Brake problem 94 Accord LX w/ABS

Help!I have a strange problem with my 94 Accord LX sedan with ABS...whenever
I'm stopped at say,a redlight,the brake pedal will keep going dong
gradually,like the master cylinder is loosing vacuum.Sometime when
stopping,it WILL go all the way to the floor and then the car pulls hard to
the left right before it stops.ABS works fine and all fluid levels are
good,there's no visible leakage from any of the brake components
either.Sticky caliper?Bad master cylinder?Any ideas?
Thanks
Glenn

 

If you were "losing vacuum" your pedal would not be going down. Vacuumn is
what helps to cause your pedal to go down so if you had less it would be
harder to push.

The answer most likely, if there are no signs of leakage and the fluid level
is ok, is that your master cylinder is bypassing internally. Sounds like
you need a new master cylinder. They are about a $100 at the local parts
store if you install it yourself.

I would replace that first and then do another test to see if it is pulling.
If I was working on the car I would probably pull the front wheels and check
to see if the inner and outer pads on both calipers were wearing evenly.

I would get this fixed ASAP since it is obviously a safety concern.

I replaced mine on a 96 accord in about an hour including the bleeding.
That would be the bleeding of my brakes and my hands.

 

I concur with the other poster's diagnosis. An easy test is to remove
your foot from the pedal while stopping and then reapply the brakes.
This is called pumping. At least this used to be the best way of
checking for a bad master cylinder. Modern ABS systems are tricky, but
I can't think of any reason why this would not work, even with ABS.

The pulling hard to the left is most likely the result of the same
problem. The equalizer valve that distributes fluid pressure equally
to the front wheels may be confused by the sudden drop in fluid
pressure as the pedal bottoms out. However, checking and replacing the
front brake pads is very easy so you should do that anyway.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

 

The pedal going to the floor means a leak somewhere.

Are you *quite* certain that the fluid level is NOT declining? That fluid
is going SOMEWHERE for the pedal to be able to go to the floor.

If the Master Cylinder is leaking, you won't see it because the fluid will
go into the booster, but you *will* eventually see the fluid level go down.

If the leak is elsewhere, you need to remove calipers and drums and peel
back dust boots until you find the leaking fluid.

If the car is pulling hard to one side, it could be related to the leak, or
it could be a number of other problems unrelated to leakage. There are many
things that will cause pulling.

Your number one priority right now is the find that leak. If the lines are
not leaking and there are no leaks at the wheels, then your master cylinder
is bad. You can replace it yourself, but there are a couple of gotchas.

 

If the fluid is bypassing internally then it isn't going anywhere. It is
simply going past the primary seal and back to the reservoir.