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1994 Suzuki esteem, this car has been with me since many years and I am driving it with only 10% of power brake 🙁 I have to press the brake pedal really hard to stop the car and if engine is off then its like having no brakes at all.
What my mechanics have tried so far without any success:
Mechanic 1:
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Both rear drum facing done on lathe and full service of drum brake.
Front disc facing on lather and brake piston service.
Brake line bleeding to remove any air and fresh oil filled. Dot3 it was.
Brake pads were fine so he just sanded a little and put them as it is.Result: No improvement in brakes.
Mechanic 2:
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Swapped the brake booster with other esteem, no improvement. Tried with other booster as well but no result. After 3rd attempt he gave up.Mechanic 3:
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Found out that my front right wheel bearing is bad and its because of that brakes are not proper. Changed it immediately.
Result: No improvement.Things I have noticed:
Brake pedal is spongy, it goes quite down when engine is started.
On wet surface wheel lock occurs only on left front wheel.
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Hi,
Doing a quick search online, your car seems to take Dot 4 break fluid. What does your manual say?
Also, I know you said the brake booster has been changed, but have you checked for Vacuum leaks– especially in the brake vacuum line as well as the check valve:
example:
http://www.moparaction.com/Article/GTX-CELLENT/5.jpgThanks for replying juels98
Don’t have a manual for this car as I bought it used long ago. However the cap as far as I remember on the brake oil fluid bottle says Dot3. I’ll check again in morning to confirm this.
I have checked valve and vacuum pipe, even replaced the pipe.
When you swapped the break booster did you put a new one in? There isn’t much I can think of that wouldn’t allow you to have power brakes except a problem with the brake booster. If however you have a very large vacuum leak (anywhere, not just at the booster), this can detract from engine vacuum and cause the booster to be less effective.
[quote=”Xyius” post=80475]When you swapped the break booster did you put a new one in? [/quote]
No not new but they were from a perfect working car. Tried 3 of them.
Master cylinder is the only thing left to change, thought it does not have any leaks. Do you think it can be faulty even when there are no leaks?
[quote=”Hashim” post=80480]Master cylinder is the only thing left to change, thought it does not have any leaks. Do you think it can be faulty even when there are no leaks?[/quote]
Oh yes, I have seen them jam internally causing hard pedals or soft pedals. They can leak internally causing almost no pressure to be generated.
The best test that I know of to determine if a master cylinder is bad, is to put plugs in each of the outlets, and step on the brake pedal. If the master cylinder is defective, the pedal will sink to the floor. If it is good, it will be rock hard. You can purchase the plugs at the auto parts store
this was taken from Junkman over at Garage Journal forums, he is pretty good when it comes to braking systems. And that is the way I was taught to test a master cylinder also. But seeing that your Esteem is the same age as my truck (almost 20 years old) it would not surprise me if the master was bad.
Another site showing the exact same way to test
http://www.roadkillcustoms.com/hot-rods-rat-rods/hot-rod-master-cylinder-test.asp#axzz2lrcNGVEZIf you are comfortable with buying parts online and have the time to wait, this might be a less expensive option.
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1270853,parttype,1836
BTW it looks like your car is actually a 1995, I noticed no options in 1994 for an Esteem.
I am from India, and even if they ship to my country, the exchange rate these days are so high that I will end up paying almost same or even more than what I’ll pay here.
If the master cylinder had been okay then it could of been the pads. I replaced the front pads on my car with a set of rather expensive name brand pads and suddenly it was like stopping a train. Different brake pads and all was back to good.
[quote=”Hashim” post=80497]I am from India, and even if they ship to my country, the exchange rate these days are so high that I will end up paying almost same or even more than what I’ll pay here.[/quote]
I had a feeling you were not in the US. I like India but their parts prices are so dang high, ouch.
[quote=”barneyb” post=80498]If the master cylinder is okay then it might be the pads. I replaced the front pads on my car with a set of rather expensive name brand pads and suddenly it was like stopping a train. Different brake pads and all was back to good.[/quote]
Your brake must be working fine before the pads change, you just got extra braking with these premium pads. However in my case, the brakes are almost nil. Problem are not just pads but something more.
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