How To: Install a new brake booster (2.0)

[iScott]

First and foremost, many thanks and praise to Justin (porkchop). He did an excellent job. And, with any other work or modification to your car, don't attempt anything unless you really know what you're doing. Or, like in my case, you have someone with you that knows what they're doing. You can REALLY mess your stuff up. Hope this is a good, informative "How To".



How To Replace the Brake Booster on a 2.0
by: Porkchop and iScott

Tools you will need:
- Bentley or Haynes manual is HIGHLY suggested
- phillips head screw driver
- flat head screw driver
- 13 mm long socket
- 13 mm hand wrench (or whatever they're called)
- 11mm open end wrench
- 11 mm flare nut wrench (to prevent rounding off the brake line fittings when you remove the brake lines)
- semi large pair of pliers to remove clamps from air box
- clamp (we used a screwdriver) to plug brake line
- large container to hold ABS unit and master cylinder (so fluid doesn't go everywhere)
- brake fluid



Steps:

Under the Hood:
1. Remove air box
2. Remove the master/brake cylinder
3. Remove ABS unit (it's a good idea to label the 4 brake lines with their corresponding holes in the ABS unit)
4. Move bracket out of the way (this bracket holds the ABS unit in place and is very much in the way. Remove 3 nuts that hold the ABS unit bracket to the chassis)

Inside the Car:
5. Remove all the plastic pieces above the pedals that are in your way
6. Remove nut from swivel bolt at the top of the brake pedal (13 mm socket and )
7. Remove white plastic bracket on back of brake pedal that holds tip of brake booster. There are two arms holding the ball socket from the brake booster into the back of the brake pedal. You're going to need to use two screwdrivers to push in on these to spread them wide enough to remove the ball joint. The plastic that holds the ball joint is this white nylon stuff, so you don't have to be too worried about breaking it, but it is pretty tricky. Also, your brake lights will now be illuminated so don't decide to take a break until the next day at this point or you'll have a dead battery. (This may very well be the hardest step and I have no idea how Justin did this)
8. Remove the 4 nuts of the brake booster

9. Remove vacuum line from top-left of booster
10. You should now be able to pull the booster out. The four brake lines may give you a small amount of trouble, but just be gentile and pull that sucker out. You can now put the new booster in and .
11. Reconnect the vacuum line to the booster
12. Reposition bracket
13. Reinstall ABS unit and all 4 brake lines
14. Reinstall master/brake cylinder (be sure that there's still enough brake fluid in there... I had to add quite a bit)
15. Bleed all 4 brakes in this order: right rear, left rear, right front, left front (two or three rounds will suffice)
16. Reinstall air box
17. Reinstall white plastic bracket to back of brake pedal
18. Reinstall swivel bolt to top of brake pedal and snap end of brake booster to back of brake pedal via the plastic piece
19, Be sure that the brake light switch hasn't broken in the process and that it's still firmly in place just in front of the brake pedal


Total time: About 3-5 hours

[marvins_dad]

To discuss this How-To please visit the link below...

How To Replace the Brake Booster on a 2.0 - (How-To) - Discussion Thread<---click here