Brakes boiling/NOT working at all. HELP!

[offthahook]

Okay, it was Africa hot and humid here today and I had been travelling city streets for awhile (over an hour). Well, the brakes QUIT on me-- the pedal went to the floor and the car wouldn't stop!!! Like I had a leak, very spongy. SInce the dealer checked them yesterday, I think the fluid just boiled. I hadda throw the whip in "N" to avoid hitting a Cavalier in the azz. AFter a few minutes, they started to work and the pedal didn't go to the floor anymore, but if I used them a few times in a row, the spongy feeling started to come back... I'll take it out later, but I know it isn't a leak. Can the brakes just get all hot and fail like that?? I know if they get hella wet, they can fail. When I got back to the crib, I put a straw on the rotor and it didn't melt. The rotors weren't smoking and there was no odor. Tell me the fluid just boiled PLEASE!! Be honest, too, though.

[1988starter]

I don't know about boiling but maybe your lines are expanding when you are breaking.

[87accordlxph]

You probably have air in the brake lines.
I suggest bleeding and removing the fluid and refill the brake reservoir w/ DOT 4 fluid. DOT 4 can take more heat than DOT 3.
You might have a leak in the brake line possibly. Check for leaks man.
Your master cylinder is bad or loose maybe. (good chance)

-Mike

[offthahook]

Originally posted by 87accordlxph
You probably have air in the brake lines.
I suggest bleeding and removing the fluid and refill the brake reservoir w/ DOT 4 fluid. DOT 4 can take more heat than DOT 3.
You might have a leak in the brake line possibly. Check for leaks man. It could be the proportional valve might be failing since your experiencing the spongy feeling.
Try testing the brake booster as well.

-Mike

I was thinking along those lines. I just checked them and there is normal resistance when I hit the pedal with the car off. How would I test the booster??? DOT 4 is safe for our cars? I would assume they make that stuff backwards compatible, but you know our cars cannot tolerate certain fluids...

I'm finna get the SE-i swap soon. I have the Prelude proportioning valve. Hope it's good.

[87accordlxph]

Originally posted by offthahook
I was thinking along those lines. I just checked them and there is normal resistance when I hit the pedal with the car off. How would I test the booster??? DOT 4 is safe for our cars? I would assume they make that stuff backwards compatible, but you know our cars cannot tolerate certain fluids...

I'm finna get the SE-i swap soon. I have the Prelude proportioning valve. Hope it's good.

Bud, sorry.

Use the DOT 3 only.
It might be the master cylinder then.

To check the brake booster.
Pump it several times with the car off, it should start to stiffen up really good then start the car w/ your foot on the brakes and then the pedal should sink to the ground.

I'm guessing that it is the master cylinder!
Wait for others to reply though just to make sure!

-Mike

[shepherd79]

my friend had the same problem with 2gen integra.
it was master cylinder.

[pimp86LX]

yeah, It sounds like the booster isn't working

[offthahook]

Well, fuck. My friend who manages CarQuest said it sounds like the master cylinder, too. Here's another question... Would the brakes failing be intermittent with the MC going bad?? I went out tonight again and the brakes were normal, which isn't that great anyway. I'll prolly just get a new/reman master cylinder when I get the brakes swapped. Better safe than sorry. Plus, doing major brake work would be a nifty time to replace that master cylinder as well.

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

Also check the rubber brake hoses... they could be cracked/broken and swelling up (that's what happened on my old Buick a couple years ago). Otherwise, more than likely the MC. When mine went bad last summer, it would only act up during the day when it was really really hot out. At night after it cooled off it was fine (my brakes never went completely out, it would just slowly sink to the floor at stoplights).

Is this with the SE-i brakes on? Or just the drums still?

[offthahook]

Originally posted by Jareds 89 LX-i
Also check the rubber brake hoses... they could be cracked/broken and swelling up (that's what happened on my old Buick a couple years ago). Otherwise, more than likely the MC. When mine went bad last summer, it would only act up during the day when it was really really hot out. At night after it cooled off it was fine (my brakes never went completely out, it would just slowly sink to the floor at stoplights).

Is this with the SE-i brakes on? Or just the drums still?

Drums still. I'm calling my boy today to see if he's broken in the new service mgr. enough where he can do side jobs in the dealership bays. Then, it is swap time as soon as he says the mgr. will let him do these kinda things. Ironically enough, the last time he worked on my brakes (another Accord), a rubber hose did split on him. The hoses are hella $$$$$. kinda important though.

[MrBen]

Yeah 70 bucks apiece, I nearly shit my pants when my brake lines went.

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

Originally posted by GhettoAccord
Yeah 70 bucks apiece, I nearly shit my pants when my brake lines went.
$70 each?!?!? DAMN! Where'd you get those from?

I replaced all of my hoses back in November just for the sake of replacing them and having new ones, and the front 2 were $30.87 each, and the rear 2 were $26.40 each. That was online from Majestic, so you know they were the good hoses.

[AccordEpicenter]

If youre lines went, you wouldnt get your brakes back, its probably a master cyl.

[offthahook]

Originally posted by AccordEpicenter
If youre lines went, you wouldnt get your brakes back, its probably a master cyl.

Exactly, and no brake light came on either... :werd:

[POS carb]

if the disk gets hot enough the pad will stop making friction, it's happened to me before, once on a hill with 3 girls in the car, it was a hot day and the car had been driven kind of hard, I pushed the brake and it wasn't really slowing down so I had to push that shit all to the floor I thought I was going to start going downhill without brakes so I yanked the ebrake up all the way and stopped.