Long story short, hairpin turn on a mountain gravel road in an unfamiliar neck of the woods and I pressed the brakes to slow down and there was pressure for a second and then it just let go and the pedal went to the floor. Long story short I should have died but the ebrake saved my life. I drove the car home where it sits now, which was a dumb idea but anyways. My question is...

? I could hear a hissing sound when I got outta the car and my buddy presses the brakes so obviously air got in the lines and there must be a leak. Is there any spots to look at in particular that are known to go out in 96-00 civic brake systems? could it be something more than a leak?

I'm going to fill it up with some fluid tomorrow and look for leaks, I just wanted to know if there were any brake parts that usually go in ek's?

Thanks

-Dan

 

The master cylinder could have gone out. Maybe check that.

 

Yeah, it's a good idea to have a e-brake lever and not a pedal in that case. I've had to use the e-brake only while driving and it does work but you have to get used to it and people don't know when your brakeing unless you also press the regular break.

Anyways, fill up the master cylinder with some fluid, I suppose you could use water and not have to worry about clean up since you'll be bleeding the brakes in the end, but have a freind pump the brakes and look underneath your car and wherever the fluid is comeing from.....that's your culprit.

 

if you hear a hissing it could be the brake booster

 

Where you riding the brakes, maybe the brake fluid boiled. Brake fluid will attract water over time lowering the boiling point.

Not sure about he hissing

 

Did you check for Green Berret midgets before taking off? Any recent gf breakup? lol

It would have to be a leak/break somewhere very close to the pedal. If it was a line, you'd still have 2 good brakes. My guess also is the booster is bad, since the pedal attaches to that, and the lines are broken up in the the LF/RR,RF/LR segments at the MC. It could be the MC, but that's essentially an aluminum block drilled with holes for the lines & res. Its one of the two, and I'm sure there's set ways to test both, if not eyeball/earshot them.


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BAD idea to ever put water in brake lines, even as a test before a full flush. They are usually uncoated steel, so corrosion (even a tiny bit starting) is the first issue. The second is that brake fluid gets hydrated (soaks up water) and becomes shitty.