Just curious if any of you have had your powermaster fail while doing over 10mph. Anyone have it fail as they were going down the track? Mine hasn't failed yet and I have 107k on the car but I'm just curious what exactly does happen when it fails. Is all braking completely lost?
So, what happens when the powermaster fails?
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marred4life
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mine failed while doing 65 on the freeway and had to drive 10 more miles 
luckly there was no traffic, talk about bad luck.
luckly there was no traffic, talk about bad luck.Gary Wells
White turbo Buick trailer park trash
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-----------------------------------baller760 said:
On my previous TR, powermaster went out at about 80K miles, maybe. We had a thread about a year ago on what the average life was on the powermaster. Average seemed to be about 80K miles or so. A couple went a little earlier than that, with a few holding in there longer than that. 1 was still going at about 125K or so. Unless you are the original owner, you can't really say whether yours has ever gone out or not. Could have already gone out and have been replaced before you bought the car. In my case, the brakes had to be pressed very hard to make them work. You will develop leg muscles that you never knew that you had. You will also wet your drawers, or soil your panties every time that you try to stop. It will seem that the car is not going to stop in time. Every time. Not recommended for the faint of heart. In 5 turbo Buicks, I have only lost 1 powermaster, but a few accumulator bowls. Actually, several, like probably 8 overall.
baller760 said:
Been there....done that several times. Luckily never at the track, and luckily never hit anyone or anything. Best thing to do to know EXACTLY what happens is to go find a safe, secluded area to test your car with no Powermaster.(as in no brakes!) Now pull out the Powermaster fuse, after hitting the brakes 3-5 times the brake light will come on. The brake pedal will get real hard to push and it makes it very tough to stop the car. It's a good idea to get familiar with your emergencey brake, as it will be needed to get you home safely in the event your Powermaster fails. We could type how/what happens when it fails, but feeling it for yourself will have you better prepared for a failure. And if you aren't "prepared", things could get ugly REAL quick.
baller760 said:
We don't mean to make you nervous, we are just giving you our personal experiences. I have owned my '86 T since 1992.....and even after having some close calls with the Powermaster, I still choose to keep it on the car. Seriosly though, if you can find a safe place to "test" the car, do it. Hopefully you will never have a failure but it would be valuable in the event you needed it. You will already know what to expect, and it may help you.
But that's just my opinion.......
When mine went out (blown-fuse) I said OH $HI+!!! about 27 in 2.5 secs. I thought something rolled under the brake pedal. The best thing to do is stay calm, downshift and get to the shoulder ASAP. Don't rip the shifter back to first if you're doing 85-100!!! Expensive...
After you pull over, take a deep breath check the battery on the cell phone and creep home or to the nearest trusted TB shop.
When you get home tell the wife\girlfriend (or both) you love them and start figuring out how you're going to pay for the brake upgrade including the 13" Baer rotors\calipers and the 17"rims to show it all off. :biggrin:
I thought something rolled under the brake pedal. The best thing to do is stay calm, downshift and get to the shoulder ASAP. Don't rip the shifter back to first if you're doing 85-100!!! Expensive...After you pull over, take a deep breath check the battery on the cell phone and creep home or to the nearest trusted TB shop.
When you get home tell the wife\girlfriend (or both) you love them and start figuring out how you're going to pay for the brake upgrade including the 13" Baer rotors\calipers and the 17"rims to show it all off. :biggrin:
marred4life
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mine lasted up to 160k when it failed, very scary sutuation 
Mine failed on the highway also doing 65+. Just getting on the off-ramp. Pedal became rock hard, but I could still stop the car. Thank God I didn't panic. Now I just run it like that, manual brakes. Been driving like that for 2 years now
Going vacuum real soon
Going vacuum real soon
I had one of my beaters fail and Melissa and I drove it all summer.. even when they go you will have brakes !!! just not power brakes !! I have a new GM one sittin in my parts pile.. guess thats why I have good luck with them .. oh I have replaced the "ball" a few times BUT remember I had a fleet of cars 
even when they go you will have brakes !!! just not power brakes !! I have a new GM one sittin in my parts pile.. guess thats why I have good luck with them .. oh I have replaced the "ball" a few times BUT remember I had a fleet of cars 
Dennis F
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What is it that actually fails? Is it the pump or the accumulator? Maybe even something else.
I have 91k on mine and it is still working ok.
I have 91k on mine and it is still working ok.
Most common is for the accumulator to lose its charge- you may have SOME help from the pressure in the accumulator, but not as much as you need. And the pump will keep trying to reach its shutoff pressure, which will cause the pump to burn out. Just replace the accumulator. The pressure switch can fail, too, and that will keep the pump from starting, or maybe from stopping. The pump can only run about thirty seconds without overheating, and the pump is the "last straw"- when it goes, it's time to replace the whole PM.
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