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Brakes!

Hi all,

I drove off after being parked in a London car park all day and got to the barrier to find I had no response to the brakes when I put my foot on them! Used the handbrake to stop but it was certainly a bit hairy....

After putting my ticket into the machine and pulling away I tried them again and they were working. Obviously I'm going to get them checked out ASAP next week but just wondered if you guys could suggest a reason for the problem. I've looked at the pads and there's not a lot of wear on them and the fluid is at the right level so it's a bit of a mystery to me but not being particularly knowledgeable about how braking systems work I'm a little stumped.

Any suggestions?

TIA.

JW

Reply to
JW
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Altogether now...

Si

Reply to
Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot

You dipped the clutch by mistake ?

Reply to
Usenet Nutter

WFCIT ! ;o) it should be mandantory before posting to list the vehicle details if you dont you will be made to change a pair of driveshaft gaiters without wearing gloves !

Reply to
reg

Air ?

What car is it ?

Reply to
Joseph Craine

failed master cylinder due to lack of proper servicing over a few years.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

What car is it? Does it have ABS?

What do you mean by "no response"? Pedal all the way to the floor with no resistance? Or firm pedal, but no or limited braking effort?

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

I've had the latter after really coating the brakes in salt spray.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

OK. I should have mentioned what car it is....wrists appropriately slapped and fingers cut from changing gaiters.

It's a three year-old Peugeot 307s 1.6HDi properly serviced so hope it's not the master cylinder since it's just out of warranty.

The brak> On Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:14:02 -0000, Chris Whelan =A0

Reply to
JW

Servo?

Reply to
Clot

If you had a firm pedal, but little braking effort, it's less likely to be a hydraulic issue. First thoughts would usually be the vacuum pipe to the servo, or the servo itself.

If it has ABS (fairly likely on a car of that age), failure of the ABS pump can cause the problem you have on some vehicles. Perhaps the pump failed to run initially at start up due to an electrical problem?

(BTW, it is most helpful if you put your reply to the previous post

*underneath*, as I have done here. This makes the conversation "flow" more easily for others reading it.)

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

It's almost certainly salt contamination. The first reports I heard were related to VW's and Audi's about a decade ago, it was blamed at the time on asbestos free pad compounds but tweaks to them didn't fix it. It happens on many other makes and ages of vehicles too.

The only workable solution is to drive off and cover your brake pedal for a few yards and do the same now and again during your journey.

Reply to
Mike

I second that. Had the same problem with my Zafira at the end of the last cold spell. Hard pedal but little or no deceleration. Only lasted a few yards then normal service was resumed. I assume it was a mixture of salt and the moisture it would hold.

Biggles

Reply to
Biggles

Interesting. I had a similar experience in my Touran when the brakes seemed particuarly ineffective on first use after the the recent snow (and belated salting).

Tim

Reply to
Tim

Do most cars have rear disks now ? Perhaps drums were less effected ?

Reply to
mr p

While it's only discs that get contamination like this it is not the rears that are a particular problem as the majority of braking effort on most cars is, and always has been on the front axle.

If we still had asbestos based brake linings like we all had 25 years ago it almost certainly wouldn't be an issue.

Reply to
Mike

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