i know its like beating a dead horse, but please help me figure out my brake problem

mhays806

Registered User
first off, im new to the mn12 scene and ive only had my 93 cougar for a short time. ive searched here and on tccoa, but i cant seem to determine quite what my problem is. for the past few weeks my brakes have been horrible. im hoping they just need to be bled but im not sure.

here goes, when i push the pedal down i can hear air. the pedal goes down really far and then is hard. sometimes a pump will help a little but not much. if i stand on them i get nothing and they lock up and i slide. its getting really scary.

also, occasionally the ABS light will flash quickly but it doesnt happen often and it goes right out. sometimes the car will pull to the left also. im hoping im just really dense and this is something simple. anyone have ideas? much appreciated

thanks,
Mark
 
i've had 3 major experiences with SC brake problems for the Teves II system;

1. replace the accumulator (if it has never been replaced). if this is not holding enough pressure it will trigger the abs light and cause the brake pedal to soften and go to the floor.

2. either clean or replace the switch mechanism that is hooked up to your ignition key barrel. the internal contacts get dirty or loose which causes a myrad of brake issues and causing the abs/brake lights to flash.

3. get the air out of your brake lines (bleed them properly). be VERY careful doing this. And make sure you don't have a frozen caliper.

assuming your hydraulic pump assembly is healthy and your brake pressure switch is working, if you do the things above, you will have trouble free brake operation. I did these things and haven't looked back since. It's not expensive to do these things either. Others will give their opinions, but i tell you i had a very hard time figuring this out- but when i did it worked for me. i did this for the two SC's i owned and got the same results every time.

i don't know if a '93 has the teves II- if not disregard this reply.
 
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Well lets see first off you must have abs system but you will not have a accumulater with a 93 +. Make sure you pump is running by turnning the key to on and you will hear the fuel pump and the ABS pump will run for about 5 seconds. If you dont hear the pump it may have a bad motor. I have never had a problem with the newer system and would recommend having someone test this system out for you. You can fix it if you know whats wrong but it can get expensive.
 
i took the car to tire kingdom today. i know, i know. i just dont a place to work on it myself (i live in an apt. complex) and i honestly dont have the knowlege or tools to do so. they are doing free brake inspections so i figured why not. they told me i need new brake pads, new calipers (they're frozen up?) and to flush and bleed the system = $349

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thoughts?
 
Thats realy not to bad if there replacing all the calipers, pads and flushing the system. After about 10 years you get condensation that forms in the lines. water + brake fluid= bad on all parts. Hope you get it sorted out.
 
I would want them to be more specific about what calipers are frozen up. It's odd for the front calipers to freeze up. And on the rears it's often the slide pins that are frozen, not the calipers.

None of that exactly explains the problem you reported unless your hydraulic fluid was low as well.
 
im in the tampa/clearwater (FL) area. if anyone is closeby and willing that would be very cool. my girlfriend would probably let me work on it at her place, i just dont know if i'd be able to get it done in an afternoon by myself. i planned on taking the car elsewhere with that estimate and see what they say. make sure TK isnt full of it.
 
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