[Cyclone Joe]

Okay, the last time I was able to drive the Cyclone, it ran pretty well. Stopping however was a little more difficult. It does have power disc brakes, drums in the back, and all the hardware upfront is new, and new shoes for the drums. Now, I can get the car to stop, and obviously it isnt' going to stop like a newer car(thank god, I almost end up on the dash when I hop in my parents explorer brake for the first time!) but I have to put a lot of pedal pressure to get it to stop. The pedal isn't spongy, its actually quite hard, so I'm thinking I'm not getting any assistance from the booster. So, how do I test to see if the booster is bad? I know I've asked this question before, but I didn't have money at the time. Now I have money, now I can fix it. I don't have a clue how to check to see if its the booster or not. Someone told me to put my head down by the brake pedal to listen for air hissing. Well that won't work with the type of exaust system on the ol' girl. So, any ideas? If it is faulty, where can I send it/buy a new booster? Thanks guys AND gals

 

[mustangboy]

You don't have to have the car running to hear the leak.Just let it run for a minute to let it build up vacuum have the hood open,shut it off and listen around the booster.You could also just disconnect the vacuum line going to the booster with the car running(you'll have to plug the hose) and try the brakes,you should notice a big difference.The brakes should be very hard to push with no vacuum, if they feel the same as usual and your normally getting vacuum to the booster you must have a problem.

 

[windsoreight]

Another way to tell if the booster isn't working is to put your foot on the brake pedal and start the car it should go down slightly. I would make sure you have vacuum going to it. If it was leaking vacuum you would probably have a higher idle. Check the one way valve at the booster they sometimes fail.

 

[jade17h]

The problem I got is that if I leave the car sit for a couple days there is no brake fluid in the rservoir and theres a little but not much fluid on the ground. I think its leaking INTO the booster but im not sure. Has anyone ever taken off the booster and ran it without it??How difficult is it to do??? See, i race circle track so it would be fine with me. I know several guys at the track do it but they're all chevys.

 

[Cyclone Joe]

The best thing to do is to REPLACE YOUR MASTER CYLINDER IMMEDIATLY. You'll be able to tell if its been leaking into the booster by taking the master cylinder off of the booster, and you'll either see fluid or you won't. Inspect your brake lines, and wheel cylinders and bleed screws. If they look okay, then I would suspect the master cylinder. Don't delay in replacing it if it is in fact the problem. It can fail at any time, and its not worth risking your life for a few bucks, right? Good luck! Thanks for all of your suggestions too.

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When something is fixed, something else will break within a matter of days. Am I the only one who has this happen to them?!!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cyclone Joe on 3/18/02 1:20am ]</font>