weird brake problem

[.::DuD3::. 10+ year member]

i have a 96 camaro, and am having a weird problem with my brakes right now. about a week ago, i went to make a quick stop, and while doing so i felt something click in the brake and immediately my brake sensor light came on. now the pedal is real soft like it feels when you bleed your brakes. i took to a local shop, and apparently there is no pressure to the back brakes, the wheels keep spinning with the brakes applied. they changed the brake master cylinder, but that wasn't the problem. a couple of friends where saying i should bleed my back brakes, that maybe an air bubble got into the line. and the abs sensor is not on, so it can't be anything wrong with that. anyone have any ideas? i'm totally stumped on this one.

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[negativezeroz 5,000+ posts]

how are your brake lines? what bout going stainless steel lines and bleeding the brakes?

 

[.::DuD3::. 10+ year member]

well i thought the guys at "merchants tire" would have thought to bleed the brakes, thats why i was a little skeptical. but do you think that could be the problem?

 

[trevor87 5,000+ posts]

Checked brake fluid? I know on my car once i had to mash the brake to the floor for it to just slow down so i added more fluid it still kinda acted up but it stopped fine and my dad says its cause i have air in them or sumthin from when i changed the fluid.

 

[.::DuD3::. 10+ year member]

merchants said that the problem might be a valve not opening correctly or something, but it feels like it might just be an air bubble.

 

[Silver 10+ year member]

Open the brake fluid resivor, pump the brakes once or twice. Check to see if its bubbling (usually milky cappicuno color). If it is, keep going untill it stops.

Try that. If that doesn't work.

Bleed em. Take it to someone who knows what there doing. Like a chevy dealer, GMC, ect. They use a tech 2 device that does a program and bleeds then appropriately. Try that.

If that doesn't work, I dunno what else the problem would be.

 

[Blazin_Jason 10+ year member]

Hard to say, but you may have just replaced the master cylinder without needing to. I would bleed the rear brakes, as well to see that there is fluid there. Could be a brake line problem too. Just get your hands dirty and get in there and see what's wrong.

Jason

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

aounds like either a bad line, bad fitting, or air in the lines.

 

[twistedtrik 10+ year member]

Sounds like the Proportioning valve has decided to go south on you. this handy little device is what gives the front brakes more pressure than the rears when you start to step on the brakes. This causes the car to remain under control during braking. You can try bleeding the rear brakes (do all of them for that matter) and see if that helps. The "mechanics" may not have "bench bled" the master cylinder and this usually causes the master cylinder to go to crap real quick. Try bleeding them and if that doesn't help, I would check the Proportioning valve.

 

[KnOkIn It 420 10+ year member]

NO BRAINER!I would bring it to a certified chevy dealership or any well know diagnostic shop in your area and have them put a scan tool on your car and bam it will get pretty close to tellin u exactly what the proplem is.

 

[.::DuD3::. 10+ year member]

NO BRAINER!I would bring it to a certified chevy dealership or any well know diagnostic shop in your area and have them put a scan tool on your car and bam it will get pretty close to tellin u exactly what the proplem is.

well i tried that, and they didn't get the job done //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif but at least i got a free master cylinder //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/up2something.gif.dd110ecf3ae4b76050d87598f2f8de7c.gif . i got the dealership looking at it this weekend, i just wanted an idea if its gonna blow my wallet up right before christmas.

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

well i tried that, and they didn't get the job done //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif but at least i got a free master cylinder //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/up2something.gif.dd110ecf3ae4b76050d87598f2f8de7c.gif .

Not that getting that has done you a bit of good if your 'Maro still won't stop appropriately...
I'm with the majority here and reckon it sounds like you simply need to bleed the system. If you do get the system bled out and rid yourself of any air that may be trapped in the lines and it still doesn't cure the issue I'd suggest that you've got a caliper piston partially frozen. (the '96 Camaros do have rear disc, right?)