Hello all,

I found a 91 Firebird Formula 350 for cheap but the brakes worry me. They go all the way to the floor before grabbing, the car will stop but the pedal travel is rediculous. The owner said he replaced the master cylinder and bled them several times but nothing changed.

Any suggestions? This car is not bad and a steal unless the brakes need a complete overhaul, what should I do?

-Chris

 

The master cylinder was probably improperly installed.

For these cars, they require a process known as "bench bleeding". The MC sits at such an angle that the line coming out is not the highest point in the cyl itself; so, no mater how much you bleed the system after the MC is already on the car, if there's any air in it, it will stay safely up there in the "corner" of the MC, above the fitting for the line, and casue a spongy pedal.

The solution is to take it off and bleed it with a screwdriver or something, while it's held perfectly horizontal.

Of course, you don't have to tell the owner that (a free fix, basically); tell him you don't know if you really want to risk buying a car that might require hundreds of dollars of brake work, so the car is worth 20% less than whatever he's asking for it.

 

Will that really cause such a spongy pedal that it goes all the way to the floor? I understand the process, now where do I get the rubber tubes and screw-in pieces to do this, usually they come with the master cylinder

Also, could there be another problem? Maybe bad wheel cylinders (rear drum set-up) or calipers?

-Chris

 

I'd seriously think that how the brakes feel is the least of your worries when buying a car... they are things you want to look into anyway after you buy it and are some of the less expensive things to fix.....

 

if you hear a swooshing sound when you push the pedal down it could have a leaky booster which leaves you no pedal and a $95 repair

 

my formula 350 has all wheel disk brakes, so i would think that car should..

could be the pads are all wore down and need to be replaced..

 

If he's an honest guy, ask him to take it in to have the repair estimated before you buy the car and go along with him, meet him there or something. That way you'll have a clear conscience about buying the car and know what you're looking at. Plus if the mechanic tells you you're screwed, you can either walk away or buy the car for less $$$$$ and upgrade to a 1LE system.

HTH...Ed