What Brakes?!?

[Crzypny]

Been having intermittant problems with my brakes. This is the best way I know how do describe it - the way your brakes feel when your driving down the road and your engine dies. :shrug: Fluid level is good ...

Any ideas/suggestions?

[1sicklx]

:yup: no fun when you hit the brakes and have to stand on them to keep from kissing the rearend in front of you because they simply aren't there ... :shake:

[slvrbullit]

sounds to me like a wheel cylinder maybe headed out or the rubber lines are shot and not holding the pressure i.e. expanding like a balloon when the pedal is depressed. Check the lines first since you said the fluid is fine.

[One_live95]

saying that it is like when the engine dies, like no vacuum would make me think that it would be the master cylinder or something.... have you tried having them bled. Maybe air in the lines...


Tommy made a good point as well...


jason

[TheJeanyus]

When the engine dies in my dad's Ranger (which happens sometimes when you push in the clutch for some reason), the brake pedal gets very hard to push. When the MC went out in my T-bird, the brake pedal would go all the way to the floor with little to no effort, so based on that I wouldn't think the MC is going out.

[One_live95]

oh well i tried....lol maybe bleed brakes....replace hoses? good luck


jason

[Craig K.]

If it feels hard like the engine is off, then your running out of vacuum assist.
Based on this you could check the plastic check valve the plugs into the brake booster that has the rubber vacuum hose, I think you can buy news ones for a dollar or so.

Also get a vacuum pump and plug it into the brake booster and see if it holds a vacuum when you pump it up.

Has your car ran like it had a vacuum leak at all? If so check the vacuum hose T section that feeds the booster, you could have a cracked hose or something.

If you have a Cobra from 96+ then diregard everything I said because those cars have a Hydro-Boost system that get the brake assist from the P/S system through the hydralic fluid.

[Crzypny]

If it feels hard like the engine is off, then your running out of vacuum assist.

To begin, I don't like the way the brakes feel anyway - the pedal feels very "spongy" to me when it's not acting up. It just strikes me odd that this problem happens every now and then.

My first thoughts were to maybe bleed the lines, but I'll take a look at the vacuum hose to/from the booster. Thanks! ;)

[TheJeanyus]

A spongy pedal feel can mean that the brake lines need to be bled. :yup:

[Wicked]

Spongy pedal may be worn seals in the master cylinder. Hard pedal may be a leaking master power booster. If the pedal is hard while idling, listen under the hood for a vacuum leak. Follow craig's suggestions.

I would first try bleeding the system really well to make sure you don't have some water and air in the lines. That should take care of the sponginess if the master cylinder is okay.

[1sicklx]

Spongy pedal may be worn seals in the master cylinder. Hard pedal may be a leaking master power booster. If the pedal is hard while idling, listen under the hood for a vacuum leak. Follow craig's suggestions.

I would first try bleeding the system really well to make sure you don't have some water and air in the lines. That should take care of the sponginess if the master cylinder is okay.

No Vac leak at idle, and as far as I know the pedal hasn't been hard at idle either. Only seems to happen when you really need them and have to get on them pretty hard. Will try bleeding the brakes and see what that does.