My '87 was sitting for about 1 month without being used. When I drove it during the last week, all was fine, but I noticed that the emergency brake handle needed to be raised much less than before for it to be engaged. While ignoring this problem a bit as I don't usually use the emrgency brake, tonight I noticed that the brake pedal is sinking to the floor too easily when I press it. Though it is still stoppping the vanagon, it feels a bit weaker. I was able to pump it up a bit, and with the engine off, I could pump it once or twice till the pedal was hard. With the engine on, it pumps up somewhat, but I feel like it's on the way out. This problem came on rather suddenly, and I have a feeling that I'll need to address it soon. To be clear, the pedal isn't going to the floor, but I am having to push it further. I checked the fluid level, and it seems ok, but it was too dark to look for leaks anywhere. However, this problem reminds me of faulty master brake cylinder that I encountered in a '77 Pontiac grand prix that I owned for a few months. In that case, I had just a little bit of brake left as the pedal went to the floor. So, do any of you have the fix for this problem? Even a few suggestions would be helpful. Thanks for the replies, and I'll ride the bus for now. david '87 non-GL camper |
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