"SVTyler" (svtyler)
10/24/2015 at 17:50 • Filed to: None
0
12|
"SVTyler" (svtyler)
10/24/2015 at 17:50 • Filed to: None | 0
| 12 |
In the last six months or so I’ve noticed the pedal’s gotten a bit hard at the bottom of pedal travel and I’ve lost some stopping power. It’s not enough to warrant parking the car, just an odd little quirk that I’ll need to take care of and I’m wanting to know where to start.
Things that might be helpful to know:
1. The pads and rotors are about 10,000 miles old but have been on the car for about three years and are from a no-name eBay kit (bought them as a placeholder for a StopTech kit but they’ve been so good I haven’t really seen the need to replace them)
2. Rotors, pads, lines, and calipers all looks good from an eye inspection (don’t have tools here at college to do any real disassembly). The RR pad’s a bit more worn than the rest but the car isn’t pulling to one side under braking nor is there any glazing on the rotor.
3. I’ve had problems with the integrated handbrake sticking before (might be causing the worn pad in the back?) but like I said haven’t noticed dragging or pulling under braking or acceleration
4. Very rarely (like once every few months) the brake pedal will become extremely hard and lose more than half of its power immediately after starting the car up and braking for the first time. After that the system feels completely fine (except the aforementioned stiffness at the bottom) and like I said it doesn’t happen often
I’m leaning towards the brake booster or vacuum lines but wanted to get more knowledgeable people’s opinions as well. Unlike a lot of you guys I have very little experience in diagnosing issues as well as fixing them so any input would be much appreciated!
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> SVTyler
10/24/2015 at 18:09 |
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“pedal’s gotten a bit hard at the bottom of pedal travel” could be crap in the master cylinder
Is this a new car? restoration? If its old are the vacuum lines old or loosely fitted?
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SVTyler
> gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
10/24/2015 at 18:15 |
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2003 Focus that had both the master and slave cylinder replaced as part of a clutch job four years ago and has been driven somewhat regularly since (15000 miles in four years). Haven’t been able to check the lines yet (posting this from the school library), should that be the first place I start?
Kit 'Haddy' Iwamatsu
> SVTyler
10/24/2015 at 18:32 |
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Wrong master and slave. The brake master and slave are separate from the clutch master and slave. Try changing out your brake fluid (meaning bleed the brake lines after pumping out the reservoir and refilling it.)
Other possibility is your booster is going bad. Check your fluid levels. If the car is going low without leaks underneath, the brake booster is full of fluid and you’ll have to replace the booster and master.
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gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> SVTyler
10/24/2015 at 18:32 |
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IF the master/slave cylinder was 15 years old maybe. Though I wouldn’t think a newer one would do that. (from super amateur shadetree mechanic)
My go to is the scourge of the earth, I would check the vacuum lines. See if any feel loose.
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SVTyler
> Kit 'Haddy' Iwamatsu
10/24/2015 at 18:41 |
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Wow I feel dumb now, I thought the brake and clutch cylinders were integrated into one unit. Shows how much I know about this kind of stuff -_-
The fluid level was fine when I checked a few weeks ago and I haven’t noticed any leaks so maybe it is the booster. I’ll be sure to change the fluid out when I go home for Thanksgiving break. Thank you for the advice.
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SVTyler
> gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
10/24/2015 at 18:41 |
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Will do, thank you!
traitor joe
> SVTyler
10/24/2015 at 19:01 |
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One way to find out if it is the booster would be to pump the brake pedal repeatedly while the car is off. If it starts feeling like you mentioned, it is probably a vacuum or booster issue.
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SVTyler
> traitor joe
10/24/2015 at 19:22 |
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I’ll test that out tonight, thank you!
ly2v8-Brian
> SVTyler
10/24/2015 at 20:55 |
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Time to burn it I guess
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SVTyler
> ly2v8-Brian
10/24/2015 at 22:01 |
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Y u do dis Kampf
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ly2v8-Brian
> SVTyler
10/24/2015 at 22:32 |
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Just the way I be.
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Kit 'Haddy' Iwamatsu
> gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
10/25/2015 at 00:25 |
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Well, it’s an 03... they are ~13 years old!