short travel brake pedal?

ginashamz

Hi,


I have left my car standing for the last few months and when I took it for a drive, I noticed the brakes weren't working as well as they use to. The brake was a lot shorter and felt harder. If you leave the car standing, would this happen?

AdrianC

It could well do, yes. Could be almost anything from a perished or damaged vac hose to the servo to a seized master cylinder or pads/shoes rusted to the discs/drums.

How old a car are we talking about? When was the brake fluid last changed?

Obviously, don't drive it until they've been checked over.

The_Fat_Controller

Has the parking brake fully released ?

It could be a servo issue.

Stop the car, press the brake pedal several times until it seems really hard.

Put your foot on the brake pedal and start the car, it should go down a little, if not there is a problem with the system.

Do you have any warning light showing ?

ginashamz

The handbrake was left on while it was standing for several months - in hinsight I should have left the handbrake off and leave it in 1st gear.


There is no warning light. Car is a '56' reg and I am guessing it has been a while since the brake fluid was last changed.

AdrianC

Leaving the handbrake off is to prevent the pads/shoes from sticking to the discs/drums. If the car is moving, that's not your problem.

ginashamz

Could be be a simple case of bleeding the air out from the braking system and flushing the new brake fluid through?


The front pads were only changed last year and all brake discs visually appear to be in okay condition

AdrianC

ginashamz wrote: »

Could be be a simple case of bleeding the air out from the braking system

No. Air in the hydraulics would cause the pedal to be long-travel and mushy.

Jackmydad

Something seized at a guess. You get a similar effect if you clamp a hose off.
Time to pull out the spanners. . .

Mercdriver

Jackmydad wrote: »

Something seized at a guess. You get a similar effect if you clamp a hose off.
Time to pull out the spanners. . .

Bloody small ones on a scalextric set though

Joe_Horner

Do you have the optional rear brakes fitted? If not then it only needs to pump half the fluid so doesn't need to travel as far.

Supersonos

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Do you have the optional rear brakes fitted? If not then it only needs to pump half the fluid so doesn't need to travel as far.

Are rear brakes on a car ever optional?? I'm sure every car I've ever owned has four.