In the mornings the brake pedal is really hard and i mean really hard, hardly stops the car, but only for the first say 100m then it is full pedal and no problem. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance, Darren.

In the mornings the brake pedal is really hard and i mean really hard, hardly stops the car, but only for the first say 100m then it is full pedal and no problem. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance, Darren.


seized calipers?
old fluid?
rooted booster?

could be a few things, ive also noticed this sometimes, but when I changed a caliper that was half-seized it seemed to disappear.

provided you rotors are not discoloured and/or glazed over, i'd say you might need to replace your pads with a different brand/type. Mine used to do this, till i replaced the pads with something different. seemed the pads needed 'warming' up before they grabbed.

Booster is likely culprit

Check the vacuum hose to the booster isn't cracked and losing vacuum.

if its fading when the brakes are warmer then i'd suggest a fluid change first... esp. if its discoloured

I have also found out that the pedal comes good after a min or so without driving, so whilst warming it up!

brake booster, hose blocked or leaking, checkvalve u/s. put foot on brake as you start, it should sink down noticeably and quickly if the booster is ok.

Yeah no that's what I'm saying, i put my foot on the brake and start it. After about 1 min of idle all of the sudden the brake pedal will go down and the brakes will come on. It seems to be always about the same amount of time 1 minute.

Can't see it being a blocked hose as it comes good and no problem again till the car sits for an extended period. It's not leaking as i have been checking for leaks and the fluid level is constant.

The checkvlave u/s, can you elaborate a bit further on this.

Could it be sucking air back into the lines over night or something?

Daz.

The hose leading from the intake to the booster has a check valve in it where it enters the booster. Remove the hose and looksee. This valve may be stuck shut - you should be able to blow air through it in one direction easily but not in the other.

MadMax you are da MAN!
Took it to the mechanic today to get a tune, service and for him to fix this brake issue. He rang me and said he didn't know what the problem was.....Damn
Anyhow i went through the responses i had got from this forum and i said to him take the checkvalve out, he did and the problem is gone! He has ordered in a new one, $10 delivered.
He wanted to replace the master cylinder $400 fitted.

Mate a big high five for you.

Cheers, Daz.