Sometimes they work great. Sometimes they go all the way to the floor with very little stopping power when pressed slowly. Is it air? I hope it's air. Please tell me it's air!

 

It could be air, or it could be the sign of a dying master cylinder. Try bleeding the brakes real good, and if it still does it then your master cylinder is probably shot.

 

i think ur master cylinder seal is leaking internally......how many miles on ur accord? .....change it if u want to be safe......not dat expensive; or u ratther put ur life on the line?

 

Get good pads, flush the fluid, and turn or replace the rotors. You should be fine if it 'sometimes' feels firm.

 

Not rotors or pads. When the pedal goes to the floor it's either air in the lines or internal leak in the MC. Like 89_lxi said, bleed the fluid first, if that doesn't work it's your MC.

 

ok guys i have another MC question for ya. whenever i push down on the brakes i get a weird noise like a pumpin squeak or something. and around my MC i have like little drips of fluid (not much but just like a coating around the MC) does this mean i need a new MC??? thanks!!! oh btw its a 91 accord auto with 140k on her!!

 

Pads are OEM honda and only a couple of months old. She only has 118k on her. I will try bleeding if that doesn't work off to the parts dept I go.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by D21X &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok guys i have another MC question for ya. whenever i push down on the brakes i get a weird noise like a pumpin squeak or something. and around my MC i have like little drips of fluid (not much but just like a coating around the MC) does this mean i need a new MC??? thanks!!! oh btw its a 91 accord auto with 140k on her!!</TD></TR></TABLE>
Is that squeak like whistling from a vacuum leak? Might be the vacuum booster; might even be normal - they do make a little sound as they work.

How about the leak? On the outside of the MC? Try tightening the clamp where the plastic reservoir attaches to the MC. If it leaks at the fittings for the steel tubes, then you might be able to clean it up & tighten them. But more likely when you first take them off, corrosion will getcha.

The normal 'leaking' MC is when it leaks past the seal on the piston shaft. Often the piston will leak internally and nothing leaks OUT. Do you lose enough brake fluid so the level drops in the reservoir?