[nate9-5]

Just wanted to post a small tutorial on a DIY brake booster/servo replacement, there doesn't seem to be much info on doing this procedure on the web, so all the better to post it here! This seems to be a recurring problem with 9-5s and the dealer will charge a heck of a lot! Got the part from east of sweden, and it came very quickly.

2000my 9-5 2.3lpt usa

-to make more room, remove the battery cover and battery

-now undo the fuse clip/ housing behind fuse box

-remove 3 nuts from fuse box brackets, and lift box out of the way

-remove vacuum line from booster (plug pulls straight out)

-undo two nuts holding the bracket in the top/ middle of the firewall

-undo red electrical connecter on top of that bracket

-pull weather strip up, unhook the bracket, and bungee towards passenger side, to get some room

-undo all four nuts connecting booster to bracket ( back side of booster-hard to see) I found a gear wrench to work the easiest-13mm

-undo two nuts holding master cylinder

-softly pull the master cylinder out of the booster( this will bend the brake line to TCS unit slightly

- reach into the drivers side of the booster bracket toward the firewall, and feel for the small clip on the end of the booster rod (this is very tight- and having someone depress the brake pedal will allow better access); push this clip up and off the rod assembly- this will disconnect the brake rod from booster

-ease booster off of bracket, turning upwards and squeezing through the loosened M.C. and firewall, and remove

-compare the rod assembly on new and old boosters, ajusting the rod length accordingly. This will ensure your brake pedal returns all the way back to the sensor for the brakelights, and prevents you from having to undo the bottom dash

-gently maneuver new booster- with clip already in place- into position on bracket. ***you must make sure to align the brake pedal rod into the booster rod

-tighten all four nuts back onto the back of booster

- depress brake pedal to lock into booster rod with clip- walla!There is a notch in the brake pedal rod that will automatically catch the clip.

-gently push M.C. back into booster-****once again the booster rod must be aligned into the M.C. valve --- make sure the oring is still good and keep area very clean---- tighten two nuts connecting the M.C. to the booster

-Make sure the pedal feels correct now, it should be fairly tight- this ensures all the rods are correctly aligned before you put everything back.

-put all the stuff you undid back starting with the vacuum lines(I would recommend new ones if possible), all the way through the battery.

-Make sure vacuum lines are properly connected to intake manifold, and servo vacuum pump

-make sure all electrical and assembly connections are back to original state

- Start your engine and enjoy having power brakes again- you would not believe the difference!!



As a note- the WIS says to disassemble M.C., an undo some brake lines, in order to make room for the booster to come out. In my opinion this is unneccesary. If you are not weary of flexing your lines a small bit, than this tutorial is the way to go. I did not have to bleed anything because no lines were disconnected! (Make sure your DOT4 is in good shape though- otherwise change it!)

Hope this helps some people!! It is not an easy DIY but it isn't that hard either!!:cheesy:

 

[9-5buckeye]

Man, you should have written this before I tried to do mine...I think this is a great tutorial. If we could get someone to post pictures of this process it would be even better. I for one was too frustrated to take any...

I would like to emphasize a couple of things for people who want to try this though:

• when you remove the clip from the brake booster and pedal rod - be careful that you don't lose it! It took me over a week to get it.
• it is a good idea to not open the brake lines since you can do it without and on mine I only wasn't able to open one of the nuts.
• do not assume that the length of the brake booster rod is the same...mine wasn't
• when you thighten the nuts to the master cylinder don't tighten one side all the way and then the other...that will just cause your m.c. rod to be crooked...tighten each side a turn and then the other side.

Finally, I don't think it is a very hard procedure and you can save a lot by doing it yourself. Thanks again for the writeup!!!

 

[Chris 9-5]

Great stuff - added to the FAQ thanks

 

[jdz95]

Thanks for the tutorial nate. Let me reiterate what you say about adjusting the rod from the booster to match the old one. I just eyeballed it and it wasn't quite long enough so I suggest measuring and err on the long side. Unfortunately the pedal sensors aren't adjustable. I had to tape a couple of washers to the contact plate on the brake pedal to get the sensors to close when no brake is applied.

 

[ski]

Thanks for the tutorial nate. Let me reiterate what you say about adjusting the rod from the booster to match the old one. I just eyeballed it and it wasn't quite long enough so I suggest measuring and err on the long side. Unfortunately the pedal sensors aren't adjustable. I had to tape a couple of washers to the contact plate on the brake pedal to get the sensors to close when no brake is applied.

the switches are adjustable, what you do is simply remove the kick panel, have someone (or you can do it yourself) push the brake pedal in, take a flat bladed screw driver and pull the plungers out (as in towards the depressed pedal) when you let the pedal go, the will click in and are then in the correct position



I JUST finished this on my 02 aero, was a PITA to say the least, thanks for the instructions btw.

Don't know if any of the above have cars with ESP, but i think it is necessary (and i did so) to remove all the brake lines and take the big ESP module out, this was the only way i could get to the clip in the back that holds the pedal to the booster rod, and also the only way i could get that damn 4th nut off the back of the booster.

to save myself time and anger, i burned out the nylon in the nuts and used lock tight instead, this way i was able to hand tighten them most of the way and use wrench for the last 1 turn

and remember, when you (if you) are removing the brake lines be sure to use a flare nut wrench, one of my lines almost did not come off with that and with me saying "oh well, lets just try it" it broke loose just as i thought it was about to completely strip out

to bleed the lines back, i first threaded them into the ESP module but kept them loose while i just had someone push the brake pads back (through the rims) until the bubbles stopped and the fluid was solid, very easy to back bleed the lines

it took me about 5 hours to do without any real breaks just to give people a time idea. My uncle (who is a master mechanic for saab) said it takes him about 4hours to do, i figured id save myself 400 dollars in labor and do it myself

 

[jdz95]

cool, i'll have to try adjusting them the proper way one of these days. i think it only took about 3 hours in my case but i don't think i have the ESP module and i left the brakelines attached. it goes quicker with a ratcheting 13mm box end wrench although you can't use it to extract every bolt completely.

 

[MacNoob]

... My uncle (who is a master mechanic for saab) said it takes him about 4hours to do, i figured id save myself 400 dollars in labor and do it myself

Your uncle charges you $100/hr for labour?!?!:cheesy::cheesy::cheesy:

 

[ski]

Your uncle charges you $100/hr for labour?!?!:cheesy::cheesy::cheesy:

haha, if i were to take it to the dealer, he does not like working on them outside of work, i sure as hell do not blame him, i would definitely HATE my job if i were a mechanic

 

[Muttly]

Thanks Nate

I just replaced my servo today using your instructions.

You're right. It really isn't necessary to remove the brake fluid reservoir or disconnect the brake lines. That advice alone probably saved me a ton of grief. The job took me a little less than 4 hours, not counting the trip to the store to get a new nut for the servo shaft length adjustment.

The only place where I got delayed was finding the 3rd nut to remove the relay box. I also had to look further in the thread to see how to adjust the brake light switch. It also wasn't apparent to me where the rubber seal that came with the new servo went. For those of you contemplating doing the job, it fits flush in a groove along the mating face of the master cylinder.

Apart from that, the job was a lot easier than feared. For $275 in parts and 4 hours time, I managed to save several hundred dollars. Not bad in an economy like this one.

Again, thanks for posting the DIY.

 

[LeoLegend]

can anyone recommend a place to get the part for the brake booster? cheapest that is? My brake booster is leaking, I assume that means replacing the diaphragm?

 

[ski]

you are going to have to replace the entire unit - it would be a PITA to remove it and I don't even know if its possible to just do the diaphragm

eeuroparts.com is *usually* the cheapest and it will be free shipping, i have always had good luck with them and their shipping is fast - 99% the same day your order

 

[LeoLegend]

thanks again! I, haven't had a chance to reflash with your map due to a failed DI, but I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[drewtiss]

Just wanted to post a small tutorial on a DIY brake booster/servo replacement, there doesn't seem to be much info on doing this procedure on the web, so all the better to post it here! This seems to be a recurring problem with 9-5s and the dealer will charge a heck of a lot! Got the part from east of sweden, and it came very quickly.

I would like to add a brake booster replacement DIY (a detailed tutorial with some pictures) here in this thread for some additional reference for all of us guys & for noobs as well.

 

[unclemiltie]

I did the booster in my son's 99 this morning. And while I was in there did the coolant bypass valve, turns out that it WAS leaking just a little bit. Much easier job with the booster out of the way!

All in, about 3 hours. A couple of things to add:


1: I got all of the bolts on the booster out with a simple combination wrench, 13mm. it's a pain, the plastic in the bolts makes it so you can't turn them with your fingers. But it is possible if you don't have a gear wrench. But after reading the posts on getting those bolts out I was pleasantly surprised that it was not all that hard.

2: I was really worried about the clip that others have lost. I tied a piece of very thin picture hanging wire to the clip before I popped it off, threaded through and then wrapped/twisted tight. then I popped the clip. it wasn't going anywhere. Took a couple of minutes to get the wire through, but saved me from having to go find it or buy a new one.

3: I didn't bother adjusting the length of the rod, adjusting the pedal stops is pretty simple. pull the cover off, push the brake pedal in, use a screwdriver to pull (both) plungers and then let the pedal back. Button it back up.


Thanks for the instructions, they were dead on. and like I said, if you think you may be wanting a coolant bypass valve and are doing a booster that's the time to do it. The bypass valve added only about 10 minutes to the job and when I did it in my car was an hour or so. (although I will say doing anything the second time is always much easier)

 

[shortlid]

Have one

I bought a used Booster out of a 2001 Manual 9-5, if anyone is intersted PM me.

 

[TyrannicalTy95]

Brake Booster Replacement - WITH PICS!

Hi all, I followed nate9-5's helpful instructions, and I recently completed a brake booster replacement on my 99' lpt. I snapped a few photos to go along with procedure:

From nate9-5:

-to make more room, remove the battery cover and battery

REMOVE AND RE-PAINT YOUR BATTER TRAY IF NECESSARY :nono;

-now undo the fuse clip/ housing behind fuse box

-remove 3 nuts from fuse box brackets, and lift box out of the way

-remove vacuum line from booster (plug pulls straight out)

-undo two nuts holding the bracket in the top/ middle of the firewall

-undo red electrical connecter on top of that bracket
-pull weather strip up, unhook the bracket, and bungee towards passenger side, to get some room

-undo all four nuts connecting booster to bracket ( back side of booster-hard to see) I found a gear wrench to work the easiest-13mm

-undo two nuts holding master cylinder

-softly pull the master cylinder out of the booster( this will bend the brake line to TCS unit slightly

 

[TyrannicalTy95]

Brake Booster Replacement - WITH PICS! prt2

-compare the rod assembly on new and old boosters, ajusting the rod length accordingly. This will ensure your brake pedal returns all the way back to the sensor for the brakelights, and prevents you from having to undo the bottom dash

-gently maneuver new booster- with clip already in place- into position on bracket. ***you must make sure to align the brake pedal rod into the booster rod

-tighten all four nuts back onto the back of booster

- depress brake pedal to lock into booster rod with clip- walla!There is a notch in the brake pedal rod that will automatically catch the clip.

The brake pedal rod has a chamfer and slot which will press pass the clip and then lock into place

-gently push M.C. back into booster-****once again the booster rod must be aligned into the M.C. valve --- make sure the oring is still good and keep area very clean---- tighten two nuts connecting the M.C. to the booster

-Make sure the pedal feels correct now, it should be fairly tight- this ensures all the rods are correctly aligned before you put everything back.

-put all the stuff you undid back starting with the vacuum lines(I would recommend new ones if possible), all the way through the battery.

-Make sure vacuum lines are properly connected to intake manifold, and servo vacuum pump


- reach into the drivers side of the booster bracket toward the firewall, and feel for the small clip on the end of the booster rod (this is very tight- and having someone depress the brake pedal will allow better access); push this clip up and off the rod assembly- this will disconnect the brake rod from booster
I used a section of picture hanging wire as someone had suggested. You can see the wire going through the clip.

To give you an idea about this clip, this is what you're dealing with:

-ease booster off of bracket, turning upwards and squeezing through the loosened M.C. and firewall, and remove

-make sure all electrical and assembly connections are back to original state

- Start your engine and enjoy having power brakes again- you would not believe the difference!!

As a note- the WIS says to disassemble M.C., an undo some brake lines, in order to make room for the booster to come out. In my opinion this is unneccesary. If you are not weary of flexing your lines a small bit, than this tutorial is the way to go. I did not have to bleed anything because no lines were disconnected! (Make sure your DOT4 is in good shape though- otherwise change it!)

Hope this helps some people!! It is not an easy DIY but it isn't that hard either!!

Even though I measured the rod assembly and tried to match new to old, sure enough, when I restarted the car, my brake lights were on. I will need to take apart the lower dash and adjust the pedal sensors, which hopefully isn't too tricky. Hope the pics help someone else.

 

[unclemiltie]

Adjusting the plungers is SIMPLE!


Take the cover off
get a small flat screwdriver and crawl down on the floor and look up, you'll see two plungers that hit the brake pedal. One for cruise, one for lights.

Press the brake pedal down toward the floor, use the flat screwdriver to push the plungers out as far as they go

let go of the brake pedal, that'll push them back to the right spot. check brake lights

button things back up.

I actually think now that I've done it that I'd not worry about adjusting the length of the rod, the used one that I had was pretty damned close and my lights were on as well. Another 5-minutes and the switches were adjusted and the lights back off.

 

[Jancis]

Hey! Does anybody know, what is the difference between MY98-01/MY02-09 and LHD/RHD petrol engine brake servo? Part numbers are different, but maybe they are interchangable?
Have to change MY02 Aero LHD brake servo, but I can get one good from LHD MY99 or some MY02- RHD servos.

 

[Ivan]

Hey! Does anybody know, what is the difference between MY98-01/MY02-09 and LHD/RHD petrol engine brake servo? Part numbers are different, but maybe they are interchangable?
Have to change MY02 Aero LHD brake servo, but I can get one good from LHD MY99 or some MY02- RHD servos.

Dont know LH/RH difference but 01/02 are different and wont fit right


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