MAJOR brake issue

K

k_schutte

Registered User
It's an '89 for starters... Basicaly the problem is that I REALLY have to push on the brakes insanely hard ot get them to do anything and even then they barely work at all. The pedal only moves about 1"-2" no matter how hard I push. It doesn't even feel like you are pushing a brake pedal, I would compare it more to feeling like you are pushing your feet against a solid chunk of cement just trying to get it to budge...

Thought a broken sensor might be the problem but according to this picture it is just the warning lamp electrical connector... Anyone have any ideas?



EDIT: going to give this a try as suggested in my other thread (just noticed it)
As for your brakes it almost sounds like the electric assist pump is not active. try turning the key on, wait a few minutes and then push down on the brake. you should hear the pump run for the brakes. if not then im betting they didnt hook it back up or worse caused some problems for you.
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brakes

first of all that is not your brake set up! you have abs system! I would venture to say it is your pressure ball, i could be wrong but you would have to check everything that is involved. thanks! Tom
 
Turned the key on and ended up locking myself out of the car... after realizing I was locked out, finding my "slim jim" and getting into the car I would say the key was on for a solid 7-8 minutes. Hit the brakes and i didn't feel/hear anything at all. Brakes where still hard as a rock and only moved an inch or two...
 
nanatothesixth said:
first of all that is not your brake set up! you have abs system! I would venture to say it is your pressure ball, i could be wrong but you would have to check everything that is involved. thanks! Tom
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If you are talking about the picture... I was just using it to show the sensor I was talking about... as for checking the entire ABS system :eek:

my pump didn' run at all so I will have to start there...
 
Are you getting the red brake light along with the amber ABS light.....:confused:

First thing you need to know is if the brake pump motor is coming on to pressurize the system....

With the hood up, have someone turn the ignition to run, but do not start, while you listen for noise in the area under the black ball (accumulator)....

You are wanting to here a humming from the brake pump motor....

It could be something as simple a bad ABS pump motor relay....

It is the brown square thingy located on the passenger side firewall near the hood support.....

It might have a round ABS sticker on it.....:rolleyes:

One other thing you can do is fabricate a set of jumper wires and apply 12v directly to the pump motor.....

The pump motor connector is located on a bolt on the drivers side of the master cylinder.....

If you look inside the connector, there will be four pins.....

Hook the wires to any two pins that are next to each other, not accross from each other....

All you want to do is verify that the pump motor will run, or it is locked up.....
 
No pump noise...

going ot check out the relay... then try to apply 12V to the pump directly... The car sat in storage for about 8+ years so IDK....
 
I am tryin to get someone over here to help me out as it is kind of hard doing stuff by myself... but ANYWAYS, if this makes any difference at all.

I have not ran the car for almost two days now and it is codl outside so weather and engien running is not the cause. the "black ball" you are talking about has something directly underneath it (attached I believe) and it is warm to the touch. Not hot at all but it is the only thing warm under the hood at all. everything else is still rather cold to the touch so...
 
It probably isn't the relay, then.....:eek:

My guess is the pump motor has seized up....:(

It's not uncommon for the pump motor shaft seal to fail on these pump motors, letting brake fluid into the motor and causing them to seize up.....:mad:

Especially when they sit for long periods of time.....:rolleyes:

I feel for you, as I have had my share of ABS problems.....:p

Let me know what you find out when you try the jumper wires.....
 
As for the jumper wires... I want o tbe sure I understand what you are saying...

I need to send a 12V+ signal to one wire and a ground signal to a wire BESIDE the 12v+ wire...? NOT diagonal and any of the wire should work as long as they are beside eachother...?
 
If you hold the connector with any pin in the North/up position, you can use either the West or East pin and the North pin to check the motor.....

Same thing with the South/bottom wire, you can use the West or East pins....

All you want is one positive wire and one ground wire to verify if the pump motor will run....

This procedure lets you know if the relay is bad or the pump motor is bad......
 
Thanks for the the info over the phone "the-big-e", I really appreciate you taking the time to discuss this with me! Looks like I am going to have some fun ahead of me :) The guy at AutoZone said I should just try to "breal the pump loose" since it has siezed just from sitting (since everything worked fine when it was put into storage) that it may be just need the initial help and could possibly work just fine after that.

Is there by chance a little "write-up" or anything on how ot remove the pump? You explained ti VEYR well over the phone and I have some notes written down but thought something I could look to for eference would be very helpful as well.
 
Do I take the entire Hydraulic Actuation Assembly out or can you just get the brake motor itself out? Got the drivers seat out, and removed the upper an dlower IC pipes as well so I guess I am basicaly ready to start the removal...
 
anyone....? hoping to get it out tonight so I can have it rebuilt monday and back in and driving mid-week...
 
Multi-function switch

Check your Multi-function switch. i had the same problem on one of my SC's. The ABS vaccum/electric motor didn't make a sound.

So I researched it on here and took apart my mult-function switch/signal switch and Wallah!

The plastic connectors and end wires were hard and burnt. The connectors actually fell apart in my hand. I replaced the connectors with good yard pieces and replaced the portions of the wires as indicated from searching.

Fixed the problem the first time.
 
k_schutte said:
Do I take the entire Hydraulic Actuation Assembly out or can you just get the brake motor itself out? Got the drivers seat out, and removed the upper an dlower IC pipes as well so I guess I am basicaly ready to start the removal...
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Yes, it helps to take the entire assembly out.....

The pump motor can be a pain in the butt to replace, even when the whole unit is out and on the bench.....:rolleyes:

Get at least a quart or two of brake fluid.....

Now would be a good time to flush the brake system out.....

I'll bet the old brake fluid has a dark forest green or black color to it....;)
 
I just did this very same repair this evening. My pump motor was not functioning and warm to the touch.

I first removed the pressure switch just to be sure it wasn't bad, but everything looked good and I reinstalled it.

I've taken apart my brake system in one way or another about 1/2 a dozen times, so I remove the pump motor with the master cylinder still in the car. I could see the whole thing in my head. It was just two 4mm allen bolts and the elec. connection and I slid it out. I capped the reservoir and hose with vacuum plugs. That loose guide key between the motor and the housing felt out but I was able to get back in place and positoned the tabs at 3 and 6. The motor was seized up. I couldn't turn it by hand, but I got some pliers on it and turned it loose. I positioned the male end of the pump motor at 12 and 6, keyed it in and alleluia, it fit together on the first shot. I tested it. It worked great and no leaks!

That's one gremlin down, 2 more to go.
 
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