have seized however upon inspection I realized that they just needed a tune up. I replaced the wheel cylinders anyway since I had purchased them and did not cost a lot of $$$ and adjusted them. So the rear brakes were bled a second time and then I test drove the vehicle and the soft pedal was still there. I loosened off the master cylinder and did not note any moisture or obvious problems. Under the dash where the brake pedal enters the firewall appears ok with no moisture. I removed the valve in the vacuum line and blew it out but that did not help either. I am reluctant to just change out the MC since it costs $350 here in Canada fearing that is not the problem. There are no visible leaks in the system and have never found any fluids underneath this vehicle. The resevoir on the MC has not changed ever. If this vehicle has the proportioning valve, which has been discussed on this board, I cannot find it, and yes I did look on the passenger frame rail for it. If anyone has anything to add or share I am "all ears" as I need this thing ready to go ASAP. The wife is getting cranky without the truck so the pressure is on and I refuse to get %#@ed at the dealership so it ain't going there. Thanks in advance Chief 95 XE Pathy 120000 miles, auto.

Thanks for the replies. I called North Nissan Brampton and spoke w/ parts dept. They said it was $55 and I told them about London Nissan charging $220. They said that the replacement centre cable comes attached when ordering for a 1995. However the previous years pathfinder centre calbes fit but one has to cut the cable off the original hand brake assembly so it can be reused. Therefore the difference between $55 and $220. I called London Nissan back and told them and they said they would order a cable for $50 for me. So after all the #$%#ing around I am a happy camper. I guess this is an FYI for the future! Now I have to replace the wheel cylinders in the drum brakes because they are starting to seize up. Anyone have any words of wisdom? I already have the new wheel cylinders. Thanks all Chief

Yeah the left and right cables are cheap, can buy them for under 40 here at the parts store. its the centre cable that is expensive and hard to find. Cheers

Simon that is the best news all day. What dealer was that? Thanks Chief edit: Simon, I need a new master cylinder as well, Nissan London wants $304. NAPA wants $360, and the other place I called but can't remember was $340. If you know of a good price for those I would be interested. Thanks again

First post! Great site folks, have been lurking for 2 years and have found many usefull tips for troubleshooting etc! Hopefully someone here will have gone through this and understand what the heck I am talking about! Fixing my parking brake today. I have the rear left and right parking brake cables installed but the centre cable broke near the handle. Nissan in London Ont wants $120 for the cable and $220 for the handle and cable. So I have salvaged the handle thankfully but now need ideas for making my own. Here is what I need help with: - what material to use? braided wire or? - how to attach the ends? My truck is a 95 XE. Thanks in advance Chief