Hey where did my brakes go?

[TWINTRBO]

I think its the Master cylinder but not 100% sure since I didn't get to look too hard yet, just wanted some other opinions. Some girl stepped into traffic without looking and I went for the brakes, they grabbed hard and the front tires chirped, that was followed by what felt like an ABS pulse but the pulse never rebounded, the pedal stayed low. When I hit the brakes again, they grabbed normal but the pedal slowly dropped to the floor again. Wash, rinse, repeat, no change. When I got home I had some fluid dripping in the middle of the car but I couldn't see exactly from where. Reservoir was empty and the brake light was on. Underneath, its dripping from where the Rear PS lines change over to hard lines. So I guess I just want opinions from others about what to look for, also wanted to know if it was possible if the proportioning valve was the culprit or maybe even the ABS unit itself. Its a weird place for the fluid to be dripping from. Thanks guys!

[green-lantern]

I bet master

[TWINTRBO]

I think so too but why is fluid coming from the middle and not the Drivers side?

[green-lantern]

I think so too but why is fluid coming from the middle and not the Drivers side?

Probably just following lines and other stuff down. You just need to tear in and check it out. My car doesn't have ABS so I can't give much advice if those leak.

[Hans@GZP]

Sounds like you had a hard line rot out. It's probably leaking where one of the brackets hold the line to the car.

[green-lantern]

Sounds like you had a hard line rot out. It's probably leaking where one of the brackets hold the line to the car.

Good possibility

Jack the car up, get under it (with jackstands) and have somebody pump the breaks. We can guess all day but you won't know until you do.

[TWINTRBO]

Quite a few things are corroding under there, I think I'm going to have to get a lift. I'm getting too old for this crap lol. Thanks for the advice guys, I will check it out and see what I find.

[green-lantern]

Quite a few things are corroding under there, I think I'm going to have to get a lift. I'm getting too old for this crap lol. Thanks for the advice guys, I will check it out and see what I find.

lol I know what you mean, I keep saying I'm going to get a lift but end up spending money on parts.

[TWINTRBO]

Its pretty cheap, the harbor freight one is $900 and you can use the in store coupon for 20% off that. For me, my garage is too small to jack the car up in and I dont have the length for ramps either. I have a nice creeper but I cant get the car up high enough with a jack to get fully under it. When I was in my early 20's none of this mattered lol.

[green-lantern]

900 with 20% off huh? I need to look into that.

[vroom4]

Things Id buy from harbor freight....a car lift is not one of then HAHA

[Hans@GZP]

Hey Paul, what's your local newspaper? I want to keep an eye on the obituary section :p

[Rakuny]

lol I know what you mean, I keep saying I'm going to get a lift but end up spending money on outrageous speeding tickets.

Fixed for ya :p

[green-lantern]

:lol: I hate you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Funny though, when I searched "harbor freight auto lift" at work one of the 1st things I saw read something like "I never thought I'd meet my end being crushed under a car". I quit searching then lol

[TWINTRBO]

Its really not a bad item, it gets good reviews and lots of items they make are way better than you would think. There are whole sites devoted to reviews of their products. The major complaint with it is that the motor comes wired in reverse and it doesn't lift. Most of them work with stepped locks to hold it in position so as long as that looked solid I wouldn't worry. Besides, I havent seen a negative review yet, honestly! This is the one I looked at:

Hydraulic Scissor Lift - 6000 Lb. Capacity (http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/lifts-stands/6000-lb-capacity-scissor-lift-with-hydraulic-pump-46604.html)

You cant beat $720 +tax.

Ironically, the "crushed to death" review you read the beginning of was about why the guy went out and bought one, read it again, it describes operations and safeties that it has.

Product Review: Harbor Freight Hydraulic Scissor Lift | The Truth About Cars (http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/01/product-review-harbor-freight-hydraulic-scissor-lift/)

[Hans@GZP]

The only thing that sucks about those lifts is the fact that you can't do anything in the area of the lift. No exhaust, driveshaft, etc type of work. It's great for a home garage to get small jobs done though.

[green-lantern]

Yeah honestly I wouldn't waste my time with that one. I don't want anything in the way. I sort of doubt my 3000 would drive over it anyway.

[Intropy]

Can you drop the subframes with that lift?

[TWINTRBO]

I think you could drop the subframes. Its using the factory jack points to lift so that should leave it clear. If you wanted a lift for major work under the car, there are WAY better options. I have seen nice portable 2 post lifts and even a 2 piece lift like this one so there is nothing in the middle of the car. This one is budget friendly. You could also use this as a "super" jack to get it up on 4 jackstands really easy, then remove this so its clear under there.