Firm Brake Pedal But No Bite.

[AtlsNBP]

I have to really reef on the pedal to get the car to come to a complete stop. The pedal is firm and doesn't go to the floor.

There is some delay from intial pedal depression which I read is normal but I can't even get the ABS to kick in if I try.

Brake pads are in good shape
Fluid level is fine.

I do have an intermitten ABS light which I attribute to a dirty sensor since it only comes on in heavy rain or freezing temps.

How can I get my brakes to bite?

 

[maxmoo]

chances are your vacuum booster is not working.....either a vaccum line leaking, or booster diaghram has a hole in it.
I would carefully inspect the large vacuum line between the vacuum pump and the brake booster first......they can split/crack and leak.....fairly common.

 

[richmondvatdi]

chances are your vacuum booster is not working.....either a vaccum line leaking, or booster diaghram has a hole in it.
I would carefully inspect the large vacuum line between the vacuum pump and the brake booster first......they can split/crack and leak.....fairly common.

+1. It's the brake booster.

 

[Tdijarhead]

Looks like this.
http://idparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2031

I had to replace mine a few years ago, after what I would describe as a hard pedal.

 

[AtlsNBP]

Thanks fellas.

 

[BobnOH]

If the booster is not working, your pedal will be hard

 

[AtlsNBP]

Would that be vacuum booster or brake booster?

 

[tongsli]

I bought this for $20.00 to test the vaccum pump.

 

[tongsli]

Would that be vacuum booster or brake booster?

He means brake booster. The other link/post is the vacuum pump(which connects to the brake booster)

 

[AtlsNBP]

Thanks for clarifying

 

[JB05]

tongsli, where to buy?

 

[Enabled]

Before buying a brake booster, make sure you have no vacuum leaks, and no vacuum lines disconnected.

 

[tongsli]

tongsli, where to buy?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CP7803-ACTR...0953898769&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr

 

[tongsli]

Before buying a brake booster, make sure you have no vacuum leaks, and no vacuum lines disconnected.

I'm pretty sure he's asking about the vacuum gauge, no the booster.

 

[keaton85]

Before getting all crazy, just remove the vacuum line from the vac pump to the brake booster. Inspect for cracks of breaks, and repair by buying a roll of rescue tap and wrap two or three layers around the hard line (tight as that is how the tape works).

This is the most common failure point! the vac pump is pretty rare. While your in messing with the vac system, you might as well go through it and replace all the old junk lines.

 

[maxmoo]

chances are your vacuum booster is not working.....either a vaccum line leaking, or booster diaghram has a hole in it.
I would carefully inspect the large vacuum line between the vacuum pump and the brake booster first......they can split/crack and leak.....fairly common.

.....

 

[RT1]

X2 It doesn't take much of a crack to lose your vacuum. Especially vulnerable where the rubber tube slips on to the ports. Easy quick fix is the gummy electricians splicing tape. Adheres to itself and makes a really tight seal.

 

[nkgagne]

X3. I had this happen to me just as a pedestrian stepped off the curb to cross at the stop sign before me. There was lots of effort and "prayer" involved in stopping the car in time. Drove the rest of the way into work and then to my tech's place on my lunch break s.l.o.w.l.y... Not fun driving! Tech used some heater hose to replace the hard plastic vac line and it's as good as new.

 

[n8ronJ]

Would a bad hard line cause an intermittent hard pedal? I've had it happen but it's not consistent. Meaning that only sometimes when I start the car (cold engine) and apply brakes for the few 2 - 3 times the pedal is stiff. After that it seems better. Then again, maybe I do have a crack in the line and it's contributing to my overboost issues. Can anyone chime in on that?
All of my vacuum lines have been replaced with the exception of the hard line to the brake booster. I'm thinking that it probably would hurt to just replace that line since it's 12 years old with 246k on it.

 

[BobnOH]

Any leak anywhere will cause the boosting to be less than optimal. When the system is all happy you'll actually have pressure after sitting and not running.

 

[n8ronJ]

Any leak anywhere will cause the boosting to be less than optimal. When the system is all happy you'll actually have pressure after sitting and not running.

My new hose should land on my doorstep in a couple days. Better to spend a few bucks now then have something happen with brakes that occasionally don't function properly.

 

[copatdir6]

this sounds like exactly what has been happening to me over the last few months. Very non-responsive brakes even though I am hammering on the pedal.
Is there a diagram of what hoses that need replaced? If I'm in there, I might as well replace them all.

I have a 2003 Jetta ALH.

Last summer I bought a replacement (used) brake booster thinking I would need to replace that, but if I can get away with just replacing all of the vacuum hoses, I'd much rather do that.

 

[AtlsNBP]

Just an update, I managed to get our company mechanic to have a look and he found some loose vacuum lines.

 

[aceaspade]

You can check your brake booster by pumping the break with the ignition off it should get hard while still holding it turn the car on, the pedal should drop some that is the easiest way to check it, if it does not get hard (call a doctor) lol, or the pedal does not drop, do as the others have said and check the lines and grommets for wear, you can put a vacuum on the brake booster with a vacuum pump and check the limits.

(the service manual should tell you what psi to be looking for) there is also a plunger that the brake pedal connects to, if i recall correctly and sometimes the seal on the piston like device goes bad and you will looses psi, hope that helps.

 

[drewkeen]

This is the hose that cracks. The cracks typically happen in the bend on it.

http://shopping.boraparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=117

 

[copatdir6]

This is the hose that cracks. The cracks typically happen in the bend on it.

http://shopping.boraparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=117

Thanks, I looked that part up before and figured it was maybe that one or any of the other smaller 3mm and/or 5mm hoses that run all over the engine compartment.

One thing I'm noticing is that at a stop light while I have the brake pedal depressed, I can rev up the RPM's slightly and then the brake pedal gets soft/loosens up. I had guessed this to be pressure/vacuum related in some regard.

I figure I'll order the above part as well as some replacement 3mm and 5mm hoses and just replace as many of them as I can....seeing as how my car is over 12yrs old, I'm sure it's a good investment.

Now I just have to wait for the temperature to get above 0degrees to start working on it.....the other day the thermometer read -18degrees (and that was not including wind chill). Brrrrrrrrr

 

[n8ronJ]

copatdir6- I know what you mean - I'm 2 hours north of you and can't do much to my car lately in this arctic weather lately!

I bought the hose last week and it's been riding around in it's box on the backseat until I can replace it without numb fingers. I noticed that the clamp on the end of the hose is one of those factory things that interlock itself together so I bought a small hose clamp to use on the new one. Keep that in mind

 

[copatdir6]

... I noticed that the clamp on the end of the hose is one of those factory things that interlock itself together so I bought a small hose clamp to use on the new one. Keep that in mind

Good to know! Thanks....

Figure a quick trip to Harbor Freight to get a box of those. They come in handy for all kinds of projects.

 

[GorillaBiscuits13]

I have the still brake pedal, but only in reverse. I do have cracks in the line this one. Just wanted to double check with you guys, since this isn't the low/sinking pedal. Is there something else I can check with no vacuum gauge?