brake problem

[mixmatch]

ok..today i was driving and my brake pedal stopped pushing back....it slowly was still stopping my car when i applied them but i had no back force...but if i pumped the brakes as i stopped...it had no problem stopping

now i no i need to change the rear shoes...but what else could b the problem

i asked some ppl and they said it could b the wheel cylinders or the master cylinder...cuz i dont notice any brake fluid leaks

have any of yall had a similar problem..or can offer advise on the problem

[Dutchboy]

If i understand you correctly its seems that you have air in the lines or your back brakes are way out of adjustment,

check your fluid level too...it could be the master cylinder,,,,
see what others have to say on the matter too..

hope this helps
Ben

[mixmatch]

the brake fluid resorvior is full...or really close to it...but i know its not low since the brake light doesnt come on

but ill have to look more into the brakes when i get the drum off in the morning....

how could air get in system....master cylinder leak, wheel cyl leak,holes in lines, booster vacuum leak?....is that all?

im prob gonna just change the wheel cylinders neways even though they are about ~$18 each just to b on the safe side cuz i know they havnt been changed in atleast the 35k miles ive had the car...and the car wasnt too mechanically taken care of..although the interior is really clean and a paint job is in order

and im also doing the ac conversion to r134a this weekend....with exp help how hard will it b? and does ne1 know the correct oil/refrigerent charge after conversion.....im converting it cuz its leaking and finding the leak with r134a is alot cheaper than getting it done with the r12

[YK86]

One of your brake lines could be ready to blow. When they get old, they expand instead of staying the same diameter which would give you the air in the lines feeling. Or, your brake booster is dying (usually becomes very hard to stop the car).

[locknload68]

I am having a similar problem. As I slow down, the car stops fine and there is a good amount of resistance in the pedal. But as I near a stop and let up on the brakes some so it's not a jerky stop, the resistance in the pedal goes way down and it feels like I have to push the pedal farther just to keep the car stop.

I have no leaks and the fluid level is fine. I'm 99% sure it's not air in the lines because they haven't been opened for over a year and this just began happening 3 wks ago.

My dad said it could be the seals in the master cylinder. so the fluid is kinda slipping past the pistons.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

locknload...if you stop fine but the pedal slowly goes to the floor at stoplights and such, it is your master cylinder. I just went through this exact same thing myself. I'd be sitting at a stoplight and the pedal would just slowly sink to the floor, and I'd have to pump it again to keep from rolling back. New master cylinder did the trick, and it feels TONS better.

Take this word of advise.....BUY A FREAKIN HONDA MASTER CYLINDER! LOL Not a remanufactured one from the auto parts store. Although they're not all bad, sometimes it takes a few master cylinders before you get one that works. My first one was a reman and it was defective, and made my brakes lock up after driving for several minutes (it somehow made the rear self adjusters constantly adjust the shoes allllll the way out until the wheels locked up). It was just a huge pain in the ass, especially since I was supposed to go out of town that day and couldn't because my car wouldn't move (she tried though....poor thing), lol. I had to get another reman one because that's all anybody had in stock and I had to do it that day, so I tried a different brand. This one seems to work fine so far. If you're going to get one from the dealer, allow a few days as they might not have it in stock. When I got mine, only 2 dealers in the whole state of Illinois had one in stock. Ahhhh!!! :lol

[locknload68]

Thanks alot Jared. Is the master cylinder pretty easy to replace? I would imagine it's just a matter of un-screwing the lines, putting the new cylinder in and then bleeding the system.

Thanks

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

Yea it's really easy to replace. Just get a few of the hoses out of the way (mainly the brake booster hose, and the metal bracket it's in). Then you can get your hands in there pretty easily. Then just suck the old fluid from the old M.C, unbolt the 2 nuts and 2 brake lines, bench bleed the new one, and stick it in and torque to 11 ft-lbs. Be sure and bench bleed the new one real well, and do it very slowly. As you're bench bleeding, gently tap the bottom with a screwdriver or something and you'll see a few more air bubbles pop up. Keep doing it until there are no air bubbles whatsoever, then bench bleed some more and add fluid as needed. I spent a good 15 minutes just bench bleeding. Then bleed the brakes in the sequence in the manual (don't remember for sure, but I think it's LR, RF, RR, LF) and you should be good to go!

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

Oh and if you don't already know....be very careful and don't drip any brake fluid on any painted surfaces. It WILL strip paint right off if not cleaned off right away.