Help with my brakes/Master Cylinder exploding

[-Leigh-]

HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

Got home from work, and decided to wash my car.

After I washed it, I took it down the road, and when turning back into my road, from the main road, I was braking from about 80/90 leptons (not excessively hard) and thought, the brakes felt a little wierd.

Coming along my road, and tried them from about 40, and they were crap. Tried them again from 40, pressed as hard as I could, and there was no way that they could have caused the ABS to kick in. They were rubbish.

The brakes are still quite sharp from 10mph or less though. The pedal was going right to the floor when I first got back. It seems slightly better now, but it's not hard, very spongy. You can here a hiss from the brake pedal when pushed, but I thinks thats normal. Think it's done it in every car that I've owned.

Checked the brake fluid, and yes there's some in there. And it's red and clean.

The rear discs are fine, and I put new rear pads in about 5/6 weeks ago. I checked the front brakes, plenty of pads left on both sides, and the discs look ok, apart from the inside edge of the drivers side seems very ridged from the outside in?!?!

So, has anyone got any suggestions? Can't see anything wrong apart from the inside of the offside discs, but surely that won't be the cause?
The car doesn't pull to one side at all, brakes straight, the only way I can describe them, are a mk1 clio I used to drive, they were absolute s**t. It's like that. They stop you, but not very well.

So, anyone?!?!?

Edit: I don't want to drive it, as I couldn't stop in an emergency, that's how bad they are.

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

:bump:

 

[DrR]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

Servo?

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

Well, is it worth bleeding them?

What's the servo? Where is it? How will I know it's broke?

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

Servo and master cylinder and covered by the warranty I have with it by the looks of things.

Will try bleeding them tomorrow night, if no luck will have to get it booked in at Renault for them to sort out. If it's just the discs then I can (hopefully) do that myself.

 

[DrR]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

it's this http://www.kfz-tech.de/Engl/Bremskraftverst.htm
Don't see what else can go wrong unless it's leaking.

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

Oh right, I see. Could be that then I suppose, though the breaks are still sharp at low speeds.

I don't know if it's connected, but when I first came back after I noticed it, I stopped the engine, then re-started it, and it didn't want to start again. It did on the third try and has been fine since that.

Any sure way of finding out if its the servo? How will Renault find that out? Fit a new one and hope?

 

[edde]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

If the servo's broke the pedal goes very heavy unlikly to be though.

I'd bleed them for starters.

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

The pedal isn't heavy, it's like it's always been. It is just very spongy, and goes further, to the floor I think.

I will try bleeding them tonight. Anything to look for on the servo or master cylinders to see if they have gone?

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

What brake fluid do I need? Or is there only one type?

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

Well I went to Halfords, and got some of their own brand Dot 4 brake fluid, hope fully that's correct?!?! This is ClioSport forum, right?

 

[Mark5290]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

What were your brakes like before you washed your car?.

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

Fine.

Another thing. Can brake fluid be red? Mines red!! But it's been like that since I had the car (5 months) as I've never touched it.

 

[-Leigh-]

Just bled my brakes, and they are still spongy. They are powerful enough to lock the wheels now, but they sometimes require pumping twice before they work.

I'm guessing that it's the master cylinder at fault. How much do Renault charge for one of these? Can it be changed separatly to the servo??

Cheers.

 

[BrianR]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

How exactly did you bleed the brakes ?

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

How exactly did you bleed the brakes ?

Take cap off resevoir, put pipe and bottle on bleed nipple, open bleed nipple, get mother to push brake down, close nipple, get mother to release, repeat until no air bubbles, and mother whinging about missing Eastenders.

No mothers were harmed in the process.

 

[BrianR]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

Ha Ha,

Thats the problem East Enders !!!!!!


What you need to do is get Mum out to press the pedal and someone to keep the fluid reservoir topped up while you bleed the brakes in the following sequence..

Start with the rear nearside then rear off-side, then front nearside and finally front off-side.

Do it with the handbrake off and the engine running. (chock the wheels)

Thats the only way you can guarantee you will get all the air out.

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

Ha Ha,

Thats the problem East Enders !!!!!!


What you need to do is get Mum out to press the pedal and someone to keep the fluid reservoir topped up while you bleed the brakes in the following sequence..

Start with the rear nearside then rear off-side, then front nearside and finally front off-side.

Do it with the handbrake off and the engine running. (chock the wheels)

Thats the only way you can guarantee you will get all the air out.

LOL, I did it exactly as you described, but with the engine off. Never heard about doing with it running!! I had the handbrake off though, when I did the rear wheels.

But I'm thinking there must be an under-lying problem, air shouldn't get into the system.

 

[BrianR]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

The reason for running the engine, is to get the servo working.

You need that 3rd person pouring fluid all the time, the reservoir is so small, you can be sucking air in within two pumps.

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

The reason for running the engine, is to get the servo working.

You need that 3rd person pouring fluid all the time, the reservoir is so small, you can be sucking air in within two pumps.

Well, I made a funnel, and made sure it was topped up, it never went much below the top of the resevoir whilst doing it.

I may try it again on Sunday with the engine running, but there were no bubbles coming out so I'm guessing that there was no air, unless the master cylinder is letting it in. Not good on brakes. Kinda hoping they will just sort themselves lol.

 

[BrianR]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

I personally wouldn't "hope" with brakes, they are the last 1/2 inch before you kiss your a--- goodbye.

Not worth taking a chance, get someone who knows what they are doing to look for you.

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

I personally wouldn't "hope" with brakes, they are the last 1/2 inch before you kiss your a--- goodbye.

Not worth taking a chance, get someone who knows what they are doing to look for you.

Yeah don't worry, it's not being driven (apart from the track to my house to test em) until Renault look at it on Tuesday. Was just kind of hoping that I could sort it and save the money. I hate giving them money.

 

[BrianR]

Re: Master Cylinder exploding

I know what you mean, but whatever they charge will suddenly look a lot less when you are approaching the scene of the accident with you foot on the floorboards. :dapprove:

 

[edde]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

What brake fluid do I need? Or is there only one type?

There alods of types dot 4 or super dot 4 is what you want.

Well I went to Halfords, and got some of their own brand Dot 4 brake fluid, hope fully that's correct?!?! This is ClioSport forum, right?

Yep thats fine. We don't get the oportunity to live on here so answers can take a while.

Another thing. Can brake fluid be red? Mines red!! But it's been like that since I had the car (5 months) as I've never touched it.

I've never know it to be red before.

 

[RichRSi]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

Red fluid is usually hydrolic fluid for automatic transmission and power steering.

 

[-Leigh-]

Re: HELP!! My brakes have stopped working!!!!

It's not red. It's normal colour. Why I thought it was red is beyond me. Must have been picturing the power steering resevoir. Anyway, everything else I have said is true.