Question about brakes (tire lock up question)

[1990lumina]

Hey guys, the brakes on my car are fairly decent again, however I do have a question.

 

When I am doing some hard braking, the right front tire ALWAYS locks up, however none of the other ones do. This is on dry pavement. The car doesn't really seem to pull much when braking, however I find it wierd that only one side locks up under the identical traction conditions?? Is there something wrong with this, or is normal?

 

Also, how much brake fluid is suppose to be in the reservoir (sp?)?? I dunno if it suppose to have a dip stick on the cap or not, but mine doesn't and I'm not sure where to check it I have enough fluid in the system (the reservoir seems to have maybe half full.

 

Also, the reservoir itself doesn't sit tightly against the part it is attached to, is this noral or something broken? I mean I can move it back and forth with minimal effort.

 

There are a couple questions I've had for a couple days now....I still think my brakes need to be bled because the pedal keeps going to the floor quite easily.

 

Oh, and when I'm in neutral and I have the brake pedal applied, if I rev the engine the pedal drops to the floor, is this also normal??

 

Thanks

[1990lumina]

Oh this is in regards to my 1990 Lumina

[88Regal Limited]

There are a couple questions I've had for a couple days now....I still think my brakes need to be bled because the pedal keeps going to the floor quite easily.

probably right.

 

Oh, and when I'm in neutral and I have the brake pedal applied, if I rev the engine the pedal drops to the floor, is this also normal??

nope, not normal. Your car has issues!

[White93z34]

i'll check that on my car when i head out here in a few minutes, i'd supose it would be somewhat normal however since this is a vaccum brake system.

 

also, my ABS was broken for awhile recently and when i would lock the wheels on icy roads it always seemed one of my front wheels (right if i remember right) would lock before the other one. i've more or less put that out of my mind now that my ABS works properly again.

 

i think i may have to reinstall a vaccum check ball one of these days since it seems if my car sits for any period of time my brakes absoutely suck for the first few stops, but after that its perfectly fine.

[Crazy K]

If one line had more air in it that the other, it may result in the one with less air locking up sooner.

 

Also if Your MC has a bad seal and is leaking internally, one circuit may not develop as much pressure as the other.

 

either way that you could have an unequalized circuit may be responsible for the uneven wheel lock-up. Try bleeding it to see if it corrects the problem.

 

Although your pedal probelms indicate a brake problem, I have also seen mismatched tires, improperly inflated tires and torn caliper dust boots cause the same issue of brake pull or un-even wheel lock-up.

[1990lumina]

Okay, so the brake pedal shouldn't be doing that then?? Damnit.

 

Both tires are the same on the front, and have the same pressurei n both....I'll try and bleed them over theh oldays and see what happens.

 

The brake shop got the rear brakes working a couple months ago and the pedal was very nice and high for about 2 days and back to the old again....

Guess I'll try another shop

[Prospeeder]

may be ur Master cylinder too if bleeding doesnt help that

[Crazy K]

bad back brakes? screw a shop repair, upgrade!

http://www.tpsgarage.com/TGP/brakes/rear_brake_upgrade.htm

 

meanwhile do a full system bleed and see what happens.

[DiscoStudd]

The MC reservoir doesn't use a dipstick. Does your MC have a screw-on cap, or does the whole top cover snap off? If you have the "cap" type, fill the sucker to the top with fluid. The snap-off cover type of MC should have a window on the side to indicate the level. Fill to the "full" mark.

 

I'll endorse what's already been said. But I have one more question: Does the "BRAKE" light come on when your pedal goes to the floor? Make sure the light works first, though (it should illuminate when you first start the car.) You might have a leak in one of the hoses, or worse yet, one of the hardlines could've rusted out. Check around the insides of all your tires to see if there's any mysterious fluid that's suddenly appeared. You can verify a leaky line by checking the level in the MC...

[1990lumina]

Does the "BRAKE" light come on when your pedal goes to the floor? Make sure the light works first, though (it should illuminate when you first start the car.)

 

This light doesn't work..guess i'll change out the bulb tomororw

 

And, my reservoir cap screws off - takes a quarter turn to screw on and off...I'm not sure but I think it is the screw on style...

[1990lumina]

Damnit, just noticed my dumb ass posted this in the wrong section, sorry!

[3pt1lumina]

My car does the same exact thing. I believe it is a master cylinder starting to go. However, my car still stops fine, so I'm not too worried at the moment. The pedal does the same exact things though.

[Nick1234]

i pulled my abs fuse because it engaged when it wasnt supposed to. Now i notice the exact same thing. Especially on ice or snow, the right side tire locks up very easily. beats me.

[joey b]

I had a car that would lock up one of the tires as well when excessive pressure was applied. I changed the caliper and it solved that problem.