My Brakes Failed. Please help
#1
My Brakes Failed. Please help
Okay guys. I left my house this morning to go to work and I went to apply my brakes to stop for a stop sign and they felt really spongy then super stiff. The pedal ended up feeling like a brick wall. Couldn’t push it down at all. The car wouldn’t slow down at all. I had to swing onto the next road doing like 25mph because I couldn’t get the car slowed down. I didn’t think to downshift or use the lark brake because I was in shock that my brakes failed. The “Low Trac” light came on and the “ABS” light came on. The ABS light comes on all the time but it never drive any different so I never thought much of it. Anyways. Once I got the car stopped on the side road I applied the brakes and everything seemed normal. They worked as they normally would. They’ve been fine ever since as well. I still have an ABS light on. Any idea what would cause this??
Also so I might mention that when I bought this car, it had sat for several years before I bought it. About a month after buying it, the brakes would have an issue where they would drag really badly. Just the fronts. It got bad enough that I couldn’t drive the car because I was shoving the front end all over the place with the brakes about locked up. One day I got in it to move it and the brakes seemed fine and I’ve never had another issue with them until now. The ABS light has been on and off the whole time I’ve had the car.
Also so I might mention that when I bought this car, it had sat for several years before I bought it. About a month after buying it, the brakes would have an issue where they would drag really badly. Just the fronts. It got bad enough that I couldn’t drive the car because I was shoving the front end all over the place with the brakes about locked up. One day I got in it to move it and the brakes seemed fine and I’ve never had another issue with them until now. The ABS light has been on and off the whole time I’ve had the car.
#4
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Eastern PA,
Posts: 10,351
Understand this is not a normal failure mode. If I had to guess you have some contaminate in your brake fluid. If it was my car or a family members it would get the following.
Flush the lines
Rebuild the front and rear calipers.
Replace the master cylinder
Replace flexible hoses front and rear.
I believe you may need a higher end scanner to do the flushing. You could get away with the much slow vacuum pull process but I am not sure.
Rebuilding calipers is easier then people think and can save you money. Check out youtube and your budget , your call.
Keep in mind the first rule in the ABS system is do no harm, there are redundant systems in place to make sure the only thing you loose in any ABS failure is the ABS.
Flush the lines
Rebuild the front and rear calipers.
Replace the master cylinder
Replace flexible hoses front and rear.
I believe you may need a higher end scanner to do the flushing. You could get away with the much slow vacuum pull process but I am not sure.
Rebuilding calipers is easier then people think and can save you money. Check out youtube and your budget , your call.
Keep in mind the first rule in the ABS system is do no harm, there are redundant systems in place to make sure the only thing you loose in any ABS failure is the ABS.
Last edited by Gorn; 04-27-2018 at 04:03 PM.
#5
I had the same thing happen to me, brakes failed and no stopping power what so ever. I was well away from home so I had to think of something on the spot, I just unplugged the harness that goes to the ABS system, Never had the problem again. Still haven't plugged it back in a year later, I just deal with the ABS INOP light on the dash. Correct me if im way off but what I think happened is one of the wheel speed sensors got messed up and reported the wrong speed to the system, causing the ABS to engage wrongly.
#6
i had a abs go bad in a truck and it did wierd stuff when i hit the brakes. it would pulse sometimes, work right sometimes, go almost to the floor with poor brake sometimes.
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