complete brake failure, I'm a lucky boy
- Thread starter mwatsonxx
- Start date
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It wouldn't have come on until after the pipe had burst and enough fluid had been lost from the reservoir to trigger the low fluid level warning light.
Well, its happened again, managed to stop the car due to one half of dual braking system still working. Brake fluid is normal, I'd checked it 30 mins earlier, so low level warning lamp didn't come on.
It would seem to me either the repaired brake pipe has come apart, or the unrepaired pipe has ruptured. Any other ideas?
It would seem to me either the repaired brake pipe has come apart, or the unrepaired pipe has ruptured. Any other ideas?
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If the pedal has dropped, only half the system is working and there is no loss of fluid, it can only really be the master cylinder.
Thanks, but if the master cylinder had failed, then both sides of the dual system would be inoperable, or am I missing something.
A lesson I've learned from this is to make sure your seat is adjusted so that your foot can reach right down into the footwell. Let me explain, normal travel on my pedal is about 50 mm, but the dual braking system needs another 100 mm of travel before operating. In the first incident, I couldn't reach the extended position. In this second incident, because I'd adjusted the seat position I could reach the extended position. This is what happened, at about 70 mph had to brake hard (50 mm pedal travel), I guess the car slowed to 40 mph, suddenly there was no pressure on pedal (I said to myself Oh golly gosh), so I pressed as hard as I could (the other 100 mm of travel) and the car started to slow down, but did swerve to the left.
No. The master cylinder is a tandem unit specifically designed so that in the event of pressure loss from one part of the system for whatever reason - burst hose, pipe, cylinder etc- you will at least have SOME braking effort left although to most drivers, it will seem like a complete brake failure. If you have lost no fluid but the pedal has dropped giving you just enough pressure to stop, either the internal seals on one part of the master cylinder has blown or one of the pistons has become jammed in the cylinder and not returned.
If the car swerved to the left, the failure is on the other side......I'd be looking for another fractured pipe.
You don't need to lose all the fluid when this happens - at least not immediately .
John
You don't need to lose all the fluid when this happens - at least not immediately .
John
A rock hard pedal would indicate a servo problem.
Not necessarily - with a diagonal split system you'll have say, the front left and right rear working. With front brakes producing more stopping power it will pull to whichever side front is working. Could be a left rear pipe split in this case.
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