hey where's my brakes? There there are., does this happen to you??? Options

[fatlando]

This just started happening. I'm cruising down the road, go to a stoplight...

step on the brakes...and nothing. start downshifting and pumping the brakes and they come back.

Where do i start? any experts who arent at the WCC??

Shane, don't answer, because i already know you know nothing!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

[Eric_Shea]

Fat, or Lando, Or Mr. Lando...

Do this:

1. Open you hood and check your fluid level. Reservour is on the drivers side by the side of the fender. If it's low, it went somewhere. If it's not, then you need to rebleed your brakes. Keeping fresh fluid in your brake system makes a "WORLD" of difference. Trust me on this one... I've seen the insides of more calipers than you or I want to know. If it's low move on...

2. Check underneath your car. Specifically, your hard lines to the calipers and your soft lines. Check all thoose unions for signs of where the fluid went to.

3. Next, if you can't see anything obvious then it's time to dig a little deeper. Jack up the rear. Check the hard lines to the Proportioning valve. Check the proportioning valve itself (on the firewall about where you would imagine Z's right ass cheek if you could see through to the drivers seat).

-so far we haven't turned a wrench-

4. Jack up the front and remove the suspension pan. Here's where the wrnching comes in. You'll need a 13mm for the two front bolts and a 17mm for the two rear. Take the pan off and look at the hard lines going into the master cylinder. Look at the master cylinder itself and where it attaches to the front bulkhead. Any weeping?

5. Go inside the car and pull the carpet back. Notice any fluid around the base of the accelerator pedal? Keep going. You'll need a 5mm hex (I think) to remove the pedalboard surrounding the pedals. Now. Take a look at the "pan" the pedal assembly sits in... is it loaded with fluid? If so, you've lost your master cylinder.

Check the accelerator pedal while your down there. Does it wobble? You'll probably need a new one. Check the pedals, are the bushings still good. Is the paint all flaked from the brake fluid? Now's the time to rebuild that.

Dig in and you "will" find the problem. If you're lucky you'll just need to bleed the brakes but... I tend to agree with the masses, it sounds like a M/C on the way out. Fluid in the pedal pan is "usually" the best tell tale.

Good luck.