86 intermittent brake failure
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Cullman Al.
86 intermittent brake failure
Hey guys need some input. 1986 convertible w 67k miles. Occasionally the brake light will come on and within a hundred miles or so it will begin pulling slightly to the left. (caliper sticking) Then I start to smell the brakes so I pull over and let it cool. No more pulling to the left. However within a few miles the brake pedal will go to the floor (No pedal at all) after several miles and several attempts at braking the pedal will pop and then be back up and the light goes off. This has happened 4 times in the last 6 months and the LF rotor is blue and warped so I have already ordered new slotted rotors and ceramic pads, but IDK if I need the pressure switch, master cylinder, caliper, rubber line or proportioning valve. Anyone else ever experience this? Thanks
Last edited by Tastlikchikn; Oct 7, 2017 at 11:15 AM. Reason: left out a word
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 325
From: San Antonio Tx
When the brakes get really hot any moisture in the brake fluid will boil. Then you have a gas in the system which just compresses when you push the pedal. When the fluid cools the moisture turns liquid so it works again. After you fix your caliper flush all the old fluid out off the system.
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Cullman Al.
Caliper rebuild?
When the brakes get really hot any moisture in the brake fluid will boil. Then you have a gas in the system which just compresses when you push the pedal. When the fluid cools the moisture turns liquid so it works again. After you fix your caliper flush all the old fluid out off the system.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,206
Likes: 1,325
From: LeClaire Iowa
When the brakes get really hot any moisture in the brake fluid will boil. Then you have a gas in the system which just compresses when you push the pedal. When the fluid cools the moisture turns liquid so it works again. After you fix your caliper flush all the old fluid out off the system.
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Cullman Al.
I wouldn't doubt there is a lot of moisture in it. I've only owned the car about 9 months. The previous owner only drove it a few miles a year and only short trips. And apparently rarely if ever serviced anything.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,581
Likes: 966
From: Communist Colorado
If I were you, and I was in your position only a few months back.... I would only want to do the job once. SO.... Replace the master cylinder, all 4 brake hoses, rebuild all 4 calipers and flush 2 to 3 pints of DOT 3 through the system. Be sure to thoroughly clean the caliper slide bolts and re-lube them lightly with caliper grease. These things done with the new pads and rotors, and you will be in good shape for a long time.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 325
From: San Antonio Tx
Water expands approximately 1800 times when it turns to steam so it doesn't take all that much.