Several problems, Wheel hub, master cylinder

[fritzsch]

So I bought a 87 Eagle wagon, and was told the brakes simply needed to be bled. So this past friday I jacked it up, took off the wheels and was going to bleed the brakes. To have anything resemblying stopping power I have to pump repeatedly the pedal and its super soft. With engine running and I step on brakes once I get it kinda firm, pedal slowly goes to floor. Is this a signal of a bad master cylinder?

Problem 1: Front driver wheel would not come off. One of the wheel studs apparently is stripped from the hub and spins with the lugnut. I am planning on snapping it off with a large breaker bar, but what do I do about the broken stud and probably junk wheel hub? Any swapable junkyard parts?

Problem 2: Despite the wheel being unremovable I continued to bleed the brakes. Lots of air in the lines, not to mention horribly rusted calipers and drums. At least the bleeder valves weren't rusted. Bled the brakes reasonably well but onces I got the car back on the ground and started the car to test, after the first one or two stops, which werent great anyway, the pedal once again started to sink.  I don't have a whole lot of experience with brakes, is this a signal of a leaking master cylinder? Where can I get a replacement master cylinder? I don't want to have to redo any hardlines.

Suggestions?
Thanks

[drock87]

I think you do probably have a bad master cylinder. Nice thing is, this is mass-produced part and not "exclusive" to junkyards and swap meets.  You can pick one up in Autozone, Advance, etc. My mechanic found mine, no problem (I don't personally mess around with what stops me)

I cannot help with the wheels, this is beyond my level of expertise (or lack thereof).

[mach1mustang351]

If the pedal slowly sinks to the floor but feels firm if you stomp the brake it is likely the master. When things are all rusted and old like you say I like to start completely over and do a full brake job. As things get old issues compound you may have a few things going on causing the problem. Just my $.02

[fritzsch]

When you say complete brake job, you mean new brake booster, master cylinder, all new lines, new calipers/pads/rotors, and new drums/shoes/assoc hardware? Any idea on what I might expect to pay in parts for all that? And is this stuff going to be avaliable at the local parts store?

Any brands I should avoid, Cardone? Their master cylinder is the only one that appears on Advances site and it was given 1/5 stars. I don't want to buy a replacement that will start leaking after a dozen miles

[eagleman]

If it were mine I believe I would start at the back and work forward replacing all brake components as you go. Only thing worse then a car that won't run is one that won't Stop! All or most parts are widely available at about any auto parts stores and prices are not that bad. If your capable at doing your own work instead of having it done you will save a ton of change.

[mach1mustang351]

When you say complete brake job, you mean new brake booster, master cylinder, all new lines, new calipers/pads/rotors, and new drums/shoes/assoc hardware? Any idea on what I might expect to pay in parts for all that? And is this stuff going to be avaliable at the local parts store?

Any brands I should avoid, Cardone? Their master cylinder is the only one that appears on Advances site and it was given 1/5 stars. I don't want to buy a replacement that will start leaking after a dozen miles

I would get all you can for the brake job. Front pads, rotors, calipers, hoses, rear shoes, wheel cylinders, hardware, and hose, and do the master cylinder as well. The booster may be okay the test for that is to press the brake until the pedal is hard then start the car with your foot on the brake. If the pedal sinks down the booster is likely good. Personally, I replace boosters because of past issues. They just hey done.  All these things are available ay your local parts house.

The other advantage of this service is you get a very complete fluid service at the same time.

Cardone is about the only supplier of parts of that nature (calipers, master). Any parts house that carries a house brand is likely a Cardone. They are good for the most part. The reviews can be tough because of misdiagnosis, other issues etc. It is very easy to blame the part replaced. I use their stuff with confidence.... I even have a pile of it in my big wagon for use on the sx4

[BenM]

A caliper/wheel cylinder leak should be obvious, but the rear brake parts are cheap. It's rusty lines and collapsed rubber hoses that are really going to confuse you if you don't take care of them.

It sounds like a bad master, but you didn't say if you're loosing fluid. If you are, suspect a pinhole.

For stripped studs, try a nut splitter or an angle grinder. Even drilling between the nut and the bolt with a drill bit may loosen things up enough. Only Eagle parts will work without machining. You could try an oversize stud instead.

You may want to replace as many studs as you can, they tend to spin when someone apes them with an impact wrench instead of using a torque wrench to tighten them. Over-torquing stretches them out and makes them prone to breaking or coming loose. You don't really know the history of them.

I'm crazy and only use a ratchet and torque wrench on wheel studs. I just keep the studs clean with a wire brush and chase any bad threads with a tap or die before dirt and rust can seize them up.

[Bird-o-Prey]

I Just had my master cylinder replaced because the seals on the piston inside were torn up when my pedal hit the floor a couple of times.  I had a minor leak in one of my hard lines which allowed the brake pedal to hit the floor.  When that  happens, the seals on the piston inside the master cylindermove past the nice smooth area they have been working on for however many years.  The seals slide over a small ridge of corrosion/gunk (whatever you want to call it) at the end of its normal travel.  When this happens, the seals get roughed up and dont seal anymore.  This means that the master cylinder ends up feelin spongey all the time because fluid is allowed to travel past the seal and not build up pressure.

As for the cost to fix it...I had a shop here replace the master cylinder and fix the pin hole in the line that caused the problem in the first place and it cost me about $260 with tax.  Not the end of the world, but it meant I had a bit less beer money for a while.

[Billman]

I put in a reman master a couple three months ago and it was easier than I anticipated it would be. If you are having to add fluid constantly you likely have a leak somewhere, and if  do you are going to replace the line. In which case I haven't seen many come apart clean.

[carnuck]

I used the master from an '84ish XJ on SOTE. I'm about to upgrade my rear axle and brakes at the same time in Betty. The wheel cylinders can be had in larger diameters (ie: Eagle is larger than XJ) that still bolt in but you have to be careful to balance it out. Too much rear brake causes lockup.
   I'm looking at upgrading my front brakes after the 8.25 XJ rear axle swap.