bullvii

Hey sorry I have to get to class so I must be brief!
I have a 91 CRX and when I start to slow down the pedal goes almost all the way to the floor.. brakes continue to work fine... just getting wierd pedal issues here and braking power is way down. I stopped at a stop light just a few minutes ago and the pedal went to the floor and i let off and hit it again and it was firm... any ideas?

I checked the brake fluid and its a quarter of an inch away from the MAX line, going to top it off real fast and head to class.

jlk16188

Have you done any brake work lately? Id say you either have a leak somewhere or air in the lines that needs bled out

bullvii

No havnt done any brake work at all lately...

Einhander276

Bleed them. I had the same problem two days ago.

Pump your brakes
turn on car
pump brakes again
turn off car
Add brake fluid to max, and carefully close it.
pump brakes again.

Repeat until brakes feel good. i did this and it worked. I guess this is the cheap way to bleed the brakes...

bullvii

that didnt do anything for the problem. going to try and change master cyclinder tomorrow... i have front disc brakes and rear drum, will it be the same master cyc for front disc and rear disc also? in the future i might do a rear disc conversion.

edit: oh also the brake fluid is at max and i keep checking it regularly. so im not loosing fluid, guessing this rules out a leak. also anyone have any recommendations on a brand of master cylc?

TJChad

Definately sounds like an internal leak on your MC

TJChad

MAKE SURE YOU BENCH BLEED YOUR MC BEFORE YOU INSTALL IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will never get the right pedal even bleeding they system for 12 hours if you don't

FranklinWalker

i cant help you man

eundaddy

This sadly is not the correct way of bleeding the brakes.

You have to find the bleeder valve on the calipers. Then you open them while someone presses the brake pedal and you close the valve back up BEFORE the helper releases the brake pedal. Do this until you see no air bubbles.

hatchet_honda

lol yeah just pumping the brakes without opening the bleeders isnt gonna do much. wheres the air gonna go?

Nooch

This. Lol, don't really know what the guy was doing/thinking? Just a placebo effect that it worked. Lol.

TJChad

Can't help me what?

solorex

You need a new master cylinder. Problem will be solved.

bullvii

awesome! thanks guys. hopefully i can find a guide on how to do the install, wonder how long it takes...

also my crx has rear drums.. so what would that make it? a dx? Si has rear disc right? will Si master cylinder work?

michael-crxsi

Did you even try bleeding them yet?

Fo-Do Fanatic

Before you go out spending your money, just bleed your brakes. Listen to us.

Only the 90-91 CRX Si had rear discs stock. 88-89's didn't. And I do believe all 88-91 Civic's didn't have rear discs unless they were put on there.

All master cylinders are the same on Civic/CRX's.

michael-crxsi

That what I was getting at. At most it will cost you a few bucks for some brake fluid. It really easy, you just need two people. My girlfriend and I jut did mine and they came out way better. Bleed them before you go buy a MC. If you need help pm me

Tyson

wow. some absolutely horrible advice going on in this thread.

it is most likely a master cylinder problem, about 95% sure. i reserve 5% because there could be a leak elsewhere that you SHOULD double check. but if youre not losing any fluid in the reservoir, then its just the MC that needs replacement.

yes, bench bleed the master cylinder. it will cut the bleeding process down and make sure you have firm pedal feel afterward.

VERY IMPORTANT, do not attempt to remove or install the MC without the proper tool. i HIGHLY RECOMMEND you get a flarenut wrench to take the brake fittings off without stripping the very soft metal. if you strip them, they are a pain, if not impossible, to replace and fix. if you do strip them completely, youre screwed and will never get a good seal.

i recommend OEM. ive had issues with off brand master cylinders. you dont need to get any bigger one either.

dacrxguy

this ignore most if not all the other post the flare nut wrench you need is 10mm

eundaddy

the op is saying that the brake is catching only when he presses all the way down to the floor. first thing he should do is bleed the brakes to check for air in the system... NOT replacing the master cylinder. HOW is that bad advise and why should a cheap fix like bleeding the brakes be ignored before he ventures elsewhere?

dacrxguy

Were does op say the pedal is catching op is complaining that his pedal goes all the way to the floor and is NOT firm. A common problem that occurs when the both seals in the master cylinder are going out.

8VEYBEYB

lol I stripped my fittings so bad I had to use a vice grip to get em on and off.

eundaddy

well it does catch otherwise he would have driven into a tree.

88whitehatchidaho

If he doesnt have a leak some he has a bypassing master cylinder. I know this cause he said if he hits the brakes hard the feel is normal. Thats because the cups in the MC expand enough to seal if they're hit hard, slight pedal pressure wont expand them enough, letting fluid go around the cups in the MC, hence the pedal going slowly to the floor with slight pressure. check for leaks then replace your master cylinder and you will be good to go. (and like said before use a flare wrench)

bullvii

where can i get the 10mm flare nut wrench?