This is topic Brakes Failed while driving!!! tell me what it could be? in forum Tech Talk at Northern California Ford Owners  .


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Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
my brakes were working ok until i was driving down the street and all of the sudden my brake pedal quickly went to the floor without even slowing down. theres no leakes and i have plenty of fluid. i think its the m/c or booster but i could be wrong, please somebody give me some advise, thanks
 
Posted by blind (Member # 3052) on :
 
fluid cant compress so you have air in the brake lines and you need to bleed them more until you get it out, I suggest a pressure bleeder.

with air in the lines the pedal will be firm with the engine off, but if you turn it on and start driving it will go to the floor because the air in the lines will compress.
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
the pedal goes to the floor with the car off as well and it feels exactly the same wen the cars on, and when i press the brake pedal it sounds like im pumping air.
 
Posted by Jmir018 (Member # 1414) on :
 
like previously mentioned, bleed you brakes and go from there.
good luck
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
i just bled the brakes 3 times and still the same problem, what now?

[ May 14, 2006, 03:35 AM: Message edited by: 23boy5.0 ]
 
Posted by blind (Member # 3052) on :
 
make sure your calipers are mounted on the correct side of the car, if they are switched they will store air pockets in them.

and you may need to bleed the brakes 20 times, if there is air there is air, the brakes will not work until you get it out. do you have access to a pressure or vacuum bleeder?
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
i do not have acces to a vaccum bleeder, but i did bleed it 6 more times and still nothin it still falls to the floor. theres nothing wrong wit my calipers or anything. i did have this problem on my other mustang but it was because the piston in the calipor was loose and i had to put it back in place, its not the case this time.
 
Posted by Jmir018 (Member # 1414) on :
 
get a pressure bleeder and pressure test the system.
blind, adviced me to get a nice inexpensive(relatively) one and i love it. i no longer have the link, but he might [Razz] .
good luck
 
Posted by asskickn88 (Member # 4957) on :
 
Sounds like your master cylinder went out. If the brakes were fine one second then gone the next thats most likely your problem.
 
Posted by 88DroptopGT (Member # 2535) on :
 
Did you do any work/mods on the brake system before this happened?

If you didn't touch the brakes before, sounds like your MC just went out.

If you DID work on your system and it just failed on you, sounds like you need to start bleeding some more.
 
Posted by Luke87GT (Member # 21) on :
 
ya, sounds like a bad MC.

Happened to me before.
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
yea, i agree, it sounds like a bad m/c becauseit just randomly went out, ill just get one. can you put a sn95 m/c on a 87 booster?
 
Posted by blind (Member # 3052) on :
 
I have a 95GT m/c on an `87 booster in my car, you just need a 3-2 port conversion because the SN95 only has ports for front and rear
 
Posted by PWR HNGRY 302 (Member # 6000) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blind:
I have a 95GT m/c on an `87 booster in my car, you just need a 3-2 port conversion because the SN95 only has ports for front and rear

Yup me too, but when you buy the 95 mc make sure to buy it new that way it comes with the resovior.
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blind:
I have a 95GT m/c on an `87 booster in my car, you just need a 3-2 port conversion because the SN95 only has ports for front and rear

where can i find that?

with the sn95 m/c and 87 booster, can i use disc brakes?

By the way, i think i found the problem. it looks like the resivoir cap is not sealing or there is a leak in the resivoir, because i filled it up with brake fuid all the way to the top and put the cap on it. I had a friend pump the brake and fluid was squirting out. So if thats happening there has to be a lot of air in the lines so im goin to get a vaccum bleeder.
 
Posted by Jim Wood (Member # 5531) on :
 
You probably need to bleed the master cylinder. You can bleed the brakes till your blue in the face, if the master cylinder isn't bled it won't matter. Get a cap, bleed the master cylinder and try it out.

Personally, if it went out all of a sudden I would take it to a mechanic.
 
Posted by blind (Member # 3052) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by 23boy5.0:
quote:
Originally posted by blind:
I have a 95GT m/c on an `87 booster in my car, you just need a 3-2 port conversion because the SN95 only has ports for front and rear

where can i find that?

with the sn95 m/c and 87 booster, can i use disc brakes?

By the way, i think i found the problem. it looks like the resivoir cap is not sealing or there is a leak in the resivoir, because i filled it up with brake fuid all the way to the top and put the cap on it. I had a friend pump the brake and fluid was squirting out. So if thats happening there has to be a lot of air in the lines so im goin to get a vaccum bleeder.

yes I use that, in addition to a few other little parts and I have rear disc brakes.

if it blows fluid out of the cap when you hit the brakes that sounds like the master cylinder is full of air to me.

to bleed the master cylinder, loosen the brake fittings on the side of it enough to let fluid out just like the bleeder screws at each wheel, pump the brakes or use a pressure bleeder to force fluid out that way then tighten them up while holding the pedal to the floor and that should bleed the m/c
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by blind:
quote:
Originally posted by 23boy5.0:
quote:
Originally posted by blind:
I have a 95GT m/c on an `87 booster in my car, you just need a 3-2 port conversion because the SN95 only has ports for front and rear

where can i find that?

with the sn95 m/c and 87 booster, can i use disc brakes?

By the way, i think i found the problem. it looks like the resivoir cap is not sealing or there is a leak in the resivoir, because i filled it up with brake fuid all the way to the top and put the cap on it. I had a friend pump the brake and fluid was squirting out. So if thats happening there has to be a lot of air in the lines so im goin to get a vaccum bleeder.

yes I use that, in addition to a few other little parts and I have rear disc brakes.

if it blows fluid out of the cap when you hit the brakes that sounds like the master cylinder is full of air to me.

to bleed the master cylinder, loosen the brake fittings on the side of it enough to let fluid out just like the bleeder screws at each wheel, pump the brakes or use a pressure bleeder to force fluid out that way then tighten them up while holding the pedal to the floor and that should bleed the m/c

that sounds like a two person job ( one person tightening the line fittings, and one ta pump the brake) is there a way to do it if theres only one person?
 
Posted by blind (Member # 3052) on :
 
you really cannot bleed the master cylinder without depressing the piston, even if you had a pressure bleeder.
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
ok well scratch the last response. i just tried to take the brake lines off of the mc and the fittings were rounded off, so now i cant even f@**ing take the thing out, any more advise? Btw, thanks for all of the help, especially from blind. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
so how am i going to take the brake lines of of the m/c if the nuts are rounded off?
 
Posted by blind (Member # 3052) on :
 
you can get a tool from sears that is make for removing stripped bolts, it's like a hand held clamp, hard to describe.
 
Posted by Jim Wood (Member # 5531) on :
 
Take it to a mechanic.
 
Posted by 23boy5.0 (Member # 5511) on :
 
WELL THAT WOULD MEAN I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR TOW, AND PAY FOR MECHANIC...... NOT GONNA HAPPEN, WHEN I CAN DO IT MYSELF.
 




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