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Random intermittent brake failure mystery on 95 C-4

starbuck

Active member
Joined
Oct 9, 2008
Messages
36
Location
clemmons, NC
Corvette
yellow 1995 coupe
So last Saturday night my Wifey calls me all panicked because the brake pedal on the Vette suddenly went to the floor and the brake warning light went on. I talked her through the “pump the pedal to determine if she actually lost the brakes” or if it was something less severe. She got pressure back and I talked her through the short drive home.

The next day I checked the fluid reservoir, it was a bit dirty looking and old and just a little bit low but the res was still at least +75% full. So, working off the assumption that there was air in the lines, I put her up on stands, siphoned the fluid from the reservoir with a hypodermic syringe, refilled it and bled the brakes.

Unfortunately the front passenger-side bleeder nipple was frozen in place and I couldn’t break it loose.

I put the wheels back on and took it for a drive. Pedal was strong with no fade and did not slowly creep to the floor as I held pressure on it for at least a full minute.

I’m thinking; air in the line, problem solved. Then I drove it for a while. After, I would say, 30-50 times pushing the pedal it suddenly became very soft and felt like it was going right to the floor. I instinctively pumped it once and the pressure was normal again. Now every 100-200 times (estimate) the pedal is pushed, there seems to be little or no resistance but a single pump of the pedal brings the pressure back.

The fluid level is fine as are the pads. The flexible lines look fine (though there is no way to tell their condition inside)

I know I need to get that final caliper bled but the problem existed before that so I doubt that some air in that one line or caliper would allow the pedal to drop nearly to the floor with very little resistance with the brake warning light sometimes coming on, sometimes not.

I find no pattern to the problem, uphill, downhill, hard cornering and braking, driving like a granny, brakes hot or cold…nothing seems to make a difference.
Any ideas? Bad master maybe or just air in that one line?

I hate intermittent problems.

Thanks
 
Same thing happend to me... in traffic :eek:hnoes The master cylinder needed a rebuild,
dont take short cuts with brakes, get it done just to be sure:w
 

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