flatlanded

Hi there, I'm working on a '00 Taurus at the moment and I've got some questions. First off, just pulled the wheels off and there seems to be nothing wrong with the brakes. Pads and shoes look good, caliper seems to grab nice, and the wheel cylinders don't appear to be leaking.

Here's the issue. The peddle isn't soft but when you push it, it doesnt really do much (like there's a lack of hydraulic pressure). The fluid level is fine but it's black (I'm going to replace it with some new stuff).

My question is: Is it normal for these master cylinders to fail in this way? Usually they give you a squishy peddle. Also, does anyone have any ideas on what it could be?

Thanks.

BTW I also have driven my parent's 03 Taurus and it brakes like it should.

Bert

It's not normal for master cylinders to fail that way. If you disable the ABS and try to lock up the brakes on gravel, you can see if front and rear lock up. Have smeone hold the pedal and see what kind of fluid pressure comes out at various locations.

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Bert

R.S.LOGAN

Brake servo / booster ?

jwko

Its probably master cylinder. My 01 did the same thing.

ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, sounds more like a bad brake booster, but cheap brake pads and shoes can do the same thing. [I call them carboard brake linings]

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Bert

One test of the brake booster is to pump the brakes a few times with the engine off. Then hold the pedal down and start the car. The pedal should drop some. Is the pedal hard and kind of high?

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Bert