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Brakes going bad or just how it is?

B

BMR777

New member
I've got a 1999 Grand Prix that has a brake pedal that feels like it's just a bit too soft and has too much travel. The car stops fine, but it feels like it's going kinda low compared to other cars I have driven. The pedal seems to go close to the floor, but there's about an inch or so between the floor and the pedal, enough for me to fit / almost fit my foot between the floor and back of the pedal. If I put my foot on the pedal it will hold, I can't get it down to the floor just by holding my foot there, I would have to force it.

I'm wondering if my master cylinder is failing or if this is just how the 99s are with the pedal having a lot of play. I had a 95 grand prix before this and the brake pedal felt fine, but that car had other brake issues.

I've had the brakes flushed, so I would think that if this is an issue the next step would be a master cylinder. A mechanic friend of mine suggested that perhaps the brake lines might be starting to rust as well, causing issues?

One more detail, the other day the brake warning light came on. Next day I checked the fluid, it was all almost gone, which I know it was half full three weeks ago. The next day I go back to fill up the empty fluid and I could swear there was more fluid in there than the day before, it wasn't completely empty anymore!

I'm wondering if it's worth it looking into a new master cylinder or if the excessive travel in the brake pedal is part of this model year.

Any help you could give would be great!

Thanks!
 


if your fluid is being lost you have a leak somewhere. Look under the drivers rear door at the lines they are probably really rusty there.
 
I would also say lost fluid= leak. Once you get that fixed, I would try bleeding the brakes, that usually helps quite a bit. Then switch to the steel braded brake lines for an even firmer feel.
 
Thanks for the advise. When I took it to get the brake fluid flushed they didn't find any leaks or rust when they did their physical inspection, but they could have missed it.

Any idea why the fluid level would fluctuate and appear to be low one day and somewhat higher the next?

I'll have to check the fluid level and see how fast this leak is. Thanks for the help so far.
 
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