Brake Problems!

A couple of weeks ago my brake pedal started to travel a long way with the braking performance suitably down.

I have since replaced the master cylinder thinking this would solve the problem.

How silly of me!

After my most recent drive in the car, brake travel was still high while the performance improved only slightly. Upon arriving home, i checked the fuild level and found it was lower than before my drive.

I think i have a leak!

After spending a couple of hours underneath the car, i was unable to find anything which looked like a leak.

Can anybody suggest how i might go about it?

Can i drain the system of brake fiuld and pour water in instead as this would probably leak easier.

HELP!

Luis Ramalhosa

Sounds like a leak or air is still in the system. Did you buy a new master cylinder or a rebuilt one? Might be bad? Any of the connections could be leaking and to find out which, I would put the car on stands, remove all wheels. Clean all connections with spray brake cleaner and then have someone apply the breaks and look at the calipers and lines with a flashlite to see if there is a leak. Are the pads new? Old /worn pads will require more pedal travel. Watch the pistons and pads move to insure there are no leaks there. I would do a really good bleed with a helper pumping the pedal and make sure the fluid level stays high. Instructions are posted here about how to do the bleeding. If your car has a hydralic clutch, check to see if they share the fluid?

Pressure bleed the system, then do it again. Older vehicles have little nooks and crannies that trap air bubbles. They only shake loose over time. The pressure bleed will also show leaks, if any.

Using a high quality brake fluid is also adviseable.