Writeup for replacing the Powermaster Pump/Motor

[gnetic86]

Here's some tips I learned the hard way when installing the new motor (mine was fine). Note I may not have EVERY LAST STEP here but I tried to be detailed. This looks and sounds like a lot, but its not too hard at all, I wish I had this writeup before I started! I'm no mechanic so use this info at your own risk, just sharing how I did mine for what its worth.

Bolt Sizes/wrenches you'll need
-- Nuts that hold motor: 10mm
-- Bolts that hold motor brackets to master cylinder: 1/2in
-- Pressure hose - large side: 5/8in, small side: 12mm (need line wrench)

Other stuff: old soda bottle for catching old fluid, small pan or wide-mouth bottle also for catching old fluid, lots and lots and lots and lots of paper towels. One large fresh bottle of brake fluid. (Don't use stuff thats been sitting around)

The instructions that came with the motor say to disconnect the lines first, THEN unbolt the motor. I found it easier to unbolt the motor first, then remove the lines when I can access them better and not spill fluid everywhere (even though it happened anyway).

First and foremost, DO follow the instructions where it says to pump the brakes with key-off several times. Pedal should feel hard when its drained of pressure.

1. Unplug electrical connector and tuck out of the way
2. Remove the (3) 10mm nuts and washers that hold the motor up

(The one closest to the fender is a b1tch! I found a Craftsman 1/4in socket wrench and deep 10mm socket fit perfectly underneath the motor)

3. Position the motor on top of the drivers side valve cover temporarily. You can pad it with paper towels to protect the valve covers and catch any fluid.
4. Unbolt and remove the 2 brackets that hold the motor up. I found a wratchet wrench worked great for those.

(This makes it easier to get the motor out. You can also clean them up and paint or powdercoat them as they're usually pretty rusty.)

5. Get your small soda bottle ready, Pop the lid and rubber diaphram off the reservoir, and safely set it side. Now remove the return line (one with hose clamp) off the side of the motor and immediately put the hose into the bottle. The one side of the reservoir will now drain.
6. While thats happening, disconnect the pressure line where it connects to the hard line right above the master cylinder.
7. Remove the old motor (with pressure hose still attached), taking care not to pour any brake fluid out of the side port or pressure hose.

At this point you may want to take time to clean up the fenderwell, master cynlinder, etc etc.

8. Transfer the pressure hose from the old motor to the new one. Before I did that I used a small wire brush and cleaned up the fittings a little - mine were a little rusty/dirty.

9. Check the reservoir - the left side of it (facing the front of the car) should be empty. If its dirty, use a pair of needlenose and some clean paper towels to mop out any dirt (do NOT use any cleaning fluids, just the towels). I also used some q-tips to dig some grime out of the corners. Cleans up very easily.

10. With the soda bottle still catching the runoff out of the hose, pour a little fresh brake fluid into that section of the reservoir to rinse it out and flush out the hose.

11. Once you cleaned up your brackets, look at the studs. If they appear to have shoulders/spacers on them, unscrew them off. They were part of the old grommets and the new grommets have them pressed in, even though they're hard to see. I used pliers/channel locks to help unscrew them. (Mine were smashed due to someone extremely overtightening the 10mm nuts)

12. Position the new motor near the drivers side valve cover like the old one was. Be careful as the motor ships with a little brake fluid in it, it will come out when you remove the little rubber cap. Brake fluid+painted surfaces=bad.

13. Quickly move the return hose from the soda bottle back to the motor and tighten the hose clamp. You may want to replace that clamp first if its rusty.

14. Reinstall the brackets to the master cylinder, make sure the motor is in a place where you'll be able to lift it up to the brackets. Don't overtighten the bracket bolts - you can strip them.

15. Get a helper for this step. Lift the motor up and slide it onto the studs of the brackets. Have someone hold it up for you while you put the washers and 10mm nuts back on. (Good with with the tricky one)

16. Once you get them started they can let it hang, and just tighten up the nuts snug. Once again, don't overtighten or you'll mess up the gromments.

17. Re-attach the pressure line. Be careful as this line can twist/bend.

18. Plug the electrical connector into new motor

19. Fill the left side of the reservoir with fresh brake fluid, and turn on the key. The motor will run for a few seconds and you'll see bubbles coming out as it bleeds out the air. Refill the reservoir as necessary. Once it stops, slowly press the brake pedal a bunch of times to help bleed the air out of the pump. Refill the reservoir as necessary.

Once your satisfied, carefully replace the lid to the reservoir, making sure each corner is firmly snapped down. Test the brakes a few times before driving off and enjoy!