What is this part?

[1990RangerinSK]

All Rangers dating back to 83 have two circuits, one for front and one for rear but after 85 they share the same reservoir for fluid so if you lose a line anywhere you'll eventually lose the brakes entirely. A reservoir of fluid is good for a while though, I had a line rust off next to the fuel tank on my '88 and it puked all over the parking lot at work. Filled it up and drove 10 miles home, trying to use the brakes as little as possible. Had a fair bit left in the reservoir and it did stop OK, pedal just went to the floor if you held it there lol... gotta pump it.

What's the point of having two circuits if you're going to run them off the same reservoir? I thought the whole point was so that if you lost a brake line, you still had brakes...

 

[FatWilbur]

You're welcome. Sorry to come across so cranky.

I did not take it that way at all . AAA towed it this morning to mechanic. They will fix it Friday.

My normal mechanic (in pic) lays down on the job too much

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I did not take it that way at all . AAA towed it this morning to mechanic. They will fix it Friday.

Good to hear.

My normal mechanic (in pic) lays down on the job too much

That's a good lookin' mechanic.

 

[FatWilbur]

That's a good lookin' mechanic.

ha.. good looking and smart

 

[1990RangerinSK]

ha.. good looking and smart

For sure. He's a bulldog, right?

 

[FatWilbur]

For sure. He's a bulldog, right?

yep, he is 10. he's my buddy and is sloth like... I have his brother too, that is much more active and get's in everything

 

[Bill]

It looks like a whatchamacallit thing, but I bet the Ford parts catalog has a better name for it like, "tube assembly." That way people who see it in the catalog will know what it's for.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

If you ever do lose brakes....worst thing you can do is panic.

Just downshift untill you slow enough you can hit the shoulder and throw it in neutral and coast to a stop.

Ive lost brakes so often it dont even bother me anymore.

Just a tidbit

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Interesting seeing the brake line on the outside of the frame, thought all Rangers ran it inside the frame…

Being in the rusty steel buckle of the rust belt, and having blown a few brake lines over the years (one bad enough that I was afraid to take it the half mile home), any time I lose a brake line on a vehicle I’m intending to keep awhile, I rip it all out and go Ni-Copp. I have enough headaches just driving old iron all the time, I don’t want to worry about my brakes.

The single reservoirs are supposed to have a float that when the fluid gets low enough they seal off the master cylinder and it’s supposed to keep brake pressure and keep air from getting into the lines. In my experience, they don’t work well and often get stuck up or down.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Interesting seeing the brake line on the outside of the frame, thought all Rangers ran it inside the frame…

Being in the rusty steel buckle of the rust belt, and having blown a few brake lines over the years (one bad enough that I was afraid to take it the half mile home), any time I lose a brake line on a vehicle I’m intending to keep awhile, I rip it all out and go Ni-Copp. I have enough headaches just driving old iron all the time, I don’t want to worry about my brakes.

The single reservoirs are supposed to have a float that when the fluid gets low enough they seal off the master cylinder and it’s supposed to keep brake pressure and keep air from getting into the lines. In my experience, they don’t work well and often get stuck up or down.

What your seeing in the op is a brake cable, not a brake line.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

What your seeing in the op is a brake cable, not a brake line.

Look again, brake cable is visible at the bottom of the pic and what’s leaking is factory brake line with the wire wrapping

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Look again, brake cable is visible at the bottom of the pic and what’s leaking is factory brake line with the wire wrapping

Maybe. I took that to be electrical.

 

[sgtsandman]

Look again, brake cable is visible at the bottom of the pic and what’s leaking is factory brake line with the wire wrapping

That’s what it looks like to me as well. The OEM brake lines on the ‘98 had that wire wrap as well.

I don’t remember if the 2011 has them as well. But the 1998 did. At least for the front lines.

 

[superj]

so the reservoir doesn't have the two seperate fluid spots inside? at the top, they share fluid but as the fluid leaks down, at a certain point there is a front reservoir and a rear reservoir? i though all vehicles had that set up and that was how the front/rear systems worked since the plunger pushed past the orifices for both as you push the pedal?

 

[sgtsandman]

From what I’ve seen, they aren’t totally separated but they are to a point. Filling the reservoir during a brake fluid flush, I don’t notice a lag in the filling of the reservoir for either section.