PSA: Fix your brakes before they break!

coffeegoat

Adventurer
We've had half a dozen threads in the last couple months about hydraulic brake accumulators/motors going bad, mine just joined this list this morning. I think given the age of our rigs this should fall into the same bucket as replacing the harmonic balancer bolt because a failure could go really badly for you. I'll try to go through and collect all of the threads that have shown up recently just to get them all in one place, but feel free to help me out and track them all down.
 

lev

Member
Looks to be for Gen 3s w/ ABS, part of the hydraulic brake booster assembly. There seem to be two parts:
2001-2002 XLS and Limited: 4630A011 / MR977223 without traction control light (TCL)
2003-2006 XLS (03,04) and Limited (03-06): 4630A012 / MN102844 with TCL

Section 35A ("Basic Brake System") in Gen 3 workshop manual has various procedures for diagnosis/troubleshooting. There's also a manual correction for that section for 2003-2006 Monteros: search for TSB-11-35-005
 

coffeegoat

Adventurer
Sorry for the lack of clarity, my rig is in my signature and I was on my phone after debugging my truck that my pregnant wife had just driven to work, it was a bit frustrating as I had just spent the weekend doing all of my other preventative maintenance in preparation for the baby arriving within the week....

As far as I know it's only the Gen III's w/ABS ( I don't know of any Gen 3's without ABS). The failure mode includes the hydraulic brake booster motor, and the accumulator. There have been examples of people only replacing the accumulator which solves the problem for the short term, but the motor appears to eat itself over the long term so if you're going to bother, fix the whole thing.

Here are a few examples of the issues within the last couple weeks:

Eyehate's Build

OmegaNS Build

nckwltn Brake Fix Thread

Aussie Forum Fix

The tricky part with part numbers is that there are apparently a few different versions of both the booster motor and the accumulator running around, and it looks like they're basically all plug and play (though I can't exactly verify that). Furthermore, these same parts show up in 4runners, Lexus 470s, Land Cruisers, and some other Asian rigs. I haven't cross checked the toyota forums yet to see what they're doing about the failure. Given they use the same parts I'm sure they have the same issue.
 

offthepath

Adventurer
That's frustrating. Thanks for the links. It's on my list. Trying to get the 4.9 gears and arbs installed before I move on to other things.
 

The Viper

Adventurer
I can't believe this issue exists, horrific that u could completly lose ur breaks.

Anyways, am I correct that it's just the motor that needs to be replaced not the whole system?
Also, it seems the best bet for those of us in the rust belt, is to find one rebuilt on ebay?

Worst case scenario, we get the motor part oem from mitsu for about 600? Is that correct, other then the obvious worse case of crashing and dying
 

JimmyHuynh

New member
@The Viper, I just bought a rebuilt OEM motor from eBay, I will install it and let you know. The accumulator can go bad as well, but it's an easy replacement, and not as in depth as the pump itself. If you want BNIB OEM motor, then Mitsubishi dealer is the way to go, but a rebuilt one is much cheaper, and should last just as long as the new OEM one (if it was rebuilt by a reputable person).
 

Salonika

Monterror Pilot
I would never buy anything critical that was safety related off eBay. Buy from an established brick and mortar parts source or Mitsu dealer.
 

Michael Brown

You followed me, so now we're both lost
I think it was all related to the accumulator failing. Without the accumulator holding pressure, the hydraulic pump begins to run constantly to keep the system charged. This would then probably lead to overheating and failure of the pump as well. A loud ticking or pumping sound from the accumulator/pump area was the first sign that something is going wrong. Mitsubishi released a TSB for replacing the accumulator after it was found that the original design would develop an internal leak.
When everything is working however, the system maintains enough pressure for ~40 power assisted brake engagements even with the engine off and no electrical power. The pump is only designed to refill the system when it drains, not be the constant primary source for brake fluid pressure.
 

coffeegoat

Adventurer
My read of the issue is it's a bit complicated. The TSB for replacing the accumulator was for some original faulty accumulators (early years). However, there are examples of pump failure associated with accumulators that were replaced years prior, or were ones based on later models. For example, the later cylindrical accumulator (for vehicles with traction control) was never recalled (as far as I know), but there are certainly cases of motor failure on those units. The motor appears to wear out - brush failure, wearing down of the stators, and then the dust build up acts as an abrasive and causes more rapid degradation.

In terms of the fix, the accumulator can be replaced in-situ, as it's a simple screw-on/off operation. But at least in my review of more recent posts (2012-newer) it seems that the motor has worn out in the majority of the cases (both toyota and mitsu). The interaction between a dead accumulator and a broken motor isn't clear. Unfortunately you need to pull the entire system to evaluate the motor, which is a +4 hour job and requires a full brake flush. Most people who replace the motor just replace the accumulator while they're in there, because it's relatively cheap, at least compared to the motor.

As far as Ebay, I found that at least the brake accumulator was cheaper there - from a mitsu dealer - than anywhere else. The motor is more tricky, since you can get rebuild/new motor guts from ~$220 or a completely new component for $450. So far, all the reviews/repairs I've read indicated a high quality rebuild has worked great. It's more difficult to get the motor by itself new, it's much easier to find the full assembly which is >$1500.
 

HMSEndeavour

New member
What are the symptoms for this problem? One of my rear wheels occasionally makes a squealing sound and the rims get very hot every time I drive it. I think it's an issue with seized brake callipers. Hopefully not what you are describing above.
 

coffeegoat

Adventurer
@HMSEndeavour I don't think that's related. Things I noticed were a grinding noise right in front of the driver side dash (intermittent), and the "Anti-Lock" brake light coming on. If you read through some of the other posts, you'll see some people got all the way to the "anti-lock" & "brake" light going on along with a buzzer that indicates total failure. Mine still drives OK, but the way the motor fails it sounds to me like it starts to go, and then can't necessarily maintain adequate pressure within the system. The accumulator should store enough pressure for several assisted stops even if the motor craps out entirely.

Apparently accumulator failure sounds like a squeal/chirping noise coming from the accumulator, I didn't have this so I can't verify.

As I was writing this I realized there may be a diagnostic you could run. If you pump the pedal >40 times while the truck is off that depletes the accumulator. Which means the motor should come on immediately when the truck is turned on, and you could listen for the grinding motor. I'll have to try that when I get a chance to verify if it works.
 

HMSEndeavour

New member
@HMSEndeavour I don't think that's related. Things I noticed were a grinding noise right in front of the driver side dash (intermittent), and the "Anti-Lock" brake light coming on. If you read through some of the other posts, you'll see some people got all the way to the "anti-lock" & "brake" light going on along with a buzzer that indicates total failure. Mine still drives OK, but the way the motor fails it sounds to me like it starts to go, and then can't necessarily maintain adequate pressure within the system. The accumulator should store enough pressure for several assisted stops even if the motor craps out entirely.

Apparently accumulator failure sounds like a squeal/chirping noise coming from the accumulator, I didn't have this so I can't verify.

As I was writing this I realized there may be a diagnostic you could run. If you pump the pedal >40 times while the truck is off that depletes the accumulator. Which means the motor should come on immediately when the truck is turned on, and you could listen for the grinding motor. I'll have to try that when I get a chance to verify if it works.


Thanks for the tip, I'll try that when I get home. Hopefully the noise is just a caliper and not the accumulator.
 

SONICMASD

Adventurer
@HMSEndeavour I don't think that's related. Things I noticed were a grinding noise right in front of the driver side dash (intermittent), and the "Anti-Lock" brake light coming on. If you read through some of the other posts, you'll see some people got all the way to the "anti-lock" & "brake" light going on along with a buzzer that indicates total failure. Mine still drives OK, but the way the motor fails it sounds to me like it starts to go, and then can't necessarily maintain adequate pressure within the system. The accumulator should store enough pressure for several assisted stops even if the motor craps out entirely.

That's good info to know. The Accumulator in my new to me Gen3 was recently replaced but I think the motor is original. So it's good to know that I should have some warning signs and even if not, I'll have a few assisted brakes in the tank left.
 

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