brake problems

[tbomb]

i had new front brakes installed last september/october. i just had my truck in for state inspection in january, and they said my rear brakes passed, but i would need them changed soon; most likely by the time im due for my next oil change. its been about 1,000 miles since the state inspection, and now, i notice that i have to push my brake pedal down, just about as far as it will go to get the truck to stop.

im sure i need new rear brakes, but could something also be wrong with the "power" part of my "power brakes" (sorry, i dont know much about that stuff - what is it?...the master cylinder or something like that?) could i just be low on brake fluid?

other thoughts or suggestions?

thanks.

 

[section525]

You might want to get the system bled. Sounds like you could have air in there.. resulting in mushy brakes.

 

[tbomb]

i just had my system bled when i had my front brakes done. whenever i have it bled, it doesnt take very long for it to get mushy again; maybe a few months. what could that mean? a leak somewhere?

 

[mrboyle]

There is no reason for any air to ever get into a properly working brake system. If you are getting air in the system, something is allowing it to get there. The problem could be the master cylinder or the ABS valve. Master cylinders are more common to fail and are much cheaper to repair.

 

[tbomb]

Originally posted by mrboyle
Master cylinders are more common to fail and are much cheaper to repair.

thats good to hear. thanks.

 

[tbomb]

well, heres whats its coming down to: theres a place on my way home from work that looks like a respectable shop (its a goodyear auto repar and tire shop.) i got their number, and im calling them tomorrow. the ***** of the whole situation is im moving on saturday, and if i dont get this taken care of sometime before friday morning (meaning, thursday evening at the latest), its gonna have to wait until at least march 8th, and i dont really wanna mess with brakes and wait that long. im hoping the guy just says that it needs rear brakes (like i thought) and they need to be bled...or maybe the master cylinder is shot; i dont need a huge bill from this the week before i move, heh.

thanks, though, everyone. ill post the outcome.

 

[AlaskanJack]

So what was the outcome? I am having some problems after replacing my master cylinder.