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95 Xplorer Beake and Fluids Questions

2K views 9 replies 3 participants last post by  Just Jared 
#1 ·
So I acquired a 95 Xplorer 400 with 833 miles on it. It was cheap and got expensive fast (mom gave it to me but my uncle and I broke the back window in my 2020 Ram loading it.) It had not been started in probably 6 years when my kids were last at the farm with me for a couple of weeks. It was barn kept, and I am really impressed with the condition of it. Hoses and wiring and seals and all look great without soft spots in the hoses.

I bought a service manual for it, that seems kind of lacking in assistance.

I changed the counterbalance and transmission oils, the hub oil, and flushed the radiator. Drained and replaced the 2 cycle reservoir, and even greased it as far as all I could find. Today I am going to replace the headlights, taillights, and the bulbs on the instrument cluster (those look fun!)

On the shifter, how do I change that fluid?

On the front brakes, the handle doesn't move. I have tried back the buts holding them off some but I still can't get it to move. I am wondering what else I should look at for the brakes. The calipers and seals look good (some caked mud that came off), the fluid looks good, but just frozen up.

Any suggestions in trying to get them operational?
 
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#2 ·
I sent you a factory manual that may help - on the front brakes, the master cylinder will need a complete servicing - may not need new parts, but will need disassembled, cleaned and the bore polished (not honed), then flush the system and get new fluid into it. Regardless how the fluid looks, it needs to be changed every three years.
 
#3 ·
So I acquired a 95 Xplorer 400 with 833 miles on it. It was cheap and got expensive fast (mom gave it to me but my uncle and I broke the back window in my 2020 Ram loading it.) It had not been started in probably 6 years when my kids were last at the farm with me for a couple of weeks. It was barn kept, and I am really impressed with the condition of it. Hoses and wiring and seals and all look great without soft spots in the hoses.

I bought a service manual for it, that seems kind of lacking in assistance.

I changed the counterbalance and transmission oils, the hub oil, and flushed the radiator. Drained and replaced the 2 cycle reservoir, and even greased it as far as all I could find. Today I am going to replace the headlights, taillights, and the bulbs on the instrument cluster (those look fun!)

On the shifter, how do I change that fluid?

On the front brakes, the handle doesn't move. I have tried back the buts holding them off some but I still can't get it to move. I am wondering what else I should look at for the brakes. The calipers and seals look good (some caked mud that came off), the fluid looks good, but just frozen up.

Any suggestions in trying to get them operational?
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#4 ·
Thank you for the reply late bird, and the manual! I was planning that I would be pulling and servicing the brakes in the next couple of weeks before deer season.

FPD218, thank you for the welcome! I have been hiding and using these forums for a couple of weeks now!
 
#5 ·
Good morning!

So I have reworked the master cylinder, and it still looks in good shape. Reinstalled it, and have vacuum bled it. If I leave the lines installed to the the vacuum bleeder, I can pump the cylinder dry. If I try to vacuum bleed the calipers, I get nothing. If it try to push air down or up the lines, I get nothing.

I have tried to pull fluid at both front calipers and get nothing. I have pumped the brakes with valves closed and am not getting fluid, period and after a bit it gets to where it won't move. On the rear, I gotta go get a new bleeder valve, the top of the original is sitting on the seat.

This is making me think it is the proportioning block. Is there a trick to getting to the block? To me it looks like I am going to have to remove fuel tank and or the oil reservoir.

Is there a way to be able to flush the lines from the bottom to see if I can knock anything loose? I was and am thinking of going to get a 20 or 30 cc syringe from tractor supply.

I do appreciate all of the help and support thus far, and any in the future is immensely appreciated from my wife and I! (Especially if it saves truck on opening weekend.)
 
#6 ·
There is no proportioning block - there is a junction block with perhaps a pressure valve on it for brake lights (I'm not looking into the manual at the moment). Disconnect the line at the MC then the line from the caliper (one at a time) and blow compressed air from the caliper end to the MC end - when all the lines have been verified clear restart the bleeding process.
 
#7 ·
Thank you Latebird. Tomorrow, since I have day off and should have daylight, plan to get out and work on this. I apologize for my terminology, was sure if it was a proportioning block or not,, and did not search for just junction block. I knew one side went to the tail lights from reading the rest of the forums.

I found my fitting to clean HVAC drain lines, which is small enough to fit into the brake lines with a good fit.

I will report how it goes.
 
#8 ·
So, the saga of the brakes continues.

I cleaned up the master cylinder as good as I could. Did not have a honing tool, but cleaned it with a nylon brush and drill. Seals didn't look too bad.

I got both lower hoses unclogged using a combination of tie wire, vacuum and brake parts cleaner in a hose attached to the ends.

The upper hose was a beast and didn't want to give up the clog. Apparently, I needed to strip the tie wire (used on my wife's rose bushes with green coating), but even then it would hit the clog and stop. Baling wire would not feed very far into the hose and would hit the crimp and stop. Finally after letting gas sit in the upper hose and as I was giving up Saturday night, it broke free.

Sunday, pulled vacuum on the master cylinder and main hose. Could get the master cylinder to pump. Bled lines, and reassembled.

While having my son pump and hold, I was watching the bleed lines. Fluid would come out about a quarter inch. Let it get through the lines a good bit, and watched it with the bleeder screw open. Would come out about a quarter inch, but would retract about an inch or more. So I let the bleed line fill a lot farther, and watched as he was pumping. Even with my finger over the line, it would pull harder than it pushed fluid.

Well, that told me a bit, and I had already been leaning this way, but ordered an aftermarket master cylinder and it will be here Wednesday. Gives me a couple of days to play with the original master cylinder, and get some stuff done that my wife wants.

I said I could go without brakes for this weekend and next week, but my wife vetoed that idea.

Will keep you up to date.
 
#9 ·
So, I apologize for failing to follow up till now.

New Master Cylinder is working. Even when it was being bench bled, it was way stronger than the original. I ordered one from Amazon for $35 and it works. I got it bench bled and installed the day before leaving for the deer Lease. Took the time and bled it and had good stiff brakes in the garage and drive.

Drove it a few miles the first day deer hunting, and brakes were a bit mushy. I worked them over and over that night, while seeing air again, and they tightened up a lot the next day. They work well, and it is running really good now. I have had to put brake fluid in it a couple of times (can see slow leak at the junction block, and am thinking one of the lines is not tight enough. It is on the list of things to do along with wrapping Christmas and getting tree and lights up, and will be done before Holiday Antlerless Season.)

I will rebuild the original cylinder and have it at least set aside as a spare sometime.

The oil injection pump seems to be working as it should, and I have kept it topped off with oil. There is an Antifreeze leak, but overall quite happy with my Xplorer. Another guy has a newer polaris (03 or 4) and he even commented how good of shape mine was in.

I do appreciate all of ya'll's help and assistance!
 
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