No Brake Pedal Feel, Not Much Braking

[number2301 1 1 Cars]

I've been having a problem with my brakes which I think has been getting worse over the past few months. When you press the brake pedal there's no resistance and I can't be totally certain but I think no braking until the very bottom of the pedal travel, now there is, or there was a few months ago, enough braking power to lock the wheels up quite easily on damp roads (Pirelli P6000s on the front and Goodyear Eagle NCTs on the rear) and if you pump the brake pedal you can hear a loud puffing noise.

 

As a result of looking around here and reading the Haynes Manual I came to the conclusion that it was the master cylinder so replaced that today but its made absolutely no difference. What's the next thing to check? As far as I could see the brake lines are fine but I didn't check the whole length of them. Is it likely to be brake lines or a knackered caliper or something else?

[t16ryan 1]

1.6 or 1.9 ? if 1600 could be shoes need adjusting?

[number2301 1 1 Cars]

1.9, sorry

[Roman 0]

are you bleed air from hoses when you replace master cilinder??

[brianthemagical 1]

Either bleeding or piston seals.

[number2301 1 1 Cars]

I didn't think the system needing bleeding could cause such a problem? Does the puffing sound not give any hints? I was focusing in on that because it just didn't seem normal, never thought to just bleed it.

[alync406 4]

I didn't think the system needing bleeding could cause such a problem? Does the puffing sound not give any hints? I was focusing in on that because it just didn't seem normal, never thought to just bleed it.

 

The puffing sound could indicate that your brake servo is knackered.

[bren_1.3 1]

bleed the system if you havent already done so, and put fresh fluid in.. my 1600 bust a seal on the rear wheel cylinder, symptoms are almost exactly the same as your describing. does it pull in any one direction at all under braking?

[SweetBadger 94]

Try pulling the handbrake half on and see if the pedal travel decreases, if it does then you probably need to adjust the supposedly automatic handbrake adjusters...

 

edit:

oops, sorry ignore what I just wrote, just read that it's a 1.9 and therefore doesn't have drums...

Edited May 18, 2008 by SweetBadger

[number2301 1 1 Cars]

The puffing sound could indicate that your brake servo is knackered.

 

Would that not make the brakes hard as opposed to soft? I thought the servo was a fail safe system?

 

bleed the system if you havent already done so, and put fresh fluid in.. my 1600 bust a seal on the rear wheel cylinder, symptoms are almost exactly the same as your describing. does it pull in any one direction at all under braking?

 

I seem to remember it pulling to the left under hard braking, but I'll give it another go just to check. Would that suggest that one of the calipers on the right hand side wasn't working properly?