brakes don't work. - Maintenance and Repair Forum

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brakes don't work.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 11:03 AM
if i don't figure this out within the next week i am junking the car. i press my brakes once, the pedal goes to the floor... let it out and press it again it is stiff to acertain point then it goes to the floor. then i will start the car up and the pedal just goes to the floor. have no idea what is wrong i have NO BRAKES AT ALL. PLEASE HELP


98 Sunfire GT LD9

KYB, RTX, AEM, MAGNAFLOW, MORE TO COME.


Re: brakes don't work.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 11:15 AM
Did this just happen? Or did they fail gradually? Does your hand brake work?

- Make sure fluid level is topped up.
- Check for obvious leaks or damaged lines
- Make sure you've got pad / shoe left
- Make sure the system is well and properly bled
- You mention pumping the brakes while the car is not running -- does it feel like the pedal is "leaking down" at that time? Could lead to a bad booster and/or master cylinder.





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Re: brakes don't work.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 11:26 AM
master cyl is new, all my abs components are new, no it just happened. i changed the tranny they worked before, pulled the car out after changing the tranny and a brake hose and hasn't worked since. no the pedal gets stiff. then after ya put so much pressure on it it just drops to the floor. everything workss right when its in pieces but not as a whole.


98 Sunfire GT LD9

KYB, RTX, AEM, MAGNAFLOW, MORE TO COME.

Re: brakes don't work.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 12:35 PM
anyone else have suggestions?


98 Sunfire GT LD9

KYB, RTX, AEM, MAGNAFLOW, MORE TO COME.

Re: brakes don't work.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 1:08 PM
bleed the brakes....bleed all 4 wheels 1 at a time, its a two person job. 99% there is an air bubble somewhere...you said you changed a brake line...did you bleed them properly afterwards?



Re: brakes don't work.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 3:09 PM
I'm going with what's already been said, bleed the brakes one at a time. It is a two person job and will take a little bit of time but I'm betting this will fix the problem. If it doesn't than be sure you check everything, the master, all lines, fluid level, how much pad depth you have left.
Re: brakes don't work.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 6:15 PM
i have done this, but i will try it again, any other suggestions incase bleeding isn't the problem?



98 Sunfire GT LD9

KYB, RTX, AEM, MAGNAFLOW, MORE TO COME.

Re: brakes don't work.
Thursday, May 28, 2009 9:42 AM
If it has been bled properly, then it sounds like a bad master cylinder to me. It could also be a bad brake hose. Have you checked for any ballooning areas in your brake hoses?


2.2 97 Cavalier......the "Crapalier"
Re: brakes don't work.
Friday, May 29, 2009 11:02 PM
did you bleed the abs unit?



Re: brakes don't work.
Saturday, May 30, 2009 3:55 AM
You've got textbook air in the system symptoms / bad master cylinder symptoms.

Brake fluid will NOT compress. There is something in the system compressing or yielding to the fluid. Most often a pocket of air somewhere. Next is a loss of fluid or an ineffective compressing of the fluid.
If you need to add fluid yet see no leaks, look inside your brake vacuum booster unit, it may be filling up!

Bleed properly and/or install a good master cylinder.
Another less likely culprit would be your flex lines in the system check your flex lines for bulging when under pressure, they go bad after awhile and while they don't always leak they do turn soft at times.

Dave
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