Preventative Maintenance to prevent brake failure

[spz8656]

Just had a friend lose his brakes on his 06 100 (approx 185k miles) pulling out of our office parking deck. Luckily he had another floor to go before exiting so he rolled to a safe stop. I looked through a few threads and saw some good comments on the brake issue but nothing to set my mind at ease. My wife drives our 03 100 (145k miles) hauling around our 18 month old. My concern is she's not the best driver and might freak if her brakes go out and not compression brake or take other action to stop.

So my question is: we don't currently have any mechanical issues. The car is a beast. What type of preventative maintenance can we perform other than standard brake service to get ahead of a potential problem? My bud is going to end up spending about $4,000 on his 100 to fix the brakes. That's too steep a price for PM.

 

[stpetedale]

I was going through previous owners receipts and noticed they paid for a power flush of brake system. About one year later they paid 4k to have new master cylinder installed due to no brakes and dash lighting up. Not sure if it was related.01 lx470 240k miles. I'm still shocked no recall has been issued. I'm guessing it only happens to people that post on mud. Besides dealing with AHC system,yaw sensor(Just as scary!) it's been reliable. I think a new master cylinder is 1200 and 1 hour labor install charge? I would make sure whoever drives it knows where emergency brake is located and knows how to use it.

 

[neoworm]

I had my accumulator act up on me last summer. Buzzers, Warning lights, pump would not stopped cycling. I had the dealer look at it but we could never determine the cause and it went away. Never did lose the brakes but it was the motivation I needed to give the brakes a thorough refurb.

I rebuilt all the callipers. i.e. dismantled, thoroughly cleaned and rebuilt them back to new condition. Removed the Master and thoroughly cleaned the reservoir, let about 3 cans of new fluid flush through the master to get any of the black gooey crap that had been building up in there flush out. I turfed the 15 year old rubber brake lines and replaced them with stainless lines. 6 in total. Gave the whole system another flush. I also replaced the relays.

Brakes have never felt better and so far no issues again. Going on 10 months. Did everything myself so cost was less than $500 in parts, fluids etc. Way less I think.

I have 220K hard miles though. If I were you I wouldn't lose sleep over this issue. It's a rare occurrence and IH8MUD is a small percentage of the 100's out there. Reading through this forum is enough to make you paranoid. lol

 

[jayfrem]

I have a 1999 LC with 248 k km or 155 k miles.

I recently flushed brake fluid and changed the stock rubber brake lines to stainless steel from Stop Tech.

Things are looking good for now.

Jay

 

[planomateo]

What kind of work is your bud getting done for $4k?

 

[gil12]

Facing similar fears, I replaced the accumulator and pump with a new unit, and rebuilt the master cyclinder with the inexpensive ($70 or so) kit. The accumulator and pump were about a grand from Ranma21 about 3 years ago. The pump can also be rebuilt - people report having trouble with corroded terminals and worn brushes / commutator. The accumulator is considered by some to be something with a limited life span (I just found this interesting post about generic hydraulic accumulators which also states they have a limited life span: Advice For Maintaining Hydraulic Accumulators ).

I honestly was surprised when I installed all this and I turned on the truck and found that everything worked with no warning buzzers or lights. The time the brake system took to re-pressurize (after sitting all night) reduced from about 40 seconds to about 25 (I don't know if this is a reliable measure of brake "health", but it may be.)

It all seemed like overkill at the time, but less so than replacing the entire master/accumulator/pump unit. My first car was a 1957 Peugeot 403 that had very questionable brakes, and I remember the terror of sitting in a moving vehicle without reliable brakes. It is, after all, generally more important to be able to stop than it is to start and go.

 

[uHu]

...What type of preventative maintenance can we perform other than standard brake service to get ahead of a potential problem? ....

You can check the booster and maintain the master. There are threads on both in here.
Checking the booster includes checking the power cable connectors, 2 small bolts on the booster motor. They have a habit of corroding due to spillage of brake fluid (often from overfilling by mechanics w/o 100-specific knowledge). WHen you take the whole master out for service (service kit available with new rubber parts for piston), you check the motor. Clean inside and check brushes, commutator and bearings. Also check running time from zero to full charge. If you dismantle and check the motor and pump every 2 years or 30 k miles, you are likely to catch any problem before it becomes serious.

PS: You still have brakes when the booster fails, just that it is weak and requires a strong brake-leg. And the presence of mind to push hard and pull the hand brake as well. (Hand brake also needs PM, btw)

 

[musthave]

I had the MC assembly go out on a 99, it barely stopped at all with pedal, only wY to slow fown was hand brake. Unpleasant feeling. Paid $300 for rebuilt motor and $60 gor MC rebuild parts. Easy. 1 hour.

 

[2001LC]

I had the MC assembly go out on a 99, it barely stopped at all with pedal, only wY to slow fown was hand brake. Unpleasant feeling. Paid $300 for rebuilt motor and $60 gor MC rebuild parts. Easy. 1 hour.

May I ask:
So did motor stop working and that's why paid $300 for rebuilt?

What in motor was bad?
or
Do you still have bad motor lying around?

Was the brake control wire also corroded?

 

[hickuptruck]

May I ask:
So did motor stop working and that's why paid $300 for rebuilt?

What in motor was bad?
or
Do you still have bad motor lying around?

Was the brake control wire also corroded?

Darn Paul, I had my bad motor lying around last year but I sent it back for core $. I would've absolutely sent it to you to fiddle with. Mine was 171k miles @ errors and alarm + Techstream errors C1201 C1256. Wires were not corroded and screws were easy to take off.

 

[2001LC]

Thanks for the thought. I assume master $60 rebuild parts, was the master cylinder plunger kit with seal.