Rock hard brakes but little stopping power

Philippe Holland

Philippe Holland

Member
Hello, my LHD V8 requires a really strong push on the pedal to have any effect. The brakes are not locking on but feel almost solid. When braking I can feel a pulsing through the pedal. Sometimes the pedal will 'sink' a few centimetres.
Its maiden drive was quite a shock for me.
Where should I start to look? Apparently the car has just passed its MOT and the garage owner said it all felt fine to him....
Many thanks,
Philippe
 
Phillipe,
I suggest starting with the brake servo. Check the reaction valve diaphragm first.
Brake problems can be caused by many things as I have found to my cost!
Hope this helps.
Regards, John.
 
Before you start stripping bits off the servo, pull the vacuum hose fitting out of the servo, and then run the engine, you should be able to feel if there's enough suction to operate it. The hoses can collapse internally and you get no vacuum. Also the hose may have been replaced with an ordinary bit of hose, it needs to be the proper vacuum servo hose, made specifically for that purpose.
 
You can test the servo by pumping the pedal to exhaust any remaining vacuum and then starting the engine with your foot on the brake pedal. If the servo is working you should feel the pedal sink a bit

Have you got the US spec dual circuit brake system on your car ?
 
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