Q: My brakes are not working very well

asked by on May 19, 2016

The brakes on my car are not working as expected. When driving at slow speed, they work okay but not great. When driving long distance, it feels like the brakes are stiff and the pads are not grabbing on the rotor (I don't feel the bite).

So far, I have replaced both the front and rear brakes (Front: Wagner rotors and Honda pads. Rear: Wagner rotors and Wagner pads). I also replaced the brake fluid and applied new grease to the caliper guide pins.

Is it possible to replace the brake booster check valve? I was not able to remove the vacuum hose from the booster after removing the clamp. I also tested the brake booster using some tips I found online, and the booster looks fine. What else am I missing? I had technicians look into it, but they told me everything looks fine.

A hard brake pedal indicates a lack of power assist, so you’re on the right track with the brake booster. Lack of power assist may be due to low engine vacuum, a leaky vacuum hose to the brake booster, or a faulty brake booster.

A faulty check valve can also allow vacuum to bleed out of the booster, resulting in a hard pedal.

Engine vacuum decreases with engine load, which may be the reason you only experience the problem under certain driving conditions.

If no one has been able to diagnose your problem so far, I suggest you give the team at YourMechanic a call to inspect your brakes and related systems, then recommend the best path to repair. Our expert team will be able to get to the bottom of it.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

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