Hydroboodt problem!

[BuickTV6]

Hey guys. Just this morning driving my car, my hydroboost gave out! I go to start braking, and my foot went right to the floor. I had no brakes whatsoever! Luckily no cars were around, and I just coasted to a slow stop. I shut the car off, and restart it, and the brakes were fine again. I also noticed I am leaking power steering fluid and its leaking on the drivers side floormat, and all under it. Does this mean my hydrobost is shot?! I do not want to drive my car and next thing you know i have no brakes. I am going to see if I can take it into a brake shop tomorrow if i have some spare moments between shifts. Wht should I do at this point? The belt seems fine, as well. Please any insight!


-Todders

 

[cool 84]

Make sure it's powersteering fluid and not brake fluid. I've had mine fail and the pedal never went to the floor, I always had brakes, I just had to push harder to stop. I don't really understand the hydro system completely so I guess anything's possible. I assume your steering works fine? You can get a rebuilt hydroboost for $150 and it takes a couple hours the first time and probably 30 minutes once you've done it before. Another thing you might want to look at is new carpet. Once mine got oil soaked no amount of cleaning would take it out.

 

[FJM568]

I guess I've been lucky...Whenever my brakes have gone out, it's usually the pedal goes to the floor and a $30 rebuilt master cylinder fixes that...Being that the hydroboost setup has the booster between the firewall and the master cylinder, it could very well be power steering fluid inside on the floorboards...

If it is the hydroboost problem and needs to be replaced, try some salvage yards and ask about GM cars with a diesel engine in them...I think that some of the G-body Cutlasses had a diesel V8 in them...They used the hydroboost setup in them because diesel engines don't produce a whole lot of vacuum to run a vacuum brake system...

 

[TurboBuickSix]

I switched to the vac setup and avoided cost and trouble down the road.Vacuum leaks don't ruin carpets either!!Some complain about brake power with vac but I think it is just a matter of which booster you actually use.They are not all created equal.

 

[FJM568]

Well, I don't know if you don't know this or not, but just because you have a vacuum brake setup on your car now, doesn't mean that it won't leak brake fluid into the car...BTDT...

Not a flame, just throwing out some info for ya...

 

[BuickTV6]

Well I would like to leave the car with hydroboost brakes, cause I do like the idea of them, and they always worked good. The fast that its working now tells me somethings going in it. But will the vacuum brakes not take away from the turbo? Is that not the reason they sed hydroboost on our cars, and powermaster on the newer ones?


-Todders

 

[b4black]

Originally posted by BuickTV6
But will the vacuum brakes not take away from the turbo? Is that not the reason they sed hydroboost on our cars, and powermaster on the newer ones?

I'm not sure what "take away from the turbo" means, but I have factory vacuum on my '82 TR and factory Hydroboost on my '83. Can't tell the difference while driving.

 

[Buick From Hell]

I'm about 99% sure that if your foot went to the floor, the problem is definitely NOT the hydraboost, and is most defintely a problem with:
--no brake fluid,
--leaking or otherwise bad master cylinder,
--leaking wheel cylinder,
--split or otherwise broken brake line(s)...
--combination of, or all of the above!

In fact, if your hydraboost WAS bad at the exact same time your foot was on its way to the floor, you'd have a helluva time even getting it TO the floor!

 

[TurboBuickSix]

Originally posted by FJM568
Well, I don't know if you don't know this or not, but just because you have a vacuum brake setup on your car now, doesn't mean that it won't leak brake fluid into the car...BTDT...

Not a flame, just throwing out some info for ya...

I was talking about vacuum leaks,not brake fluid leaks.And,in my 15 year limited experience I have never personally witnessed brake fluid making it's way into the passenger area of a car from a leaking master but I do suppose it could happen if the gasket went bad behind the booster or there was a rust hole.Have you seen this happen before?Maybe it can get in somewhere else I don't know about. When I got my car it looked like there was a BIG ps fluid leak under the dash at one time,it was everywhere soaked in the carpet,on the wires etc.That may be why they put the big cover there,so you don't get that stuff on your shoes when it gushes out? And to answer the poster question..I don't experience any problems whatsoever with the turbo as a result of using vac brakes.I used the booster from a 78' v8 malibu wagon and I have only 12-14 inches of vac at idle in park,and it works fine.I have the aluminum master cyl now and all together it shaves considerable weight from the front of the car IMO.I agree though that is does sound like the master is at fault here and that should be changed first.I have seen them work intermittently(scary as hell too)before.

 

[BuickTV6]

BFH, you are right!

After getting the car home, I took a look at the brake fluid. There was no brake fluid in the rear resevoir of the master cylinder. Was dead dry. After checking the car out, I notice the rear left wheel cylinder was leaking. So I will have to do the rear brakes. I am able to still drive it, although there is air in the system now, so its really spongy. But the hudroboost seems to be working now. But is there any reason why it would go to the floor like that when driving? I wouldn't want to get into that experience again!


-Todders

 

[JayLashua]

dude if your brakes fall to the floor its your master cylinder, NOT the hydroboost problem!

replace it!

well, check it all out first amybe the top got loose, or perhaps the lines ruptured? it seems odd youd have fluid in the car..

 

[FJM568]

Originally posted by JayLashua
dude if your brakes fall to the floor its your master cylinder, NOT the hydroboost problem!

Well, your right about one thing, it's not a hydroboost problem, but it doesn't mean it's ONLY a master cylinder leaking, it could also mean a wheel cylinder leaking as well, which I believe he mentioned his left rear wheel cylinder was leaking...

Replace BOTH rear wheel cylinders and bleed them, and then if the pedal still wants to go to the floor after that, then I would say master cylinder time...

And for TurboBuickSix who posted

in my 15 year limited experience I have never personally witnessed brake fluid making it's way into the passenger area of a car from a leaking master but I do suppose it could happen if the gasket went bad behind the booster

yep, I've had that happen on my 85 CRX quite a few years ago, rear seal on master cylinder leaked into the vacuum brake booster which then leaked brake fluid back into the passenger compartment along with down the firewall inside the engine compartment, which bubbled all the paint off the firewall...

 

[JayLashua]

i didnt see him mention the rears ;p

 

[TurboBuickSix]

Originally posted by FJM568




yep, I've had that happen on my 85 CRX quite a few years ago, rear seal on master cylinder leaked into the vacuum brake booster which then leaked brake fluid back into the passenger compartment along with down the firewall inside the engine compartment, which bubbled all the paint off the firewall...

I'm sorry,I was thinking strictly GM at the time,I'm not surprised about the Honduh but I wonder if it has ever happened to a GM booster.I'm sure it happens but I have only seen them leak vacuum at the worst and never witnessed on completely fail.If the hydroboost thing works good It should be left alone,but if it breaks it should be swapped for the lighter more dependable setup IMO.I may be overlooking something here but I can't see any good reason to stick with the hydroboost but can think of many reasons not to.