that your 'Vette just couldn't be running any better.....ZAP....something goes wrong. My brake master cylinder was replaced last month by my mechanic because of a loss of brake pedal height. The pedal was low and mushy. He diagnosed the problem as being the master cylinder. I've been driving the car around town for the last month and the brakes have been tip/top/perfect. The pedal was up to the top and the brakes felt great. Yesterday I took the car for a 100 mile drive, with the tops off, and visited my dad in Russian River. We play golf together about once a month and since he's in his 80's (and doing great)...I go up to see him. This was the first real drive the 'Vette has been on. About five miles from his town, I tapped on the brakes just to slow down a bit and.....oops.....the pedal almost went to the floor. That ruined my day because when something like this goes wrong 100 miles from home, I know I'm in for a fun drive back. We did play some golf and son of a gun...I eagled a par four with 145 yard nine iron....straight into the hole. That was the high point of the day. At any rate, the car is back at my mechanics and there is some brake fluid tracking on the left front wheel. I'm pretty sure this is a non-related and new problem. There was no brake fluid visible before. But, damn it anyway....it's always something. The car is over 30 years old but I just had the brakes done about seven years ago and not all that many miles. I'm bummed out, but such is life.

 

i know its a pain . but life is good have vette and dad
docmow

 

Wow that sux....have you diagnosed the problem yet.....Congrats on the Eagle

 

When you did the brakes over seven years ago, did you go stainless and DOT 5 ?

 

Low or no pedal after a long drive is usually indicative of air in the brakes from rotor runout. The pads are pulsating in the calipers due to the rotor runout, and pump air in past the pistons. Have your mechanic check the runout on all four rotors and turn them as needed. At the same time, track down the leak in the caliper and replace/rebuild "while you're in there".

Shannon

 

Which can certainly be caused by using an impact gun to tighten the lug nuts rather than tightening them to the specified torque.....

 

Thanks for the input guys. The mechanic said I needed a complete front brake job. New calipers, pistons, turned rotor and whatever that entails. It's interesting to hear that over-tightening the wheel lugs can cause a problem. I'm going to ask him about this and make sure my wheels are torqued properly. Thanks again....great info....great bunch of guys!!!
I didn't go with stainless last time and I'm sure not this time. He just orders the parts and puts them in....and I don't specify which parts to use. My dad will be interested to hear (again) that pulsating brake pistons can pump air into the brake lines. I told him this and he didn't believe me...nor did his mechanic in Guerneville.

Got the car back and it now has stainless steel inserts in the calipers. The problem seems to be not driving it enough. This problem is one I can solve very easily.....


[Modified by fontking1a, 3:22 PM 11/2/2002]