got the new car yesterday and now the brakes do not work...

T

TakeAwayTheFear

Active Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2012
I drove to Michigan yesterday and picked up my 87 turbo regal and im pretty happy with it!

I went out this morning to get gas and on the way back the red brake light came on and the pedal got mushy and then I lost all power to slow the car and had a really hard pedal. I drove it slow back to the house and the light went off and the brakes seemed normal. Then it came on again and had a really hard pedal and the car was next to impossible to stop. Pedal and light are not fixed yet.

Fluid level is good and I have felt the pump turn on....
 
Could be Accumlater ball or Power Master itself

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Well - let's take this slow-er

To your knowledge - does the PowerMonster motor run?
If no - check your fuse
If fuse is blown - replace and see what's what.
Sometimes, they just get cranky and will blow a fuse. not normal, but hey, it's a powermonster
If the fuse blows again - look to see if any fluid is coming out from around - anything - especially the pressure switch (grey) on top of the powermonster.
No obvious fluid, motor not running - sad - but probably time for a new PM (motor).

If the motor is coming on - it may be running more or less continually - yes?

If the motor is turning on, you should get at least approx 5 pedal pumps from the accumulator if it is charged
If not - and the motor is ok - and you lose pressure with the first pump - chance are high your accumulator has taken the ride to the accumulator graveyard.
But it's a very, very easy and reasonably inexpensive fix.

There is a whole set of troubleshooting pdf's and pages I can link you to.
A whole set.....since they are so trouble free (said no one)
 
quick update. I got home and took the car out to rinse her off from the snow filled trailering she got..... i started the car and put it in drive after i backed out of the garage, and the light went off and i had brakes again....... i washed the car and took it down the street to show a friend and after i used the brakes about 3x the light came on again and the hard pedal came back! when i got to my destination i let the car idle in the driveway for 10 min or so. when i got in to head home the light was off again and the brakes worked until i used them another 2-3x and then the same thing happened.
 
Yeah - multiple pedal pushes and the pressure is gone.
That's a pretty sure sign - of an accumulator ball - again - judging by that fact that you have brakes - it tells me your PowerMonster pump is working.
It's just that the accumulator ball does not have adequate amount if nitrogen in it to - keep the brake fluid compressed.
Then the pump comes on, and you sorta repeat the process.
Sort of.
Just grab a replacement ball and see if that does the trick.
They are cheap.
Follow the directions for removal and ball charging!
Or - bad things happen to your fender paint.

While you are in the neighborhood, why don't you use a turkey baster and at least change out some of your reservoir fluid.
Don't drain it all the way - just enough to put some fresh in.
Ideally,changing the entire system fluid is better- but this time of year - cold n all - any new fluid is better than old fluid.
That's a really good maintenance item to do - every year if possible.
Your PowerMonster will thank you in the long run.
 
Yeah I would disconnect battery and pump pedal 20 times before taking ball off. If pressurized it can kill you if it hits you. Be careful. want my advice get a vacuum setup or a hydro boost set up and throw the power master in the corner of the garage where it belongs. search this one out. the power master is to unpredictable .
 
chopped39 said:
Yeah I would disconnect battery and pump pedal 20 times before taking ball off. If pressurized it can kill you if it hits you. Be careful. want my advice get a vacuum setup or a hydro boost set up and throw the power master in the corner of the garage where it belongs. search this one out. the power master is to unpredictable .
Click to expand...

X2 and so on!!
 
I wouldn't say accumulator balls are cheap. I think I paid $60 - $80 a decade ago. Kirban wants $190. You must be a rich man.

Follow the diagnostic - do your due diligence. At least you can say you did your best to figure it out.
 
The best way to change out the fluid, as recommended by Richard Clark is to depressurize the system (10 - 15 pedal pushes KEY OFF), the leaving the KEY OFF, suck ALL of the fluid out of the reservoir and replace with good dot 3 fluid. I'll find my post on proper levels and post the link here:
I've posted several pictures in this link about proper levels under different conditions. Pay close attention!! Ask questions if not perfectly clear!!

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/th...s-diagnostic-information.362564/#post-3285010
 
The accumulator is a reserve. The switch detects low pressure and kicks the pump on to charge back up the accumulator. A healthy accumulator will hold 3 brake applications before pressure is lost and the pump is activated. It's very simple to test this. With key on engine off see how many times you can hit the brake before the pump kicks on. If the pedal gets hard and the pump is not kicking on, you have a bad switch. Providing the fuse fuse is not blown.

Am I right Dave?
 
Ok I haven't touched the brake issue in days ive been really sick with strep :( ok so I get into the car today. I start the car, the pump ran and the light went off peddle feel was not great pushed on the brakes 2x and red light came on for a few seconds and went away. As soon as I touched them light came back on. So I turned the key off and pumped the brakes 10x or so. Turn the key back on no pump....... no pump at all.... I left the key on and started looking around and it turned on almost as soon as I touched it? But that was the last time I could get it to turn on.

No leaks I could see and fuse was good.

Just wanna makw sure the accumlator is what I need or if there is more going on. If so ill switch the system out
 
You will follow the troubleshooting steps, replace the accumulator, and still have the same problem. Next proceed to the switch or something, and still have the same problem. Hopefully lastly proceed to the motor and still have the same problem.

By the time you paid for two of these parts or tried to find used ones not really knowing their condition, you could buy all brand new components for a vacuum setup.

I spent two days troubleshooting mine, and gave up after that. At least i have clear fluid now, but barely any brakes. As soon as i return from training i will be doing a vacuum conversion. Seems like the way to go, at least to save yourself from plenty of headaches.

Just my 2 cents.

* Oh yea i replaced my ball and my car is doing the exact thing yours is.
 
Lol^^ Exactly. Id be pissed if I got a new accumulator and I still had problems. Vaccum dies look like the way to go im def gonna look intk it.
 
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