Taijutsu

I took the Vette out for a check ride. Imagine my surprise when I found out my brakes were gone! Turns out I threw a PS belt when I got on it.
I thought HB was charged w/nitrogen so as to provide brakes when the PS failed? I had nothing! Does HB require regular recharging?
I'm on my way to put on a new PS belt so as to get it home. Tomorrow I'm having the new PS pump put on. What can be done w/HB? I bought it on the forum as a GP years ago. What are my options here? TIA

Ricisan

Gordonm

Even if the nitrogen has been discharged you should be able to still apply the brakes. It will require more effort but the brakes will still work. Do you think the car manufacters would allow the system to be totally gone if the belt broke? You had no brakes at all even if you stood on the pedal?

GDaina

Why did you get rid of the stock brakes? What was wrong with them?

mrvette

Replace the pump, fill with fluid, turn the steering side to side 4-6 times, pump the brakes a bunch....

wait till morning for the aeration of the fluid to settle out, and it's fine....

not a issue with HB...just a pump/belt, I bet....

mrvette

JUNK, like all the rest, and the steering needs updated too...

as you know, I"M hardly MrNCRS.....ALL my cars have been hotrods one way or other....50 years worth...

Paul L

I'm with George. Why fool about with these mods?

Theiskell

I hear this question quite often. I had manual breaks on my car and setting at a red light I had to stand on the breaks to set still. (big cam, high idle speed, and not enough stall) Some will say that my breaks weren’t working correctly, but I beg to differ. My breaks were good, but with Hydroboost it just makes driving the car much more pleasurable. I have also driven vetts with power breaks and the hydroboost is still hands down preferable to me. I am much more at ease driving in traffic when a panic stop could occur. One thing to note, I don’t think the HB makes me stop quicker, but they do “feel” better.

Gordonm

I had manual brakes and wanted something that required less effort. The vacuum brakes suck! The vacuum booster runs down after a few repeated stops and the booster is quite large. I run a big lumpy cam and just would not have enough vacuum. The HB is a much more positive pedal feel and is always there as long as the PS pump is working. yes the stock brakes are OK on a stock car but mine is far from stock. Just my reasons.

mrvette

Because the car WORKS BETTER, what YOU think, that 50 y/o designs and tech are up to modern standards??? how about a Ford with mechanical, NOT hydraulic BRAKES????

get REAL man.....

Taijutsu

I just got back from putting on a new PS belt. I did a brake check and things work OK. I've never got the brake power that I thought HB would provide. I was going to replace the PS pump long ago, but my mech said that the problem was hoses were loose and leaking. I'm thinking about replacing the PS pump, but that does not explain my lack of brakes after the belt broke. I got a very small amount of brake drag after several pumps on the pedal. It was not enough to even think about driving in traffic let alone an emergency stop.
Like many forum members, I wasn't happy w/stk brakes. After I got more go, I needed more stop.
I doubt that a new PS pump will effect the HB after throwing a belt or some other failure. Any thoughts? TIA

Ricisan

Theiskell

WOW what a choppy paragraph I wrote…anyway one thing I forgot to mention; Everyone with a C3 that has driven my car, now wants Hydroboost. It’s a good mod if you give it a chance.

TimAT

One thing to remember- if you change the PS pump on a C3 with power steering- the ram and control valve are designed to work at a lower pressure than other cars. f you install a new pump and don't change the pressure regulator you get "twitchy" steering.

BB72

HB is suppose to have that Nitrogen charge, must have leaked out. I had an old chevy dually with hb and it would stop on a dime. Once it stalled pulling into the gas pump and holy crap.......I'm a big guy and I pushed with everything I had to get it to stop from a slow roll.....whew. You would think it should be safer than that on failure of the pump or belt.

CA-Legal-Vette

I've got hydroboost and believe that it tends to cover up other issues. Your statement here as well as the fact that the brakes failed without the hydroboost leads me to believe that you have other brake issues. Yes, the nitrogen reservoir should provide a solid brake or two after the unit loses hydraulic pressure, but the fact is you should be able to stop the car, with considerably more force to be sure, without the hydroboost.

MotorHead

I have hydroboost brakes and it was one of the best mods I did to my Vette. It stops now, real good, almost hit my head the first time I touched them

Binnie77

After installing hydroboost one of the first things I did on the first test run was to shut the engine off to see what the resulting force was on the pedal. After about the third push of the pedal I noticed I needed a fair amount of pedal pressure to stop. I was expecting it to be more difficult to stop than it was. Matter of fact, it was much easier to stop than it was to steer

GDaina

I read all these posts about manual brakes not stopping...I have manual brakes, big cube motor, roller cam...car stops just fine, and I don't have to exert any undo force...Using DOT 5, solid pedal, I'm thinking...maybe my lines are free of air...

Taijutsu

In thinking this through, I may have done it to myself. My driveway is a slope. After I start the car on the brick, I have to restart w/o E brake. I wonder if I used up the backup nitrogen long ago? While I'm waiting for the engine to start and the HB to kick in, the car rolls w/brake on.
I've got to get this fixed!

I will keep the forum posted.

Ricisan

v2racing

There is no replacement for the basics.

Snowman

Yes to what Gordon said. Same for me.