What, no brakes?????

[Alfonso Gomez]

Yesterday I got into a nasty traffic jam. As I inched forward trying to escape it, I noticed that my brake pedal went lower each time I stopped. I checked the fluid level and it was full. I drove very slowly until I got to a shop. The mechanic popped the hood and told me he suspected that the master cylinder/calipers/ fluid were too hot from engine heat. He tried the brake pedal and it went down to the floorboard. He told me to let it cool for about an hour so I went to have lunch. When I returned, he started the engine and tried the brakes. They were fine and I drove home. By the way, he did not charge me a dime. The master cylinder is about 2 years old, the calipers and pads about 15 months old. Is this for real? What can be done to prevent it? This is not the first time I get into a traffic jam but is the first time this has happened. Another thing: the ABS system was removed about 15 months ago because the module was malfunctioning but the brakes were fine until this event yesterday. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[vmrod]

Since my '77 does not have ABS, I cannot figure out if that is a problem or not. My GUESS is the master brake cylinder. I have had wierd brake problems in the past, and this fixed it for me.

 

[RedRagTop]

I have had high heat situations at construction flags, traffic snarls and drive-throughs but have NEVER had the problems you describe. With your ABS mods and recent brake work I don't know what to tell you...
RJS

 

[c4cruiser]

Heat may be one cause of the problem, but I would find that pretty unlikely. Underhood temps can get high but not near the wet or dry boiling points of most basic brake fluids. And certainly nowhere as near as high as temps can be at the calipers when you are using the brakes vary hard such as track days, autocross and such.

You probably should have the brake fluid completely flushed and refilled with a high quality DOT3 or DOT4 fluid. The Ford high-performance fluid or Castrol LMA would work just fine.

When the ABS was removed, how did the lines get capped or re-routed to the brake system?? (BTW, the ABS should be replaced, it is a BIG safety feature for emergency braking!!) There could be a pipe plug or union leaking and it may have allowed air into the system.

 

[tyrel]

If your brake pedal goes to the floor, there is something seriously wrong, because that's definitely not normal behavior under any circumstances. I highly suspect that your master cylinder is on its way out.