It is and isn't it seem. Far less actually brake down. Curious on your year and miles? Some go at 150k and some at 300k? Just something to keep a eye out for.
Another ABS Brake Failure
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It is and isn't it seem. Far less actually brake down. Curious on your year and miles? Some go at 150k and some at 300k? Just something to keep a eye out for.
1998 with 177k- doing my homework now and have about 1000 posts to read on here. Already priced parts but hoping to find a sort of list of tests or how to test if the specific issue is booster motor, accumulator, something in master cylinder (but don't think that's the main culprit), etc
This thread has pics of where the motor was disassembled from my LX and shows the common problem: Poll on total brake failure in 100 series
thanks! just read that and the MC removal DIY- actually workig on getting the MC out now and hopefully driving the booster motor to Eurton tomorrow or the day after
JAWolf
SILVER Star
I've had a brake issue twice, unsure if it matches others experience (read through the thread, sounds similar) that came about on ABS being activated, where pedal goes soft, you can feel the pedal vibrating (ie. ABS doing its thing), but minimal braking achieved. Releasing the brake pedal and reapplying just below ABS threshold, on dirt/wet and bumpy road, I managed to manoeuvre and pull up both times. The car was bought 2nd hand a few years back, and this has only happened 2 times in the 50000km driven (Australian fjz105 with 390000km at present)
Hey six years later but worth a shot. Same thing happened to mine. Lights came on, no brakes, almost hit our 2021 ford ranger. Sat for a year after, last week got a new battery and oil change and first time running since accident in 2021. They didn't service my brakes and i've been weary on it, but have driven it the last four days. Brakes work, but suck, take a lot of effort to brake, sometimes is easier than others, usually has to be pushed almost all the way to the ground just to start braking. Always wondering what caused it, hope it doesn't happen while i'm on the highway. What helped?My wife just finished coming down from one of the local mountain passes when the ABS light turns on and the beeper alarm started flashing. She had the presence of mind to pull off the freeway at the next exit and into a parking lot. The last push of the break pedal went straight to the floor... NO BAKES!!!!Had it towed to the shop and, sure enough... it was diagnosed as the dreaded ABS motor / accumulator failure. After looking high and low, there's only 3 of these d@mned things in the entire country and all three are on the east coast. Almost 3K for the part... 1K for removal & replacement... all this for a part that should have been recalled!?!? This seems to be a common failure on these rigs ('99 LX-470). I am amazed that no-one has been killed yet! (Maybe I'm just not aware of any yet). How come this is not recalled? How come I'm spending 4K on a part that darn near killed my family!?! This is outrageous! We should all get a piece of a class action settlement or something. Thankfully no-one was hurt... but 30 minutes earlier and it would have been an entirely different story. Any thoughts on how to get this recognized as a legitimate safety problem?
I see a lot of people claiming there is two minutes from the pump failure to running out of brakes. Is this true?My wife just finished coming down from one of the local mountain passes when the ABS light turns on and the beeper alarm started flashing. She had the presence of mind to pull off the freeway at the next exit and into a parking lot. The last push of the break pedal went straight to the floor... NO BAKES!!!!
I regularly tow a 2 ton trailer so not looking forward to this failure.
I got about 16 pedal applications after the alarm horn went off before the brakes pooped out. After that, I had minimal braking power, but with 3 pumps of the pedal (at each stop) I was able to drive the truck home without issue. I never fully lost braking power, but it required pumping and higher effort. In my case, the motor brushes were totally worn out and the commutator shredded, so I was working off only the reserve in the accumulator.
uHu
Bridgeburner
As said already, it's more the number of full pedal strokes, and not time, which is limited. Unless you have a badly leaking master or booster, the time aspect is like several hours. The number of full stroke brake applications depends on how much pressure there is in the booster accumulator when the booster motor fails. Varying from 0 to maybe 3 with full braking power. In the case that the alarm goes off and the lamp comes on, the only safe action is to stop right away, with only one stroke of the brake pedal. Do not test first, while looking for a suitable place. That might have been your only chance.
If the brakes do not work as they should, the only thing that helps is to use the hand brake (which is normally weak at speed) and to depress the brake pedal as hard as you can, at the same tame as you use the gearshift to move to a lowest possible gear. With an auto, just smack straight into Low and let it do the shifts as they are allowed by the speed. The brake pedal will still have some effect, giving very weak braking on the fronts only, but you really have to push hard. Like trying to break the pedal and the seat back.
It is important to always keep the hand brake in top condition. I find that it needs annual clean - lube - adjust.
Because the alarm sound is not very strong, it is easy to miss, especially with the radio on or a back seat full of noise.
Most importantly, of course, is to maintain the brake booster before it fails. Listen to any changes in sound or running time, and never try to run it as long as 300 k km without booster motor service. One certain killer is overfilling the reservoir, it's just incredible how many owners and dealer service people who cannot read the instructions on the lid. Any spilled brake fluid ends up inside the booster motor, shortening it's life considerably.
Booster failure is a scary experience.
This just happened to me last night. '03 with 210K miles. Started the LC and noticed BRAKE light warning on in bottom right of the dash. Thought it was the hand brake. Drove about 8 miles and ABS, VSC, lights turn on accompanied by a high pitched alarm. Pulled into a parking lot and shut down. Smoke coming up from left side of the engine bay. Thought I had a driver front caliper sticking. Started back up and drove 1/2 mile to my mechanic. As I pulled in lost all brakes. Pushed brake hard to the floor and threw it into park just before I hit his building. That was fun 
Guess I'm looking at an ABS booster and MC? Is there a DIY for this job?
Guess I'm looking at an ABS booster and MC? Is there a DIY for this job?
2001's brake guide, its one unit ABS/Master/accumulator.
forum.ih8mud.com
Brakes ...... Overdue write-up.
First and foremost: Brakes should only be worked by those, with high level of mechanical abilities and experienced with brake systems. With the age of all 100 series today, in our aging fleet. Any issue, with brake master assembly. IMHO, best and safest course of action. Have the whole brake...
forum.ih8mud.com
I did it on my 2000:
Yours is 03, so check the shape of the pressure switch connector before you purchase the pump (post-2: first image in the following link).
forum.ih8mud.com
Yours is 03, so check the shape of the pressure switch connector before you purchase the pump (post-2: first image in the following link).
LandCruiser 100 Brake Master Cylinder Installation - The Easy Way!
DEMOSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY: DO AT YOUR OWN RISK: This is a BRAKE item and involves safety. It worked for me does not mean it works for you. If you have not done any Brake repairs, please take it to the dealer/professional shop. I've been thinking about this replacement for a while (mine had no...
forum.ih8mud.com
ranma21
Supporting Vendor
This just happened to me last night. '03 with 210K miles. Started the LC and noticed BRAKE light warning on in bottom right of the dash. Thought it was the hand brake. Drove about 8 miles and ABS, VSC, lights turn on accompanied by a high pitched alarm. Pulled into a parking lot and shut down. Smoke coming up from left side of the engine bay. Thought I had a driver front caliper sticking. Started back up and drove 1/2 mile to my mechanic. As I pulled in lost all brakes. Pushed brake hard to the floor and threw it into park just before I hit his building. That was fun
Guess I'm looking at an ABS booster and MC? Is there a DIY for this job?
Yes you need a complete master cylinder with booster and accumulator. No point to just replace booster with that mileage and age. DIY can be done if you have all the tools needed to bleed it properly.
What tools are required to bleed properly? Can it be done the old school way - one guy pumps the pedal while another bleeds air out the nipple at each corner?
Checkout the link I posted above.
Well, I may have gotten lucky. My indie found a couple brake lines had corroded leading to loss of brake fluid that set off the ABS BRAKE alarm. Given the age of the vehicle, I decided to bite the bullet and replace all the brake lines. He bled it with techstream and the booster/mc seems OK. No alarms or lights on the dash, pedal feels good.
Also, something I admit I've taken for granted, but I'm so impressed that Toyota still manufactures the brake lines on a 25 yr old platform and my indie was able to get the complete set in 2 days.
