Okay so I've had this 86 base model for a while now. When i first got it, the brakes were perfect. Over time, i noticed they felt different when i stopped;n and i felt my wheels slowing down with a rubbing type feeling. It felt as if it were in and out in and out. They still worked, however. Then recently, my breaks became ****. I dont get it. They either sometimes work or do not work, only when they want. Sometimes they wont even stop at all. When i press the pedals, I either hear the tsssss noise which i would think is air without fluid, or they will stop but they will be very hard to press down. Sometimes they stop normally. I do not know how to go about fixing this problem, so do you think just by the description anyone would be able to diagnose whats wrong? Do i just need fluid, or do i need brake work? Someone please help me out.

Could be a number of different thing, but you can't know until you check it out. Brakes are very simple, so dig in and don't be afraid.

Could be your master cylinder, calipers, or cracked brake line...........hell anything.

As far as the in-out-in-out goes, that sounds like warped rotors to me. Also sounds like the master cylinder is taking a dumb on you.. just my .02
Park it on pavement (if you don't already) and drive it back and forth a few times, hitting the brakes. If there is a leak in a line, you *should* be able to see it, assuming that it hits the ground. As the poster above me said, brakes are fairly simple to work on. Take wheels off and see whats going on.

Recently had brakes go from ok to erratic, to the pedal going all the way to the floor.
Was very low on fluid (hmmm) so filled it and bled brakes with the help of a friend. No leaks at the inside of any wheels. Master cyl was dry underneath. Was ok for a while, then a couple days later the pedal went all the way to the floor again. Shop changed the master cyl. A couple days later again the pedal goes to the floor, fluid gone again. What! Turns out the proportioning valve was leaking. On this car its on inside of the frame below the master cyl.
So I agree, full fluid, look for leaks anywhere first. park someplace clean and work the brakes. Does the fluid go down in the master cyl? If no leaks its the master cyl or the prop valve.

thanks guys i appreciate it. im going to get it check out because im 18 and grew up without anyone to teach me any of this. i dont wanna mess with the master cylinder because with my luck ill mess it up lol. thanks again

The best way to learn is by doing. Glad to see some people my age around here. Don't get discouraged about working on your vehicle, they really aren't as scary as they first appear. As long as you have enough patience and common sense, you can figure anything out.

Hope you get this problem fixed soon, brakes are kind of important!

i tis nice to see someone our age working on a thirdgen, dont crush em restore em, i have to take apart and clean alot of my car because its been severely egged two nights in a row now

^^ that sounds like LOTS of fun.. lol
I would sleep in the car and wait for the people to come and do it again, only I would be in there with my 12 guage..

try being my age!!

oh i was, waiting with my 9mm and thats the end of my car being egged i'll tel you that much

We had someone that kept trying to break into my brother's car last year. I finally get fed up with it and waited on a bench on our front step for them to come back and sure enough, they did. After I shot out their back window and put 2 more shells into the side of their car, we haven't had a single issue since.

yeah it definitely gets the point across all i did was fire a shot in the air and scare the hell out of them, and now my baby sits right in front of the garage like she always has, and noone dares to touch her

Its amazing what a little intimidation can do to people
The greatest home-deffense you can get is to reload some shotgun shells with rock-salt instead of lead BB's. It hurts like hell, but wont kill them. Plus, the salt in the open wounds burns for days, and only gets worse if you try to pick it out. It has to be desolved either naturally, or by soaking it in water, which also burns like hell.