No brakes (1 Viewer)

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Mar 2, 2006
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Location
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So I had my front brake pads replaced yesterday. Today I was driving down some extremely steep hills and the brakes basically gave out. I was able to put the brake pedal almost to the floor and could not stop the truck with the brake pedal no matter how hard I pressed down. Luckly the emergency brake stopped me from going off a a cliff.
There is plenty of brake fluid in the reservoir. What could cause this? A bad brake booster?? I have not had good luck with my cruiser lately!

Thanks!
 
sounds like the new pads weren't "bedded" in properly.

what kind of pads were used and was it just a "pad slap" or were the rotors turned?
 
Thanks for the responses. The melting brake pad thing makes sense - when I first lost the brakes there was smoke coming from the front brakes.

I´m not sure what the guy did when he replaced the pads. He probably just slapped new ones on. I´m in Guatemala right now and the new front pads including labor cost me all of $30. That wasn´t a budget rate, that´s just what the service goes for around here. In fact, it was at an upper end garage (in local relative terms)! I never had this problem before on equally steep hills during this trip. Is the problem that the pads are crap or that they were´t ¨set¨properly?

Thanks!
 
You need to bed them in properly before subjecting them to heavy use. If you drove straight from the shop and put them through some hard brakeing thats why they overheated.
 
I´m going to go check my truck now. If the brakes are working fine, which I´m assuming would be the case if the problem was melting pads, then what should I do now? Do I need to have them reseated? Do I need new higher quality pads?

Thanks!!!
 
I think once you glaze them you pretty much need new pads. Google for methods to bed in new brake pads.
 
If you got 'em that hot you undoubtedly boiled the fluid, possibly causing other problems. A full system check is in order IMHO.
 
If the pedal went to the floor, wouldn't that indicate a failing master cyl rather than any disc/pad or boiling fluid issue?
 
I´ve been reading about brake failure on the web and another possibility is that my brake fluid absorbed enough water that when it got hot enough it boiled and turned to steam. Steam compresses, which would explain my pedal going to the floor.

I´d go check get it checked out but I have less than zero faith in these mechanics, especially after this latest fiasco. You should see the horrors that they did with my carburetor.
 
southbound,

if you've got a basic set of tools with the resources on this board i'm sure you could remedy whatever needs fixing on your own.

i don't think any of us here want to see a fellow cruiserhead driving off a cliff in Guatemala due to mechanical failure so i'm sure people here would be more than willing to offer advice/help to get your brake issues sorted out.
 

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