[eileen]

Today my daughter came home from school and said her brake light went on. She said she had to push really hard to get the brakes to work. I checked the brake fluid, thinking it might need filling - but it seemed fine. Then I drove the vehicle - it seems as though the brakes are gone. If you pump the brakes, it feels like you're getting them back - but I think they are going or gone. We had the tires changed Wednesday on the vehicle - could they have cut a line or something? We have also had some extremely cold weather and lots of ice - could this be the problem?

We didn't pay a whole lot for the vehicle. It's a tank - perfect for a first car in deer country - a good solid learning vehilce. It only has to travel 8 miles a day - back and forth to school - sometimes 16 miles a day - we don't want to have to invest a whole lot - does anyone have a clue? The breaks never squeaked or gave any indication they were starting to fail.

[labman]

I doubt the tires had anything to do with it. If you are not losing brake fluid, but you must pump the brakes to stop the car, I would guess the master cylinder is going bad. They are one of the longest lasting components of the brake system. It is highly possible nothing has ever been done to it, and the aged, worn rubber parts in it have died. Taking it off and replacing it with a rebuilt one isn't a big project. Trouble is, you have to bleed all the wheel cylinders and calipers. Again no big deal if the bleed screws have been properly cared for. Many inexperienced people get in trouble breaking off frozen bleed screws. If you decide to tackle this adventure yourself, post back and I will give you some tips on getting bleed screws loose.

Note, tank or not, your daughter's best defense against deer and everything else is a seat belt. On an automotive site I hang out on, recently an EMT made the statement, he never had to remove a dead person from their seat belt.

[eileen]

Way too big for me to handle - I had to look in the owner's manual to find out how to check the brake fluid - just to get a clue as to what the container looked like. I will double check it in the morning to be sure it was full - it was dark and cold. Although, it's probably the master cylinder, given the age of the car. It was stored for 5 years.

I am blessed to have a child who lives within the law and wears her seat belt and requires everyone who gets in to do the same. I sat her down and had her watch some TV shows pertaining to teen driving and the death toll. It was awakening to see how simply putting in a cd could cause an accident and how overcorrecting can kill. I think the most important thing we can do is spend more time in the car with them - and put them into situations they have to figure out how to get out of - then - prayerfully - they won't panic when placed in a situation where they have to respond. Just the other icy morning, she was going slow and someone behind her decided to pass her just before a stop sign (at the end of a hill). She was going slow enough that she was able to slow her car down and turn it into a sideways position to avoid hitting the person that had to hurry to stop. We're talking about a two lane country road.

Thanks for your advice - I am going to double check the brake fluid during the day light and then probably take her in to be serviced or put to sleep.

[labman]

In rereading your original post, my answer dealt with the pumping the brakes, but not the pushing hard and not stopping the car. You may be having problems with the brake booster too. It isn't unusual to have several problems with an older car that was stored for a few years.

I remember a few years ago when my son first had his licensee. He had been sensible, responsible about other things, so I was not nearly as apprehensive as the father of one of his friends. In fact, I was generous about allowing him to drive the car, that way it was him driving, not a friend deserving less confidence. I don't think he ever even put a scratch on the car. Our younger daughter has done very well too.

[eileen]

When you push the brake it goes all the way down with no resistance. That is why I pump it several times to see if I can get some resistance. I really don't know if that helps or not - but until I can get a professional to check it out - she is not driving the car. I will look at the fluid again - the manual said it should be 1/4 inch from the top.

My daughter, although very intelligent sometimes lacks a little on the common sense side - so when she made that choice the other morning to avoid instead of impact - I was thrilled - it gives her confidence and me. Sometimes the hardest thing about being a mom is letting go and letting them gain the confidence they need to make it on their own. When it comes to cars - sometimes you don't get the opportunity to learn from your mistake. But I have great faith that God's got her in His arms - no matter what. But I still wait up until she's home and night and call her on icy mornings when I think she should have arrived at school - just to be sure she made it.

We have discovered those several small problems from storing a car - so far we've paid in repairs almost what we paid for the car $500. Recently we were given some tires that weren't so worn (hers were dryrotted) . It was a blessing and the price was right (free). We were hoping that it'd make it through the next two years without any further major repairs. We've had a couple of mechanics check it out and there wasn't anything that stood out - besides the timing chain - but we won't do that - when that goes so does the blue beast. So I am hoping that this won't be a major cost! The insurance and licensing are really low and it is a "ship" (bigger than a boat) as one of her friends has named it. I think we could sell it to one of the high school boys - they all want her to "pimp-it out". They think it's a really cool ride. It's a smooth ride - but cool and pimped out? I guess I'm just too old!

I appreciate the additional advice - at least when I take it in - I'll sound informed! Thanks Again! Have a nice weekend!