OMG… My car got NO brakes anymore! HELP
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OMG… My car got NO brakes anymore! HELP
I started my car this morning, and backed off… and when I put my foot on the brake to slow down… my car didn’t… I squeezed harder and harder… the car kept going and going.
I couldn’t believe what was happening. I managed to stop without hitting anything. And after that I noticed somethings…
Usually before when I press the brake and the engine is not running, the brake is hard. And once I start the car, the brake paddle would soften and I’ll be able to press the brakes all the way down. But now, that wont happen. Its hard and stays hard. it feels like hydraulics or something are not working or maybe like trying to brake or steer when the car is off and the gear is on neutral.
It was a *****ty situation. I turn off the car and started it couple times with hours intervals. But all the same. Usually a problem would go away by it self. But this creepy problem is still there.
Its really scary especially that I drove it yesterday morning and there was nothing wrong with it.
So? Any thoughts?
I couldn’t believe what was happening. I managed to stop without hitting anything. And after that I noticed somethings…
Usually before when I press the brake and the engine is not running, the brake is hard. And once I start the car, the brake paddle would soften and I’ll be able to press the brakes all the way down. But now, that wont happen. Its hard and stays hard. it feels like hydraulics or something are not working or maybe like trying to brake or steer when the car is off and the gear is on neutral.
It was a *****ty situation. I turn off the car and started it couple times with hours intervals. But all the same. Usually a problem would go away by it self. But this creepy problem is still there.
Its really scary especially that I drove it yesterday morning and there was nothing wrong with it.
So? Any thoughts?
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From: The blue white rock, third out.
2002 C230 Coupe(M111)
No offense, but why do people ask opinions about stuff like this? Just take it in, if the farking car doesn't stop, somethings broke. If the pedal was very hard, you may have lost the booster, in which case the brakes are still working, you just weren't pushing hard enough without the assist.
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Originally Posted by Outland
you may have lost the booster, in which case the brakes are still working, you just weren't pushing hard enough without the assist.
anyways, whats a booster? And why would it stop working just like that?
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From: The blue white rock, third out.
2002 C230 Coupe(M111)
Originally Posted by Oil Change
Yes the brakes were working and I had to step on them really hard that my back is still hurting me. But all that just to bring a 15km/h car to stop!
anyways, whats a booster? And why would it stop working just like that?
anyways, whats a booster? And why would it stop working just like that?
I'm not an ambulance chaser. Can't help you with your back. The booster amplifies braking pressure with the assistance of a vacuum tank. It could have been a bad seal, cold weather on a dodgy seal, hose came off, booster failure, etc. Its very hard for a car to lose ALL braking ability. The master cylinders are split, so a leak won't empty both circuits, and youve always got the E-brake.
Take it in. Get someone with strong legs to drive it to the dealer.
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From: Long Island, New York
'05 C230SS 6MT, 1966 Triumph TR4a IRS, Shelby Cobra 427 Supercharged
Its a vacuum brake booster, it works off the vacuum of the engine, thats why when the engine is off it gets harder to push the brake. Then once the engine starts the vacuum builds and it becomes easy to push the pedal down. It could just be the check valve on the booster or a leaking vacuum hose, causing you to have a constantly equalized booster, meaning it doesnt work. Good luck getting it fixed! I know what its like to have no brakes! My TR4a lost brakes once (actually more than once! DAMN ENGLISH CARS!!!), and thats serious cause its something hydraulic, no power brakes!!!
On a side note about English cars, I was reading an AUTOWEEK today and they were covering the NAIAS, and when Jag debuted the concept for the XK, it rolled out onto the stage with ONE working headlight!!! HAHAHA! Glad to see Lucas hasnt changed!!! "Lucas, Prince of darkness"
On a side note about English cars, I was reading an AUTOWEEK today and they were covering the NAIAS, and when Jag debuted the concept for the XK, it rolled out onto the stage with ONE working headlight!!! HAHAHA! Glad to see Lucas hasnt changed!!! "Lucas, Prince of darkness"
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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Posts: 1,480
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From: Central NJ
C230K Coupe/Orion/C4/C5/CD/AMG Spoiler/V60/TeleAid, 2 MGB's
Check your brake fluid, Oil Change.... use only DOT4+ to top it off.
side note to the Captain....
hmmm....my MG's have never lost the brakes....but The Prince himself has made his presence known....
Picture this...
autumn, dusk, in the middle of nowhere...top down....light chill in the air....
and it starts to rain....not drizzle, but a hard driving downpour
I pull over under a bridge and put the top up
back in the car, turn the headlights on, turn the heater on....
turn on the wipers....heater slows, headlights dim
use the turn signal...wipers stop, headlights brighten, heater stops
signal off...headlights go out, heater fan blasts full speed
turn heater off...headlights come back, wipers do their job
Happy ending...the girlfriend was chilly and whining...but her t-shirt was wet :v
side note to the Captain....
hmmm....my MG's have never lost the brakes....but The Prince himself has made his presence known....
Picture this...
autumn, dusk, in the middle of nowhere...top down....light chill in the air....
and it starts to rain....not drizzle, but a hard driving downpour
I pull over under a bridge and put the top up
back in the car, turn the headlights on, turn the heater on....
turn on the wipers....heater slows, headlights dim
use the turn signal...wipers stop, headlights brighten, heater stops
signal off...headlights go out, heater fan blasts full speed
turn heater off...headlights come back, wipers do their job
Happy ending...the girlfriend was chilly and whining...but her t-shirt was wet :v
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w203,ka7,e39
i have a theory, which kinda happend to me today on my acura.
if dot3(brake fluid),isnt perfectly sealed it can obsorb water. meaning the brake fluid is now 50 of water and 50 of dot3.(mixed) since its winter the water couldve froze in ure brake line.
this is wat happend to me. my steering fluid froze and i looked, and found solid ice in the resoviour tank. my steering felt heavy as hell.
good luck
if dot3(brake fluid),isnt perfectly sealed it can obsorb water. meaning the brake fluid is now 50 of water and 50 of dot3.(mixed) since its winter the water couldve froze in ure brake line.
this is wat happend to me. my steering fluid froze and i looked, and found solid ice in the resoviour tank. my steering felt heavy as hell.
good luck
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,238
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From: Long Island, New York
'05 C230SS 6MT, 1966 Triumph TR4a IRS, Shelby Cobra 427 Supercharged
Originally Posted by Rick
Check your brake fluid, Oil Change.... use only DOT4+ to top it off.
side note to the Captain....
hmmm....my MG's have never lost the brakes....but The Prince himself has made his presence known....
Picture this...
autumn, dusk, in the middle of nowhere...top down....light chill in the air....
and it starts to rain....not drizzle, but a hard driving downpour
I pull over under a bridge and put the top up
back in the car, turn the headlights on, turn the heater on....
turn on the wipers....heater slows, headlights dim
use the turn signal...wipers stop, headlights brighten, heater stops
signal off...headlights go out, heater fan blasts full speed
turn heater off...headlights come back, wipers do their job
Happy ending...the girlfriend was chilly and whining...but her t-shirt was wet :v
side note to the Captain....
hmmm....my MG's have never lost the brakes....but The Prince himself has made his presence known....
Picture this...
autumn, dusk, in the middle of nowhere...top down....light chill in the air....
and it starts to rain....not drizzle, but a hard driving downpour
I pull over under a bridge and put the top up
back in the car, turn the headlights on, turn the heater on....
turn on the wipers....heater slows, headlights dim
use the turn signal...wipers stop, headlights brighten, heater stops
signal off...headlights go out, heater fan blasts full speed
turn heater off...headlights come back, wipers do their job
Happy ending...the girlfriend was chilly and whining...but her t-shirt was wet :v
One day this summer I was at work and decided to take my TR, it was a beautiful day... well half way through the day the sky turns dark, I run and put the cover on, just as I do it pours, like gallons per minute!!! The streets flooded in 10 minutes. The rain lets up so I decide to bring my car home. On the way home I thought to myself, "gee, these wipers acutally work pretty good"... Well just then they stoped working. Had to drive home with my head out the window!!! For a country where it rains a good portion of the time, you think the car makers would have at least made the best wiper system... NOPE!
Anyways, sorry to be off topic!!!
Goodnight all... Skiing in tomorrows blizzard... WEE...
MBWorld Fanatic!
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Posts: 2,916
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From: The blue white rock, third out.
2002 C230 Coupe(M111)
The Booster failed in my 70Opel GT, it started drinking in the brake fluid. Hold your foot down long enough, and you'd get white smoke out the side pipes. Do this several times, and you'd start to lose enough fluid where the front brakes were losing grip. Parking break never did work in that car. Made a great arm rest!
Got a booster out of a Manta. Took about 2 hours to replace.
Got a booster out of a Manta. Took about 2 hours to replace.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 12,403
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From: South Florida
Fast Cars!
Originally Posted by Outland
Take it in. Get someone with strong legs to drive it to the dealer.
Is that honestly a smart move to drive a car to the dealer with brakes not working the way they should be, you have no idea what it really can be, sure it can be something simple, but who knows. Its not worth the risk to chance it. Is best to call the dealer or roadside and have it towed.
Thread Starter
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Thanks guys for the input.
I'll wait until monday and then I might take the car to the repair shop. its been really cold in here lately and raining a lot. so i kinda lean to smartjay28's theory.
though I just hope its a really simply problem and can be fixed easly (and cheap too :p)
anyone know how much it might cost?
I'll wait until monday and then I might take the car to the repair shop. its been really cold in here lately and raining a lot. so i kinda lean to smartjay28's theory.
though I just hope its a really simply problem and can be fixed easly (and cheap too :p)
anyone know how much it might cost?
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 146
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From: Central VA, USA
'01 ML430, '03 C320 Coupe MT, '14 GL450
Originally Posted by Capt Nemo o2
On a side note about English cars, I was reading an AUTOWEEK today and they were covering the NAIAS, and when Jag debuted the concept for the XK, it rolled out onto the stage with ONE working headlight!!! HAHAHA! Glad to see Lucas hasnt changed!!! "Lucas, Prince of darkness"
Q: Why don't the British make televisions?
A: They haven't found a way to make it leak oil yet.
[
] - Just kidding, I love the Brits and steak & kidney pie []
Thread Starter
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okay since this topic is still alive...
I tried my car again this morning. the brake seems fine. I drove to a small car shop near the gas station, they checked the brakes fluid only. they said everything is fine.
i dont feel like taking my car to a mercedes garage.
so i'll just pray i wont get into accident.
I tried my car again this morning. the brake seems fine. I drove to a small car shop near the gas station, they checked the brakes fluid only. they said everything is fine.
i dont feel like taking my car to a mercedes garage.
so i'll just pray i wont get into accident.
Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 218
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From: Ohio
'02 C230K
This thread seems close enough. My Problem: No power assist at first start of the day, fine otherwise. My '02 coupe has been at a dealer for 3 days, they have replicated the problem but not found the malfunction. The service writer keeps alluding to the mods (just a pulley and a K&N) with the implication they they are the source of the problem, I fear that this is a way to add diagnostic hours for the tech who is still sorting it out. Suggestions asap please, thanks.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 411
Likes: 1
From: Florida
'04 C230K SS
Originally Posted by Oil Change
okay since this topic is still alive...
I tried my car again this morning. the brake seems fine. I drove to a small car shop near the gas station, they checked the brakes fluid only. they said everything is fine.
i dont feel like taking my car to a mercedes garage.
so i'll just pray i wont get into accident.
I tried my car again this morning. the brake seems fine. I drove to a small car shop near the gas station, they checked the brakes fluid only. they said everything is fine.
i dont feel like taking my car to a mercedes garage.
so i'll just pray i wont get into accident.
It sounds like you are loosing vaccumm somehow or your booster is starting to give. You can pay a small amount now to have it fixed or you can pay big bucks later (if you don't kill anyone or yourself). Also, if vaccumm was your problem, you could end up hurting your engine since it will run leaner.
I don't want to sound like a smarta%#. I'm just trying to make a point. I honestly believe you should take it in to be checked. I would hate to know that you (or someone else) got hurt because of not having you the checked in time and or paying a little bit of money to get it fixed. It just isn't worth it. Hopefuly you realize that your vehicle has a legit problem and you should address it ASAP.
Good Luck. Keep us posted!!!
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Blimp
Originally Posted by Outland
No offense, but why do people ask opinions about stuff like this? Just take it in, if the farking car doesn't stop, somethings broke. If the pedal was very hard, you may have lost the booster, in which case the brakes are still working, you just weren't pushing hard enough without the assist.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 22,058
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From: Diamond Bar, CA
W206 PHEV AMG
Originally Posted by hobie
This thread seems close enough. My Problem: No power assist at first start of the day, fine otherwise. My '02 coupe has been at a dealer for 3 days, they have replicated the problem but not found the malfunction. The service writer keeps alluding to the mods (just a pulley and a K&N) with the implication they they are the source of the problem, I fear that this is a way to add diagnostic hours for the tech who is still sorting it out. Suggestions asap please, thanks.
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From: asdfasdf
One with 4 wheels
Originally Posted by Outland
OK, so the thread topic shouldn't be "my car go no brakes anymore" right?
I'm not an ambulance chaser. Can't help you with your back. The booster amplifies braking pressure with the assistance of a vacuum tank. It could have been a bad seal, cold weather on a dodgy seal, hose came off, booster failure, etc. Its very hard for a car to lose ALL braking ability. The master cylinders are split, so a leak won't empty both circuits, and youve always got the E-brake.
Take it in. Get someone with strong legs to drive it to the dealer.
I'm not an ambulance chaser. Can't help you with your back. The booster amplifies braking pressure with the assistance of a vacuum tank. It could have been a bad seal, cold weather on a dodgy seal, hose came off, booster failure, etc. Its very hard for a car to lose ALL braking ability. The master cylinders are split, so a leak won't empty both circuits, and youve always got the E-brake.
Take it in. Get someone with strong legs to drive it to the dealer.
Outland, you always seem to help...........but in a very reluctant, irritated, "omg he's so stupid, why can't he figure it out" kinda attitude. The dealer shouldn't be the end all to all solutions. Many times before I absolutely have to call the stealership I come on here to find if there are solutions here to be found.
Chill!
