no1kicker Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 Well, out of the blue my brakes died on me yesterday. So bad that it's unsafe to drive. My antilock light has been on for a while (flashing before I pulled a fuse), but yesterday the red brake light came on shortly before the brakes quit. Before the red brake light would come on if I let the car idle for a while, but no other time. I was pretty sure I needed to replace the accumulator, could I have killed the master cylinder? Pedal is rock hard and had a tough time stopping from 5 mph. Lucky for me I have an extra PM 3 laying around that is new. (parts car ) Is there any chance it doesn't need to be replaced? Will bleeding the brakes give me at least some brakes? I want to go to a mod day on Sat but can't drive the car like it is. Or should I just tow it to the dealer and have them scan it for $80? Any suggestions would be helpful, right now I have to drive a Taurus GL!!! :dammit: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS91Z34 Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 I'm not too familiar with the GM ABS brakes. Ford man here. It is very possible the MC went bye bye. If your not sure why the abs light was on or flashing I would take it to someone that knows about these brake systems. 80 bucks just to pull a code is a little high. We dont charge anything at the shop I work at. We have the scan tool that checks everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1trucavalier Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 grrrrrrrr shitttt! my anti-lock light just came on yesterday and started flashing. then my brake light came on too grrrrrr! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1trucavalier Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 i need to know what makes the antilock light come on?? I checked my res and it was full and the car brakes perfectly! so WTF! Its hard to mod and continuously fix at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS91Z34 Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 The only thing I can say is check all connections and wires. Make sure you dont have a loose, broken, or corroded connection. Also check the wires themselves and see if any of them has'nt chafed and grounded out somewhere. If all connections and wires are fine then I would be checking wheel sensors. I'm not sure how much those are. Those do tend to get a little warm and break. If this is still OBD I, there are two terminals you can jumper to find the fault code of the brake system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 You guys can get alot of info from Chris's site. http://aldridgec.home.att.net/TGP/brakes/powermaster.htm That'll tell you why each light comes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1trucavalier Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 I know one thing I replaced my back up light switch and that thing was a MF to get in!!! then you have to adjust the damn thing, because if it isn't right your brake lights will stay on so I had to take that thing out like 5 times till I got it right! grrrrrrrrr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crc Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 The Red Brake Light comes on if your 1) e-brake is still engaged, 2) brake fluid is low, 3) accumulator pressure below 1800psi. On PM III the accumulator, pressure switch, and pump motor can easily fail as they age. Less rare is internal PM III damage but anything is possible with this outdated monster. If your ABS light is blinking than you still have some anti-lock brake functionality but something tripped the ABS computer. There are dozens of codes and you won't be able to read them without a descent scanner. If the ABS light stays on solid, than my friend, you don't have ABS. To precheck an accumulator problem you can just put the car in ignition (don't start it). Listen for the whir of the pump motor and time how long it takes for it to shut off. It should go off within 40 seconds. Anything longer should make you suspicious. If the pump doesn't shut off at all after a long period than you could also be having problems with pressure switch and/or pump motor. If the motor eventually shuts off, pump your brakes once or twice. Does the pump come back on immediately and go off a few seconds later? Hold the brake pedal for a bit; does the motor come on after a second or two? It shouldn't for both. The best peace of mind way to check PM III problems is to have the ABS computer scanned. All of the above does NOT mean that there is no damage to internal parts of PM III. If the brake fluid in there is ions old than chances are it has been eating the internal seals and o-rings. Not a good thing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1trucavalier Posted April 16, 2003 Report Share Posted April 16, 2003 I am sure my fluid has never been changed so my seals may be trashed. I am getting the yellow anti-lock brake flashing, and red brake light. The car still brakes fine so I am not sure if its a sensor or what. I did notice thought that when i turn the key and hit the brake the pm3 used to be loud but now the sound is reduced. Its almost like its muffled now or weak. Which 88-90 W-bodies have the same braking systems? I know of 4 with very low mileage under 70K in the junkyard. I am gonna try and grab all 4 accumulators, abs switches etc.... if they look to be in decent condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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