I have a 97conti. In November I was pulling into a parking space at a mall and I had no breaks. I bumped a Hummer. No damage to either car but scared the heck out of me. I had the car towed and a new master cylinder was put in and he bled the system. Yesterday the exact same thing happened but after pumping the breaks they started working and I was able to drive home. Once again I had the car towed and the line was bled again. The mechanic was not able to find anything wrong as the breaks were working fine. What's up? I'm getting afraid to drive the car. Both times I was going really slow as I was pulling into a parking space. What if I was doing 55 mph and had to stop!
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Break Problem
- Thread starter Carol
- Start date
bradyelich
Well-Known LVC Member
It is hard to tell you what is going on. The following is from the shop manual:
Abnormal Conditions
Changes in brake pedal feel or travel are indicators that something could be wrong in the brake system. These diagnosis procedures and techniques use brake pedal feel, the warning indicator illumination, and brake fluid level as indicators in diagnosing brake system concerns.
Brake pedal goes down fast. This could be caused by an external or internal leak.
Brake pedal eases down slowly. This could be caused by an external or internal leak.
Brake pedal is low and/or feels spongy. This condition may be caused by no fluid in the brake master cylinder reservoir, reservoir cap vent holes clogged, rear brakes out of adjustment or air in the hydraulic system.
Brake pedal effort excessive. This may be caused by a bind or obstruction in brake pedal linkage, or insufficient power brake booster vacuum.
Rear brake lock-up during light brake pedal force. This may be caused by wrong tire pressure, grease or fluid on linings, damaged linings, improperly adjusted parking brakes or damaged/contaminated brake pressure control valve.
Erratic brake pedal effort. This condition could be caused by power brake booster damage, extreme caliper piston "knock back" or improperly installed disc brake shoe and lining.
Brake warning indicator ON. This may be caused by low fluid level, ignition wire routing too close to fluid level indicator assembly, or float assembly damage.
Are you having any of the problems listed above??
Did your check anti lock brake warning light ever come on? If it did not turn on, your mech should have pulled the codes from the ABS control module. He needs to use a Rotunda New Generation Star (NGS) 007-00500 tester or equivalent for ABS codes.
If he got air into the ABS valve block, this tool is required for bleeding ABS valve block. This step is seperate from the master cylinder bleeding procedure.
Abnormal Conditions
Changes in brake pedal feel or travel are indicators that something could be wrong in the brake system. These diagnosis procedures and techniques use brake pedal feel, the warning indicator illumination, and brake fluid level as indicators in diagnosing brake system concerns.
Brake pedal goes down fast. This could be caused by an external or internal leak.
Brake pedal eases down slowly. This could be caused by an external or internal leak.
Brake pedal is low and/or feels spongy. This condition may be caused by no fluid in the brake master cylinder reservoir, reservoir cap vent holes clogged, rear brakes out of adjustment or air in the hydraulic system.
Brake pedal effort excessive. This may be caused by a bind or obstruction in brake pedal linkage, or insufficient power brake booster vacuum.
Rear brake lock-up during light brake pedal force. This may be caused by wrong tire pressure, grease or fluid on linings, damaged linings, improperly adjusted parking brakes or damaged/contaminated brake pressure control valve.
Erratic brake pedal effort. This condition could be caused by power brake booster damage, extreme caliper piston "knock back" or improperly installed disc brake shoe and lining.
Brake warning indicator ON. This may be caused by low fluid level, ignition wire routing too close to fluid level indicator assembly, or float assembly damage.
Are you having any of the problems listed above??
Did your check anti lock brake warning light ever come on? If it did not turn on, your mech should have pulled the codes from the ABS control module. He needs to use a Rotunda New Generation Star (NGS) 007-00500 tester or equivalent for ABS codes.
If he got air into the ABS valve block, this tool is required for bleeding ABS valve block. This step is seperate from the master cylinder bleeding procedure.
bradyelich
Well-Known LVC Member
It is hard to tell you what is going on from here. The following is from the shop manual:
Abnormal Conditions
Changes in brake pedal feel or travel are indicators that something could be wrong in the brake system. These diagnosis procedures and techniques use brake pedal feel, the warning indicator illumination, and brake fluid level as indicators in diagnosing brake system concerns.
Brake pedal goes down fast. This could be caused by an external or internal leak.
Brake pedal eases down slowly. This could be caused by an external or internal leak.
Brake pedal is low and/or feels spongy. This condition may be caused by no fluid in the brake master cylinder reservoir, reservoir cap vent holes clogged, rear brakes out of adjustment or air in the hydraulic system.
Brake pedal effort excessive. This may be caused by a bind or obstruction in brake pedal linkage, or insufficient power brake booster vacuum.
Rear brake lock-up during light brake pedal force. This may be caused by wrong tire pressure, grease or fluid on linings, damaged linings, improperly adjusted parking brakes or damaged/contaminated brake pressure control valve.
Erratic brake pedal effort. This condition could be caused by power brake booster damage, extreme caliper piston "knock back" or improperly installed disc brake shoe and lining.
Brake warning indicator ON. This may be caused by low fluid level, ignition wire routing too close to fluid level indicator assembly, or float assembly damage.
Are you having any of the problems listed above??
Did your check anti lock brake warning light ever come on? If it did not turn on, your mech should have pulled the codes from the ABS control module. He needs to use a Rotunda New Generation Star (NGS) 007-00500 tester or equivalent for ABS codes.
If he got air into the ABS valve block, this tool is required for bleeding ABS valve block. This step is seperate from the master cylinder bleeding procedure.
Abnormal Conditions
Changes in brake pedal feel or travel are indicators that something could be wrong in the brake system. These diagnosis procedures and techniques use brake pedal feel, the warning indicator illumination, and brake fluid level as indicators in diagnosing brake system concerns.
Brake pedal goes down fast. This could be caused by an external or internal leak.
Brake pedal eases down slowly. This could be caused by an external or internal leak.
Brake pedal is low and/or feels spongy. This condition may be caused by no fluid in the brake master cylinder reservoir, reservoir cap vent holes clogged, rear brakes out of adjustment or air in the hydraulic system.
Brake pedal effort excessive. This may be caused by a bind or obstruction in brake pedal linkage, or insufficient power brake booster vacuum.
Rear brake lock-up during light brake pedal force. This may be caused by wrong tire pressure, grease or fluid on linings, damaged linings, improperly adjusted parking brakes or damaged/contaminated brake pressure control valve.
Erratic brake pedal effort. This condition could be caused by power brake booster damage, extreme caliper piston "knock back" or improperly installed disc brake shoe and lining.
Brake warning indicator ON. This may be caused by low fluid level, ignition wire routing too close to fluid level indicator assembly, or float assembly damage.
Are you having any of the problems listed above??
Did your check anti lock brake warning light ever come on? If it did not turn on, your mech should have pulled the codes from the ABS control module. He needs to use a Rotunda New Generation Star (NGS) 007-00500 tester or equivalent for ABS codes.
If he got air into the ABS valve block, this tool is required for bleeding ABS valve block. This step is seperate from the master cylinder bleeding procedure.
The garage where I purchased the master cylinder found a crack in the ABS valve. He was able to get just the valve from a junk car dealer and the cost is only going to be $54.00 to fix it. Much better than the $1400 for a whole new unit. I sure hope this takes care of the problem.