QuestionYES EVERYTHING THAT YOU MENTIONED IN THE SECOND RESPONSE I CHECKED. AND I DONT APPRECIATE YOUR WORDING IN YOUR RESPONSE, LIKE I WAS A KID OR STUPID!! I HAVE BEEN A LEAD TECHNICIAN AND ASE CERTIFIED FOR OVER 15 YEARS. I WAS JUST A LITTLE CONFUSED ON THIS MATTER DUE TO THE AGE AND MILEAGE ON THIS PARTICULAR CAR.
MY INSTINCT WAS TO REPLACE THE PROPORTIONING VALVE AFTER THE SECOND NEW MASTER CYLINDER. SO I ORDERED AND INSTALLED AN AC DELCO PROPORTIONING VALVE THIS PAST SATURDAY AND RE-BLED THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM. AND GUESS WHAT? THE CAR NOW HAS THE BEST BRAKES THAT IT EVER HAD FOR THIS OWNER. I REALIZE THAT PROPORTIONING VALVES ARE A RARE BRAKE PROBLEM,(I'VE ONLY REPLACED THREE IN MY LIFETIME, COUNTING THIS CAR) BUT CAN GO BAD OR GET CLOGGED!!!!
TOM TEDESCO
Followup To
Question -
I REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER AGAIN AND HAVE MORE OF A BRAKE PEDAL BUT STILL NO BRAKES. THE BRAKE PEDAL STARTS OFF GOOD AND THEN SLOWLY GOES TO THE FLOOR. IT IS ACTING LIKE THERE IN NO PRESSURE OR NOT ENOUGH PRESSURE TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO STOP THE CAR. WHILE BLEEDING THE BRAKES THERE IS GOOD FLUID FLOW WHITH THE BLEEDERS OPEN BUT ONCE THE CALIPERS OR WHEEL CYLINDERS CONTACT THE ROTORS AND DRUMS THEY SEEM TO STOP APPLYING. I TEST DROVE THE CAR AFTER THE SECOND MASTER CYLINDER AND THE CAR ONLY FADES TO A STOP NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL OR SLAM ON THE BRAKE PEDAL.
NOW IM REALLY CONFUSED !!!
Followup To
Question -
I HAVE A 1984 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME, 3.8L GAS ENGINE. I RECENTLY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES AND NEED SOME ADVICE. I HAD THE BRAKE PEDAL GO TO THE FLOOR WHILE DRIVING AND THE BRAKE LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON, I PINPOINTED THAT TO THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER, WHICH WAS LEAKING HEAVILY. SO I PUT A BRAND NEW MASTER CYLINDER ON (WITH RESEVOIR) AND BENCH BLED IT BEFORE INTSTALLATION AND BLED THE BRAKE SYSTEM COMPLETE. BUT I NEVER GOT A GOOD BRAKE PEDAL AFTER THAT AND STILL DONT HAVE ANY BRAKES!! ANY SUGGESTIONS? I AM THINKING THAT THE NEXT STEP MIGHT BE THE BRAKE PROPORTIONING OR COMBINATION VALVE, IF IT IS STILL AVAILABLE.
Answer -
In over 25 yaers I have only seen maybe a handful of faulty BRAKE PROPORTIONING OR COMBINATION VALVES.
Did you check to be sure that the rear DRUM brakes are adjusted correctly ?.
Did you bleed ALL FOUR wheel cylinders to get out any possible trapped air ?.
Try this ONLY if the brake pedal goes to the floor when you step on it:
1. Leave the master cylinder lid OFF.
2. Open all FOUR of the brake bleeder screws and let them drip for about 5 to 10 minutes. Be CAREFUL so as NOT to let the master cylinder run out of fluid.
If you still have no brake pedal, The master cylinder may be faulty. I have seen many right out of the box that were faulty.
let me know.
Answer -
Did you check the adjustment of the rear brake shoes ?. Could be that the automatic adjusters are frozen and there is to much space bettween the shoes and the drums. You should feel a slight brake drag when you turn the drums with the heels OFF.
Did you test the Brake booster ?. Large vacuum drum that the master cylinder bolts onto ?. It could be possible that the leaking brake fluid has ruptured one of the diaphrams in the booster.
Are you using a PRESSURE bleeder to bleed the brakes or are you doing it the old fashion manual method ?. IF your using a pressure bleeder you MUST keep the plunger on the proportioning valve DEPRESSED at all times.
NEWS FLASH: Are you positive that you have the correct master cylinder on the vehicle ?. As there are 2 DIFFERENT master cylinders and if you have the wrong one, This will be your problem.
I assume that the brakes worked FINE up until you started to have problems ?. YES or NO.
Did your original master cylinder have a METAL cover or a PLASTIC cover on the master cylinder as they are NOT interchangeable. This is VITAL in that you have the CORRECT master cylinder.
let me know.
autohelp
Answer90% of the questions that I get come from people with very limited mechanical skills and if they do NOT tell me their level of expertise, I have NO WAY of GUESSING their expertise.
It could very well have been a faulty PROPORTIONING VALVE, But I still think that you did not bleed the valve correctly and their was trapped air in it. This happens alot, Especially when you use a power pressure bleeder as you have to depress and release the button on the valve in order to get all the air out and rarely happens when you hand bleed the system. I was trying to get ALL the information that I could get out of you before we tackled a possible fault in the valve of which their are procedures for testing it. Once I got all the answers to my last questions, We would have addressed this issue.
I have been doing this for over 25 years and am also ASE certified in ALL ASE areas except front end.
You need to try and answer some of the questions that I get on this board and you will soon discover how DIFFICULT a task it is. I get numerous questions with the ONLY information received IS. MY CAR DON'T WORK. No information as to MAKE, YEAR, MODEL, MILEAGE, REPAIR HISTORY, NOTHING. And yet I am supposed to give them the answer to their problem.
With your attitude and lack of knowledge at the kinds of questions and the, NOT BEING INFORMED, of the level of mechanical expertise of the person asking the question we have to take the position that they are a NOVICE,
With your attitude, You have made my do not answer list.
Since I get 50 to 60 questions DAILY serving on 2 different question boards and am most always in the top 5 on BOTH, I don't think I will miss your problems.
Maybe the next time you ask someone for help you will inform the person your asking of your level of mechanical skills.
I am NOT PSYCHIC, If you don't tell me your skill level, How am I supposed to know ?.
autohelp
