Help, hard pedal, barely stops...

[Black Power]

First off, I am an idiot...

I just got my 87 GN about a week ago. I added some fluid to the brake reservoir (the one closer to the engine was a little low). I closed the hood and started driving it, and heard a strange beeping sound coming from under the hood near the brakes/powermaster area. Turns out I didn't get the lid snapped back on the reservoir, so I snap it back on. Drive it a couple miles, it makes the same noise for a while, then stops. When I get on my brakes now, they are super hard, will barely move, and it's extremely difficult to get the car to stop.

Has anyone done this before? Now the reservoir has more fluid in it than it did when I added...so do I have air in the lines? I didn't see a vac hose popped off when I just looked at it a minute ago.

 

[Black Power]

whoops...never mind the vacuum hose thing

i forgot i was dealing with a pm for a second, my brain was stuck on my LT1 style brakes

I am hoping the powermaster isn't dead...

 

[zeus87gn]

Vortech (aka - idiot :biggrin: ),

Don't feel bad. It seems there are a lot that don't know about the P/M.

The side of the bowl you filled is supposed to be about 1/2 full under normal circumstances. If you filled it up, it is too full. Get the top half of it out of there and run a diagnostics procedure on it.

Brake System

You have the classic symptom of a dead accumulator ball. Unfortunately typical. Your action of pressing the stiff pedal is pumping the fluid out of the accumulator and back into the bowl. The buzzing was probably your motor. Better check your fuse cause the motor probably got warm.

I'll tell you now, if you are having trouble stop driving it and get it fixed. The P/M is a great unit, but it has to be properly cared for and maintained. Otherwise it will leave you when you least expect it.

HTH

 

[Black Power]

maybe I could get the title "GN idiot" under my name instead of junior member

I will get a syringe or something to suck the extra fluid out. I had to keep driving it at the time, I was on the way to work, I drove it back and haven't moved it since though :biggrin:

Thanks for the help.

 

[zeus87gn]

Go to your user control panel. You can change it if you really want to be know as that. I was just kidding around.

Goad to help, feel free to ask if you need any more assistance.

 

[Black Power]

well i gave the power brake fuse a new one, even though it wasn't fried, and slurped out a little fluid and the brakes are wonderful now...too bad the GN is surrounded by 4 feet of snow on all sides :frown:

Once that clears up I will test them out again. Thanks Zeus.

 

[zeus87gn]

No problem. Be careful on that next drive. While it's parked, you may want to run the diagnostics procedure on the acc ball. It will tell you if it's weak. Find it on the brakes page on GNTType.org. Feel free to get back in touch with me if you need more help.