OPMustang Tim
Supporting Vendor
Please look at the following photos for clarification.
Please Inspect Your Mustangs ASAP.
This is the feed line from the brake master cylinder to the clutch master cylinder. This is a quick disconnect fitting/line assembly. If any of you are familiar with Truck Air Brake Systems, Industrial Pneumatic Systems etc. you understand how these fittings work.
The fitting uses a locking ring (the very outer ring on the end) to lock the hose in position. Typically you push this lock ring in towards the hose to release it. (We are not doing that so please don't try it)
What we found tonight was the fitting was almost all the way off the stem of the master cylinder reservoir. I grabbed the hose and it immediately leaked brake fluid, so I pushed it on all the way and it is now locked in position as it should be.
This was verified by @apex15stangPP who was kind enough to provide a picture (First Picture) before he pushed his back into position with the same result, fluid leaking out.
Why this is important to check:
1. If it falls off it will empty a large portion of your brake fluid.
2. If it leaks fluid out when you touch it that means that every time you press your clutch in you potentially could be drawing air into your clutch hydraulic circuit.
This will cause you to never fully bleed your clutch, the more you pump the more you are possibly bringing additional air into the system.
If you have shifting issues, either gear nibble or just really poor gear changes in general, this may be part of the cause. It may not be the MT82 directly.
If you have had a transmission or clutch failure it may be related to a poor release due to the air in the system as the root cause and the contingent damage is the clutch or transmission.
What you want to do:
1. Inspect it, if it looks like the second picture you should be good. Lightly (Everything is Plastic Hercules) pull on the line to see if it is locked into position. DO NOT USE EXCESSIVE FORCE
2. If you find yours looks similar to the first picture, simply grab the hose about 1" from the end and GENTLY push it back onto the stem of the master cylinder. It should look like the second picture. Now perform Step 1.
3. Have a bottle of water handy to rinse off the brake fluid that may leak out so it doesn't damage the paint etc.
If you do not feel comfortable doing this, don't. Bring it someplace (Ford perhaps) and have them check it/repair it.
What we don't know yet:
If they left the factory this way or heat/vibration have caused them to move. We don't know for certain if they are drawing in air and contributing to other issues. Apex and I both track our cars so there is a lot of heat and vibration present.
This may only be an S550 issue but I'd be interested to see if the same design is on S197's.
Please comment what you find and if you have had any clutch/transmission issues prior to this.
