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View Full Version : 1996 Blazer. Brakes go to the floor.


ITstudent2006
May 29, 2011, 08:14 PM
Again as the title suggests, the brake pedal goes straight to the floor. First things that come to mind are:

1. Master Cylinder
2. Power Booster
3. Air in lines
4. Break in lines (leak)
5. Caliper Pistons stuck open

Now, I will go into detail why I think certain ones will be eliminated but again, I am not a pro, just an enthusiast.

1. Master cylinder. There are no wet spots near, on, leading in, going out of the master cylinder. It's pushing fluid fine through the resevoire.

2. Power Booster. The symptoms of a bad power booster are the opposite of what's happening to me. If the power booster was bad, wouldn't the brakes be super HARD to push?

3. Air in lines. Pumping the brakes doesn't help. Neither does complete runout of fluid and refill.

4. This, I believe, is the culprit. I refill the reservoir every 2 days. It it bone dry after 2 days. So where is the fluid going. LEAK!

6. The wear on the right side is 100% (meaning the pads are gone, steel on steel) while the pads on the left are 80% (recently changed) and the rotar is good. If anything the piston almost seems to be locked in the closed position not open.

One small detail I forgot to mention. When the brake did go out, there was a puddle of brake fluid on and around the front right tire. So... I am betting leak.

My question is, is there something I am over looking?

TxGreaseMonkey
May 29, 2011, 08:23 PM
No. I agree with your assessment.

I would clamp off the RF brake line with a pair of long nose Vise Grips, covered with fuel line. Either install a remanufactured caliper or rebuild your existing one. Be sure to remove the caliper pins, clean them with a rag, and coat them with silicone grease. After reinstalling the caliper, completely bleed the brake system (RR, LF, LR, RF).

When you replace brake pads, you always want to do both wheels at the same time.

Calipers will leak when the pistons are hyper-extended, as it sounds like the situation on the RF.

This link should help:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-selected-other-vehicles-46563-9.html#post1618425