Brake failure?

[bullethead123]

Hi all,

A funny thing happened on the way home tonight.

I was driving really slowly in traffic - maybe 2mph - when suddenly there was no response as I pressed the brake pedal right down. I pulled the handbrake up too with no response and consequently bumped the guy in front. He was fine about it as there was no obvious damage. during the rest of the journey home I tested the brakes thoroughly and all was normal.

I get the car (67 plate Seat Ibiza) serviced at the local garage annually, the last service was in December.

I'm thinking that there may be a problem with the hydraulics but would that affect the handbrake too? I thought handbrakes worked on a cable principle.

Could I fix the problem by topping up the brake fluid? I think the brake fluid resevoir is the one second from the left of the below picture

The manual shows it as being elsewhere but I'm guessing there was a modification

Anyway, here are a couple of close ups of what I think is the brake fluid resevoir

It looks empty to me though I cannot tell for sure.

would it be safe for me to just pop out to Halfords and top up the thing?

 

[Burnerman]

The brake fluid reservoir is the one marked DOT 4 - the type of fluid to top it up with.
How low is the fluid level......any pool of liquid under the car? Do lets know exactly as the level is difficult to see from here.
We cant recommend driving the car until this fault is sorted.....it’s probably a master cylinder issue.
The handbrake only works on the rear wheels so its never effective at stopping the car.....it should however lock the rear wheels.
John

 

[ETAF]

consequently bumped the guy in front. He was fine about it as there was no obvious damage.

Nothing to do with your main question, just my experience.

did you take any photos ???

My partner had the same issue , she hit a car as she pulled away from a parking place at about 5-10mph if that.
They both looked not a mark on his car or hers - so just a gentle tap

He said no damage - not to worry about it all , and so my partner didn't even take details - just agreed to get on with their days

Then a year later , we get a letter from the insurance company that the claim was going to court for £3,500 worth of damage. that they had no record of the claim, and subsequent phone calls and discussion, the insurance company stated that we should have told them, and that it was difficult to prove no damage was caused at the time - he apparently had photos of the damage, taken at the repair a garage and a receipts and a witness.

The insurance company said we had to take the claim, as the incident did happen ...... although our no-claims was protected, the premium still increased by £100 plus changing companies we still declare, despite it being fraud.

I'm sure in our case, we maybe should have gone to court and maybe even done other things.

But just FYI & beware ????

 

[Old Salt]

If the fluid is that low you have a problem that needs resolving before the car is driven. Manual? You were probably pressing the clutch having got distracted from sitting in the queue.

 

[Astra99]

I had something similar happen many years ago. I was approading a junction, and put my foot on the brake to slow down. The pedal went straight down to the floor! I took my foot off the brake and "stamped" on it. The car stopped. The seals in the master cylinder were worn, and instead of expanding to cause pressure, under light braking fluid was bypassing the seals so there was no braking effect. I bought a seal kit on the way home (good old days when you could re-rubber cylinders), and had no more trouble until I got rid of the car, a Mark I Granada automatic.

 

[Keithmac]

It's possible the friction material from one of your rear pads has fallen off, worth a look before you drive it again.

The brake reservoir should never be empty, some use it as clutch fluid as well but the clutch fluid is always taken off further up the bottle for safety reasons.

 

[bullethead123]

Thanks for all the answers guys. I get the distinct impression that simply topping up the brake fluid resivoir aint gonna cut it.
Astra99, your comment put me in mind of an old Vauxhall Viva I had about 40 years ago whose brakes liked to be "pumped"
I'm not 17 anymore, so I've put it in my local garage today for them to check out the braking system. I'll post their findings later on.

 

[HERTS P&D]

I'm not 17 anymore,

You are in your head, we all are!

Andy

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Amen brother!

 

[Avocet]

Pop the bonnet and give the reservoir (the clear pot with the DOT 4 label on the yellow cap) a wiggle. You should see the fluid moving about in there. Chances are, it will have a "max" mark on it. If you are low on fluid, as others have said, you have a problem that needs urgent attention. Look for leaks under the car, drips of fluid on the insides of the wheel rims, and feel the carpet round the top of the brake pedal to see if it is "wet", suggesting a brake fluid leak from the mater cylinder.

Total brake failure is extremely rare, but not unknown. Indeed, I have a colleague to whom it has happened. In his case, it seems to have been the ABS pump. However, they tend to leak internally, so if it's that, you shouldn't have seen a drop in fluid level.

 

[bullethead123]

Got the car back today and the garage owner can't find anything wrong.
He thinks there could be an intermittent fault with the ABS system though as he's heard of similar faults on other VW Audi models.
Didn't charge me anything butsaidbring it back if it happens again.

 

[Avocet]

If there was no fluid missing, then I'd be inclined to agree. Bloody worrying though!

 

[HERTS P&D]

Nothing worse than an intermittent leak/problem.

Andy