Chrysler Repair: Caravan brakes, power steering pump, vacuum level

Question
Hello Roland,

I have a 92 caravan that the brakes have gotten really hard to press lately. I thought it was the brake booster but this vehicle has an ABS hydraulic unit. What, if anything, can I check to verify that the unit is bad? Also, someone told me the units pressure is somehow related to the power steering pump, is this true?

Answer
Hi Russell,
Excessive foot effort to brake the vehicle usually is unrelated to the ABS. I don't see how the brake system is related to the power steering pump. I agree that the booster vacuum level may be the issue.
I would look at the vacuum hose from the intake manifold over to the booster canister at the master cylinder to be sure that the hose isn't cracked and that it is firmly clamped at both ends and that there is no subtle cracking of the hose in the area that the clamps squeeze upon. Any loss of vacuum will reduce the assist that the power brake gives your pedal effort. If that seems good, then I would consider the possibility that the short rubber brake hoses that run between the calipers and the chassis may be rotted in their lumen such that they resist the flow of break fluid, though that usually causes a failure to release the pressure and therefor brake drag rather than a 'hardening' of the pedal. The last possibility is that the pads have been glazed or sufficient transfer of lining material to the rotors has occured, in which case replacing the pads or sanding the rotors would be the cure. But I would focus in on the vacuum supply to the booster being compromised.
Roland