ok on top of the warped rotor issue my brakes decide to fail on me today a total of around 6 times. on my drive down and back up from monterey.
what happened was when i drepressed my brakes on the freeway because of traffic it all of the sudden went to the floor. dind't feel much resistance and didn't feel the car slow down like it was suppose to. in fact felt like i was accelerating since i was going down hill. my guesses are that i must have an air bubble in the system. or my car is just angry at me. the brake fluid level is normal, the brake pads are still good and no groves in the rotors, lines are bone dry and the parking brake also works fine. so other than an air bubble what could it be? i'm really looking forward into swapping out the brakes anytime now.

so who ever has the wilwood brakes please give me feedback on how you like it. i plan to get the slotted rotors option with it.. thanx in advanced

 

Wow, I wonder how can you survive the 6 times without brakes. Weren't you scare at that time since you didn't have brake at the freeway?

 

hey daniel,

how do you know your lines were bone dry? also, how did you confirm your parking brake works? they shouldnt go bone dry all of a sudden, you could have overheated the brakes and got brake fade, if you got an air bubble in the system, you should get spongy pedal, not a loss of brakes. Then consider how the air got into the system, usually it happens from overheating them and the fluid boils then you get air in the system.

 

The only component that could cause the symptoms that you describe is the master cylinder. Call your service department.

 

It does sound like a master cylinder failure. Get it checked out by a dealer ASAP.

 

i was talking about the outside of the brake lines, meaning that there was no obvious signs of leaking.
neways thanx alot for the advice, i also spoke to kev over the phone prior to reading this post today and he also told me that it could be brake fade, which i am not familiar with at all. heard of it but didnt' know what it meant.
if my master cylinder were to go, wouldn't it be really hard for me to push the brakes down??

i am also aware that if i were to have an air bubble in my brake system the problem would be more consistant, i would have spongy brakes all the time, but it didnt', either way i still htought that "might" have been a possibility.

 

My master cylander went out on my old car. The pedal had no resistance at all.

 

thanx for the clarification. i guess i'ma be visiting the service dept soon.. thanx.

 

You test drove my car today and said mine was worse, but I don't think it's bad at all considering my rotors are warped.

 

k

if you have power booster failure then your pedal with be really stiff. Ever drove like a 60's or 70's car with no power brakes? feels like that but you still have brakes. If master cylinder fails, most likey the secondary cup, your pedal sinks but you should still have brakes. Pedal will be very low. hope this helps

 

uh??/ booster failure as in? i thought the mastercylinder was the booster? now i'm even more confused. so lets say there is brake fade, would i have the pedal going down all the way? and if the master cylinder failed it would do the same? so if my master cylinder failed, would it be consistant? now i'm kinda scared not sure if i should just ride it out or go to the service department. my brakes works normally now, still warped but works the way it did prior to the incident.

kev i meant your car felt worse as in the pedal was much mushier than mine. and the rotors are more warped as well. but man do i love your coilovers. they are definately on my wish list.. i really apreciate you letting me take your car out for a spin, and i apologize for the moementary downgrade i put you through by having u drive my car behind me. but man... your car is nice. i can't wait til u get themz z brakes in too. you really need new brakes soon. are you going to flush out the brake system and put in the motul brake fluid?? what advantages does motul have over stock? i'm not at all familiar with brake components. tia.. thanx alot again matthel for the input..

 

I believe the brake booster is the big round can thing near the brake fluid. Your master cylinder is the thing inside the fluid container that moves forward and back as you step on the pedal. I'm not sure if I'm correct, but check out http://www.howstuffworks.com to find out.

If your master cylinder failed, you would have to stomp pretty far down to get your brakes to work. If the brake booster is not working, it'll be really stiff when you step on the brakes (i.e. turn your car off and step on the brakes a few times to know what I mean).

Yeah, we're going to flush the whole system because we'll have to. Motul fluid boils at a higher temp which is good. Higher point = less likely to get air in your lines. I'm not sure if they have the info you're looking for, but try http://www.motul.com

Thanks for the compliment and much luck on your brake system.

 

The booster unit uses atmospheric pressure and engine vaccum to give you power brakes, without it you would be pressing really hard on the pedal. I guess id juss take it to the dealer, have them worry about it and your still in waranty rite??? hehe

 

he he he warranty?? i wish.. i'm at 43k now. how much would i be looking to spend since it's not covered anymore?

 

Hehe... not to sound like an alarmist... but BRAKES ARE IMPORTANT... you're gonna have to spend whatever it takes in order to get them fixed...

w/ genuine nissan parts, it's gonna cost somewhere in tha area of eleventy billion dollars... give or take a few bazillion....


-Tom Z.

on a side note, even though i doubt that brakes are covered, you do have a 5 year powertrain warrenty, i believe...

 

you mean the 5 year 30 mile which ever comes first warranty?

 

There is a 3 year/36k mile warranty that covers everything. Then, there is a 5 yr/60k mile warranty that covers the engine and transmission. Brakes fall under the 36k mile warranty I think. Check t make sure though.