Finally fix car, way home Brakes give out...help

C

CivicEater

New Member

Jan 29, 2004

579

0

0

May 19, 2004

#1

• May 19, 2004

• #1

So I finally fixed my charging problem and got the car on its way home and the brakes give out. Here is what happens. If you lightly very lightly apply the brakes the car will start to slow but if you try and apply any real force it feels like the pedal wont go any farther and the car doesnt slow at all. I almost wrecked coming home. There are no obstructions behind the pedal and the brake fluid is full.....please help me

 

NotQuik

Founding Member

Oct 21, 2000

5,158

29

88

Central Florida

May 19, 2004

#2

• May 19, 2004

• #2

Is it hard to push the pedal down and when you hit the brakes do you hear a hissing sound? If so i could be the brake booster

 

5

5literstang

New Member

Apr 15, 2003

1,374

0

0

Clark, NJ

May 19, 2004

#3

• May 19, 2004

• #3

sounds like ur brake booster...my friend had a simialr problem and he used his ebrake for a bit and a few days later the brakes just got better, it was very wierd...btw he has a 87 GT

 

Black95GTS

Active Member

Jan 8, 2004

1,644

3

38

Marlborough, MA

May 19, 2004

#4

• May 19, 2004

• #4

seriously, as much as I love mustangs, take your engine apart, part out the HCI and other goodies for ebay, and blow that mother up.

 

C

CivicEater

New Member

Jan 29, 2004

579

0

0

May 19, 2004

#5

• May 19, 2004

• #5

Yea I measured it and the pedal will only go about 2 inchs in. Where is the brake booster....price? Install hard? ...... This is dpressing....Is it safe to drive with it like that using the ebrake?

Black 95 GTS ....I have wanted to do that for months now

 

mytight95

Active Member

Apr 11, 2003

2,605

0

46

Dothan,Al

May 19, 2004

#6

• May 19, 2004

• #6

man, thats all i can say

 

AznStanger3v

Active Member

Aug 11, 2003

2,026

0

47

Northern VA

May 19, 2004

#7

• May 19, 2004

• #7

CivicEater said:

Yea I measured it and the pedal will only go about 2 inchs in. Where is the brake booster....price? Install hard? ...... This is dpressing....Is it safe to drive with it like that using the ebrake?

Black 95 GTS ....I have wanted to do that for months now

Click to expand...

dude, its never safe driving with the ebrake. pending on if you need one and how hard it is to get free, i might be able to help you out on the price area.

 

DougNuts

Founding Member

Jul 11, 2000

2,596

0

47

Georgetown Ky

May 19, 2004

#8

• May 19, 2004

• #8

Hmm......try taking the cap off the fluid. Slowly press the pedal a couple times. Cap it back up and take it for an easy spin.

 

VibrantRedGT

"STANGNET'S PENGUIN SMACKER"

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

14,679

424

154

Boca Raton, Florida

May 19, 2004

#9

• May 19, 2004

• #9

Hard pedal usually equals a bad booster. Very soft, mushy pedal that hits the floor is usually the master cylinder.

 

94TURBO5 O

New Member

Mar 14, 2004

2,509

0

0

VA

May 19, 2004

#10

• May 19, 2004

• #10

Some things are to good to be true sometimes. Some shops are crooked and if you are honest with them and tell them you are fed up with all the problems with your car but you must have it to get places, they will fix a problem and then

with another problem. How long after did this happen after you left the shop? I am not saying that they did anything to your car but just wondering. Sounds to me like they let some air in your chit also or I could be wrong. Being from S.FL (home of con and scam artists) I get very precautious about stuff.
You need to check all your brake components like the calipers pistons, brake booster (like was mentioned) master, lines and that will help you narrow it down.
Hang in there man things are not so bad. You got that big stress problem solved for only $100.

 

stangbanger94

New Member

Apr 29, 2004

203

0

0

Bergen County, NJ

May 19, 2004

#11

• May 19, 2004

• #11

Make sure to check all the wiring around the abs module(pump) inside the engine compartment. ABS malfunctions can cause your brakes to do weird crap too.

 

94TURBO5 O

New Member

Mar 14, 2004

2,509

0

0

VA

May 19, 2004

#12

• May 19, 2004

• #12

OH..and

DO NOT DRIVE WITH JUST AN E BRAKE!

If you do stay in low gears and do a lot of downshifting.

 

C

CivicEater

New Member

Jan 29, 2004

579

0

0

May 19, 2004

#13

• May 19, 2004

• #13

JR......lmao Your icons cheer me up good.....but then I get depressed again. I will NOT drive with just an ebrake I was just asking if it was even safe becuase it was mentioned in an earlier reply. It started to happen mabye 5 miles from the shop. Interesting thing there is when I started fishing around in the engine, I noticed the line tapping the PCV into the side of the intake (upper) was undone and the piece that it fits on was unscrewed. Everything else looked pretty good. I checked to see if they had undid any vac line to the booster but everything I see looks hooked up. I can get a pic tomorow mabye somone here will notice something out of the ordinary I didnt. The pedal will only go in about 2 inchs and those are two very hard inches of pushing. I have never messed with brakes before (other than caliper/pads) so I wouldnt know how to test or check the MC or Booster. How hard is the install on the Booster? I dont wanna bring this to a shop becuase I doubt anyone will lend me more money so I am gonna try and do what I can here.

 

haulbalz

Founding Member

Apr 6, 2002

448

0

0

May 19, 2004

#14

• May 19, 2004

• #14

couldn't it just be a bad vacume leak? maybe they broke a line or something, i know that too little vacume will cause bad brakes...

 

C

CivicEater

New Member

Jan 29, 2004

579

0

0

May 19, 2004

#15

• May 19, 2004

• #15

I thought that may be it but I didnt notice any lines disconnected or cracked....but I dont really know my way around the brake lines so I am sure I could have missed some.

 

94TURBO5 O

New Member

Mar 14, 2004

2,509

0

0

VA

May 19, 2004

#16

• May 19, 2004

• #16

 

C

CivicEater

New Member

Jan 29, 2004

579

0

0

May 19, 2004

#17

• May 19, 2004

• #17

Thanks JR, I have that haynes but I didnt get what they meant like in the "check" section they say if the pedal eases slightly when you start the car then its ok (which it does) but they also say "if the pedal feels hard when the engines on then the booster is bad" (which it does)
and in step 10 when you go under the pass compartment (in the car) you disconnect the brake light switch (is this neccesary?) then it goes right into the removing the pushrod but it doesnt say of you are moving back into the engine compartment under the cover shown in the pic.

 

DougNuts

Founding Member

Jul 11, 2000

2,596

0

47

Georgetown Ky

May 19, 2004

#18

• May 19, 2004

• #18

I'm leaning towards a vacuum leak now. I'm not sure what a leak will do to your brakes on a power assisted car, but it just seems logical since someone was under your hood.