Manual brakes and no parking brake

We were all 16 and wet behind the ears! We all learned as we went along. None of us woke up on a Tuesday as master ASE certified technicians.

Anyway, the garage suggested to you. Try to get it there for inspection and repair. However, call first. No sense showing up if they specialize in VW. Also, if the Pontiac has to stay waiting for parts, do they have a spot for it? Is the spot free of charge and secured? Can you offer a repair manual for this particular Pontiac the mechanic to use?

 

NO! NO NO NO NO

Do NOT drive her until you've worked out whats wrong with the brakes!

What happens when you pump the pedal? Did it *really* stop fine, or did he shut it off and coasted to a stop, letting out the clutch to stop it?

 

Please, please, get these brakes checked by someone who is familiar with this type of system. Assume that nothing the previous owner told you is true regarding new lines or other brake parts that were replaced. Unscrupulous sellers lie all the time. Your life or someone elses may depend on it.

 

Have confirmed just a minute ago that the brakes are indeed not engaging. Stuck it all the way to the floor and put her in neutral and pushed her forward, and she wouldn't stop until i shifted back into park.
Oh my.

 

Just contacted him, he said check the brake fluid. Will go do this now

 

Ideally, if you can get someone to come help you, the knowledge passed on and the education will be invaluable.

There are so many variables as to what it can be, from air in the lines, to adjustments, to parts that are old and dried out. You can pay a mechanic, but if you can learn to diagnose and repair, you will be far ahead.

No offense, you are 16. You likely have never driven a car where the brakes went out and you were able to stop it using ingenuity that comes with experience. You do not even have a parking brake to assist should the brakes go totally out. As said, DO NOT DRIVE IT UNTIL THE BRAKES ARE FIXED.

 

Okay everyone, this is what I was told. All the lines are new and they were bled, and the master cylinder was rebuilt. He said the brakes worked great when he test drove it. I checked down in the brake fluid reservoir (hard to get to, the dummies put it underneath the steering column! Who thought up that design?) so I'm gonna put some new fluid in there, check for a leak out of their, and if the brakes still won't work after that, then I'll definitely go get them checked by someone familiar with the system.

 

If he bled the brakes and they are dry, there is a bigger problem. It still needs to be checked out even if they work.

 

No matter what a seller says... Learn basic stuff and check the brakes and do a tune up so you know what your working with, Then you know what was done and when it was done. Also as a guy that had it for a while was probably used to the brakes even if they were weak so he knows how they work and may of got used to them, should of seen my girlfriend try to stop my truck that always pulled a little bit... The curb never saw it coming....

 

Update: brake fluid is empty pretty much. Gonna fill it up with Dot 3, that's compatible with the original fluid they said in the manual. Still getting everythign else checked however, regardless whether it works or not.

 

you didnt say where in new york you are located. there are a lot of hambers from ny. maybe someone close by. these guys arent a bunch of ogres. this is the way we can pass on the hobby to the next generation.

 

56Pontiacpiano,

When the previous owner delivered the car, he may have pumped the brake pedal a few times to build up the pressure in order to stop. That would mean that there could be air in the brake lines or the shoes are way out of adjustment.

No emergency brake means that the rear shoes are out or adjustment or the brake cables are out of adjustment. The emergency brake is a mechanical brake that does not rely on brake fluid but does use the same rear brake shoes that the hydraulic brake uses.

Ps, if you look at the kid in my avatar, he is only 18 and helped build that dragster. (and he is me!) I would be glad to start all over at 16 again.

 

since the Master Cylinder is low on fluid need to look under car to see if there is a leak at rear of brakes backing plates, MC, etc. if nothing is wet/damp then depending on how mush fluid it takes to refill it you need to very slowly push down on the pedal with MC cap off. will likely see some air bubbles, which is OK. add fluid up to full level as stated in the manual. then put cap back on and gently push on brakes and see if any change. if not there may be air in system or even with a rebuild MC nothing functioning properly. again, before you pay for a tow truck to take your car to the local shop find out all that you can. that way when the mechanic talks about repairs needed you will have an idea about what he is talking about. shops charge by the hour and it all adds up real fast, plus special parts.

 

I don't see anything leaking out of anywhere, I would have noticed...but then again there may be a leak right in the reservoir itself. I'll check everything you guys told me to, and there shouldn't be any air in the lines...but like I said, I'll be sure to check everything. Better safe than through the front windshield dead.

 

I'm the in the tricity Region, close to Niskayuna.

 

1) Pedal goes to the floor, does the pedal come up if you pump up the brakes? If so you have a bad master cylinder or brakes badly out of adjustment.

2) Master cylinder empty, you have a leak somewhere. I don't know where, it could be any of the brake lines, the master cylinder, it could be leaking from the wheel cylinders inside the brake drums.

3) Handbrake or parking brake, this is a cable operated brake on the rear wheels only. May be out of adjustment, cables broken or frozen up, no way to tell without checking.

You need to have the brakes checked by a good mechanic. See if you can find an old gray haired or bald headed guy who has worked on fifties cars before. Or a young guy who is into old cars. A typical modern mechanic will take one look at your brakes and freak out. Don't panic, the brakes aren't that bad even though they are not up to 2013 standards they will stop the car fine if you don't ask too much of them.

Could be they are out of adjustment, bad master cylinder, leaky wheel cylinder, rusty brake line who knows? Fortunately all the parts are available and they are not expensive.

 

Update, there indeed is a hole on the bottom of my reservoir, a large stream of the new brake fluid dripped out of it and ran down my driveway. How do I repair? Duct tape? Weld? Just buy a new reservoir?

 

New

 

New goes for $120 and up at rockauto.com
Good idea to check your local NAPA, or similar. If you go to Advance, Pep Boys, or the like, the kid behind the computer will probably ask you if your car has ABS!
You will do yourself a big favor if you can find a parts store that still has an older gentleman behind the counter.

 

My brake fluid reservoir is pretty much impossible to get to. It's behind the steering column and deep down, attached to the frame. How on earth can I get to it and replace it, or even just patch it up temporarily...anyone on here actually have a GM product with the reservoir like that?

 

Does your MC look like this? Is there a remote reservoir, or is that the whole thing?

Don't know anything about these guys, but they seem to have a lot of stuff.
http://www.pontiacparts.net/

You mentioned that you have a shop manual. It should include instructions for R&R of the MC.

 

Have it towed to a good mechanic. It cannot be patched with duct tape, JB weld, chewing gum, or the latest Iphone app.

 

Glad to see that DIY spirit is alive and well.

Stay the course. Get your hands dirty, and ask lots of questions. That, I believe, is traditional hot rodding.

 

No, but, if it is under the car, attached to the frame, then getting at it from underneath is your best option (you could cut a hole in the floor, but...) You, of course have access to a jack, jack stands (not logs, 2x4's stacked up, rocks, cinder blocks, old metal gas cans, or the like) so you can get under the car and work on it, right? Or, some way to either safely lift it (nice garage lift) or some way to get under it (park on gravel spot, dig out hole under where you need to work, crawl in dust and dirt, hope it doesn't rain.) Remember, you are not the first person to have to change one of these, and not the first to (maybe) do it outside.

Like the others have said, check your Motors manual, look on Youtube for some videos, then take the book out and look at/under the car.

A helpful hint for when it comes time to bleed the brake lines: have someone who is plesant and supportive help, especially if they are the one in the car pushing the peddle. A cranky, crabby wife makes for a miserable experience (ask me how I know...)

 

Okay disregard everything. There IS fluid in my brake reservoir, I must have over filler because I see no more leaking. I talked to the previous owner, he told me to check the washers and locking spring under the rubbed boot on the brake linkage rod thingy. Now, I have some braking power!
wat
I suppose I should take the rubber boot off completely and make sure ALL the hardware is on good and tight. It definitely worked, when my sister pumped the brake pedal I saw the brake fluid splashing up with the cap off the reservoir....

 

Other than talking to the previous owner and checking the linkage, what changed? Yes, you may have over-filled and spilled some, but you may also have been low, hence the no-brakes condition.

Your sister pumped the brakes and you saw the fluid moving- that's a good sign, it shows the master cylinder is working. Now, is the fluid pressure getting to the wheel cylinders and the brake pads? An easy test: put the car on level ground (if possible), have the same kind, generous, loving sister apply the brakes while you try to push the car. If the car moves forward or backward (depending on the direction of your push), then there are more problems in the system. If it does not move (and it's not in park) you may have solved the problem. Still, if the PO had the master full, then it sat for a couple of weeks and got low, where did the fluid go?

Try this and see how things go. I know it is easier said than done, but please, don't be in a rush to get the car running and driving; it needs the third part, stopping, to be considered a success to this point.

 

Just jack up one wheel and give a spin and AND HIT THE BRAKE, IT SHOULD STOP INSTANTLY.

 

I think pressing the hardware into the MC helped it. Just adding the fluid did nothing. So I have to peel back the rubber boot, press that hardware into it, and make sure the locking clip is on good. After I fiddled the with the rubber boot and tried to push it up, it seemed my brakes engaged.
However, I will have the mechanic take a look at it when he puts it up on a lift to do my exhaust system. Or even if I'm there while he does it and I do it, so I know how to fix it if it ever happens again, and I can be 100 percent certain it won't fail. Might also bleed the brakes just for the hell of it, and I will be inspecting for leaks on the wheels.

 

seeing the splashing brake fluid while Sister pushing on the brake pedal is what you do not want to happen. if the brake fluid reservoir is low on fluid as shown in manual, then add to full mark. with cap off have her so very gently push down on pedal. some air might come out. then recheck level, if looks good then put cap on. be very careful and do not get any brake fluid on you, painted surfaces and a nice driveway.