recently bought bone stock 88; 86k miles. Well maintained. Good performance. But seems like brake pedal takes more pressure than it should. Car stops fine (even on hard stop), but I have to put some leg into it; definitely not toe touch. I don't hear any hissing or anything else that seems abnormal.

Is this normal?

If not, what should I be considering, looking at, etc.

P.S. -- I am not a mechanic!

 

If you don't want to learn how to work on your car take it to your favorite mechanic and have him work on the brakes.

Do it yourself will save you tons of $ though.
You'll need a basic set of Metric sockets and an 8" C clamp
An open end wrench to open the bleeder screws
A lenght of hose that will fit snugly on the bleeder screw
A container to capture old brake fluid
ABout 5 pints of good brake fluid
pads for the front and rear
A turkey baster to remove all the old brake fluid from the master cylinder

Get a good shop manual and follow the procedure to pull the wheels one at a time and take your time. I haven't done the Corvette, but it works the same as all disc brake cars. You remove the caliper, clean it, replace or keep the slide pins, lube them, use the C clamp to bottom the piston in the caliper. I like to use one of the old pads beteen the piston and the C clamp. Since its an ABS car and the fluid probably hasn't been changed sice it came off the assmbly line I'd open the bleeder screw and route a hose from the bleeder to a container to get as much of the old fluid out. Watch for the rubber boot of the piston to make sur it doesn't get pinched or torn.
Put the new pads in, bolt back on the caliper. Use the turkey baster to rmove most of the fluid from the master cylinder. Fill the master cylinder with fresh fluid past the full line is ok. Get someone to help you here, have them push on the brake pedal while you open the bleeder screw. When they bottom out tighten the screw. have them pump the brakes up a little, then repeat until you see fresh fluid come out. Then go on to the next wheel.

The shop manual will tell you what order to bleed the brakes and thats the order you should use to replace them.

Good luck, I'm sure others will chime in with more advice.

James

 

:cheers: Even the best maintained cars may not have received "brake system maintenance"

The brake fluid should be bled and refilled at least every two years (IMHO)
Old brake fluid accumulates dirt and moisture and in addition to possibly(emphassis on possibly) causing the needed increase in pedal pressure, old dirty brake fluid will definitely wear out the seals in the Master Cylinder and the wheel cylinders.

Your sensation of increased pedal pressure could be due to getting used to the car, or it could be a bad brake booster.

I would start with bleeding and refilling the brake fluid, you can use DOT 4. With the purchase of Speed Bleeders this is a one person job.

I agree with James, get some tools, get a manual and have a lot of fun doing some of your own work :D

:seeya

:steering:

 

Welcome to the Forum and congrats on your new Vette; '88 is a great year. :cheers:

Anyway, I wouldn't call our brakes toe-touch but your booster may be going out if the pedal is too hard. It's possible that someone installed performance pads that require a little more pressure than stock units.

It would be worth while having the brakes checked out to see the condition of the pads & rotors. A good mechanic should be able to determine if the booster is ok or needs service.

 

Stainless Steel brake lines do wonders during hard braking. They don't expand under hard braking like the stock rubber ones do. $100 to $110