My Break Pedal goes to the floor? Whats the exact problem?

Question

I have a 1998, Ford escort lx, 4dr with automatic transmission, 2.0ltr engine and rear drums without ABS.
While driving today I noticed my break pedal going all the way to the floor and it felt very easy and loss of break. It happened 2 times during my drive and then works fine. I took it to some mechanics and all of them gave me different diagnostics, especially when the car was working fine that time. Could it be Master cylinder replacement? Or a fluid leak or something in my car? Now its real problem for me to figure out and go for one. Can any body tell me what would be the exact problem and what would be the best solution for it? And if it needs a Master cylinder then is it ok to go for a rebuilt one?? And is it safe to drive with this issue till I could sort it out and get it fixed??

Ok from what I have understood upto now that most likely it is a bad Master Cylinder and I need to replace it. Now talking about prices, the original one costs me 229 canadian dollars, while the mechanic said the rebuilt one should cost around 100. Does anyone know where I can buy a cheaper one here in Canada? And if I go ahead and get this one replaced, what average costs should it be around including parts and labour?? I would also like to know if this happens oftenly to other people or their cars? Or im the only unlucky one whom fate wants to try my luck with something as serious as a Breaking system.

Answer 1

You either have a leaking brake line. loose bleeding nipples or leaking calipers.

Answer 2

It could be the master cylinder, but I would also take off the wheels and brake drums in the rear and inspect the calipers and wheel cylinders for any signs of leakage. I seem to think that that may be your problem. If it is, the price of a new wheel cylinder/caliper is inexpensive compared to the cost if it is in fact the master cylinder. I would also bleed the entire brake system to be on the safe side. Air in the brake system can cause the pedal to feel spongy and result in loss of braking power. As for choice of replacement parts, I would go with new or re-manufactured parts. Rebuilt parts aren't usually up to par and can fail unexpectedly. (Remanufactured parts are rebuilt, but with all the flaws fixed and with better engineering used in the remanufacture.)

Answer 3

I'm familiar with these symptoms, and the few times it happened to me, it turned out to be a faulty power vacume assist pump. You may have something else that runs electronically rather than from engine vacume , that performs the same task. It is
the power in "power brakes". This little devil can make it feel like your master cylinder is dead. If the problem is not in the unit itself, it is probably in the signal it needs from your computer or
other source. If it were a master cylinder problem, you would not have any brakes at all. If it were a brake line or wheel cylinder problem, you would notice fluid leaks. One more possibility for going to the floor and then working fine again is air
in the system. "Bleed the brakes" first before you do anything
else.

Answer 4

you probably have got a bad master cylinder on it,,they will come back sometimes,,and work a little bit,,but no it is not safe to drive,,there is always that time you may have to hit them,,and they wont work at all,, i own a repair shop in Tennessee,,and see this kind of thing all the time,,you asked if a rebuilt one would be OK,,it probably would,,but the difference in the cost of it,,and a new one,,is not that much,,i always use a new one,,there is less of a chance of getting a bad one,,it is not safe to drive like this,you may end up hurting your self,,as well as others,,and i know you don't want that on your mind all the time,,none of us would,,just be safe,,get it repaired,,as soon as possible,,i do this kind of work all the time,,and its not going to cost you an arm and a leg,,but the accident you get in,,might cost you more than that,,i hope i have helped.

Answer 5

There is a plunger in the master cylinder that pushes the brake fluid into the brake lines when you push the pedal. There are rubber o-rings on this plunger that have probably gone bad - they can get nicked, or just wear out. There is no loss of fluid in the system when this hapens, the plunger just doesn't work.
A new master cylinder is pretty easy to install. My guess is that would fix it.

Answer 6

Bad master cylinder. It's bypassing internally. It won't leak when it does this, it just won't generate the 2000 psi needed at the calipers. Buy a remanned master cylinder for 50 bucks and save yourself from a very dangerous situation. Good luck.

Answer 7

I would not go replacing parts ... here is how it works you come into my shop you tell me you want this replaced and I replace it I don't check or test anything you said you want a new master cylinder so I put one in. Then you leave and come back pee'd off because it didn't fix the problem because you listened to what some dumbass told you on the web.

Take your vehicle to a repitible shop and have it looked at, leave it for the day so they can try to reproduce the problem and trouble shoot it.

Good Luck

Answer 8

the problem is probably the master cylinder is starting to fail.this would explain why the brake pressure returns to normal at times eventually the master cylinder will fail conpletely and you will lose all brake pressure,get it replaced as soon as possible.rebuilt is ok .it is not safe to drive a car in this condition.

Answer 9

Check the fluid levels first, and look around the master cylinder for leaks and or damage.
Check the brake lines for leakage.
If they appear really corroded then that may be causing air to get into the system.

Answer 10

It can be very dangerous, It sounds like you either have air in the brake lines, or most likely the master cylinder is going out, Also it could be the booster on the master cylinder. Either way i would go ahead and replace both. Both can go out on you at any time with out warning.

Answer 11

100 Canadian dollars seems like a lot for that part, but the rebuilt part should be fine. Don't buy a used one either, they can and do have problems. 100 dollars is cheaper than a lawsuit or your life.