having brake issues
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Teching In
Joined: Oct 2009
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having brake issues I spun out on some ice yesterday and ever since then my car's brakes don't have the pressure they use to. The brake pedel is almost all the way to the floor before I begin stopping. Also I engaged my emergency brake tonight and the light in the dash wont go off and my parking brake stays engage even though I can readily move the handle. Other than freezing up from getting water on it what else could have caused these problems. Also there is pleanty of fluid in the reservior.
if you had a bad brake booster, then your brake pedal would be very hard to depress, such as when the engine is off and the brake pedal firms up and gets very hard to push once the vacuum in the booster gets used up. With a bad booster and the engine running, the pedal would feel like it does when the engine is off.
If your pedal goes to the floor easily, then you have either air in the brake system, a leak somewhere, or a bad master cylinder.
regarding the brake light being illuminated on the dash, that will stay on when the fluid is low in the master cylinder resevoir and it trips the fluid level sensor. You may also have a bad sensor there, otherwise it could be a bad switch the e-brake handle contacts to let the computer know the e-brake is applied.
If the parking brake stays engaged, then you'll need to check the cable mechanism under the center console to make sure it's releasing, and also check that cable going back to the rear axle. The parking brake are brake shoes within the rear rotors, I've messed with them and they can get fouled up and rusted under there. normally if they did get stuck applied, the mechanism is weak so they should usually release. You would need to pull the rear wheels, undo the brake caliper and pull that off the rotor before you can pull the rear rotors off. And if the ebrake is applied, you won't get the rotor off because the parking brake will hold them on, if you pull the rotors off you'll most likely damage the parking brake mechanism on the axle.
If your pedal goes to the floor easily, then you have either air in the brake system, a leak somewhere, or a bad master cylinder.
regarding the brake light being illuminated on the dash, that will stay on when the fluid is low in the master cylinder resevoir and it trips the fluid level sensor. You may also have a bad sensor there, otherwise it could be a bad switch the e-brake handle contacts to let the computer know the e-brake is applied.
If the parking brake stays engaged, then you'll need to check the cable mechanism under the center console to make sure it's releasing, and also check that cable going back to the rear axle. The parking brake are brake shoes within the rear rotors, I've messed with them and they can get fouled up and rusted under there. normally if they did get stuck applied, the mechanism is weak so they should usually release. You would need to pull the rear wheels, undo the brake caliper and pull that off the rotor before you can pull the rear rotors off. And if the ebrake is applied, you won't get the rotor off because the parking brake will hold them on, if you pull the rotors off you'll most likely damage the parking brake mechanism on the axle.
if the ABS light is on, along with traction control and ebrake lights, odds are it's the brake control module. Mine went out last yr and I picked up a used one for $55.
A handheld ABS scanner in your OBDII port might tell you more.
A handheld ABS scanner in your OBDII port might tell you more.
