08-18-2014, 06:53 PM | #1 |
Booooosted.
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Brakes not working after sitting over a year.......
So here is the situation.
As many know my car has been sitting since June last year (2013) when the cam went bad and ruined my engine. Well it's all rebuilt and upgraded and I have finished everything but tuning. By all indications I should be able to drive it nicely to the tuners. So I fire it up and want to check that it's good to go and drive it around the block. Get to the end of the driveway and it's got little to NO brakes. Was in reverse so I got it stopped but barely. Had light brakes until the pedal would go no more. (NOT floorboard but a solid hit plenty above where I know it COULD go) I pull back up and seems like even less brakes. (I put a bigger cam in it than previous and 1st gear is stronger) No engine codes as far as booster sensor. So here's what I've checked..... There are no leaks. Pedal stops solid and does not go any further anyway. Fluid is full. Brake booster is hooked up to vacuum. Sensor is hooked up properly. So could my caliper pistons be rusted shut? Could it be the brake booster valve stuck? Could I be in the twilight zone? Everything went together well but this is the first hurdle I've faced. I WANT MY CAR BACK. |
08-18-2014, 06:57 PM | #2 |
Drives: Love the one you're with Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Downtown Charlie Brown
Posts: 11,850
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Do you have too low of vacuum now with your larger cam? That used to happen with older cars all the time. Not sure about the gen 5 cars, but just a suggestion. If the brake system wasn't open, I can't see why there would be any problem with it sitting.
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08-18-2014, 08:03 PM | #3 |
Drives: MMX Camaro 2LT RS Join Date: May 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 71
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Have someone help you look to check the pistons to see if they are stuck.
I was an idiot and let my truck sit (because of the pretty good weather the last year) and froze the rear calipers. Mechanics and friends both said the worst thing for brakes is to let them sit. They are unable to clear themselves of the environment that way and can lock up.
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Selene: 2010 RJT/2Tone 2LT RS A6
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08-18-2014, 08:40 PM | #4 |
Booooosted.
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I can't be sure of either. I did try tapping them with a hammer.
The feel of the pedal is weird. It will begin to pressurize and before it can quite stop solid it kind of hits what feels like a back stop. But I know better. Cam should not cause enough less vaccum since it's not as big as some who never had a problem, however I did lower the compression ratio for the blower. |
08-18-2014, 08:44 PM | #5 |
Drives: Love the one you're with Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Downtown Charlie Brown
Posts: 11,850
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It would be easy enough to check the vacuum. Usually if it's vacuum though you will get one good pump out of it before you loose power assist.
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08-18-2014, 09:16 PM | #6 |
Drives: cts-v Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Mooresville, NC
Posts: 506
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I highly doubt the calipers are frozen. When most calipers "freeze" up it is a floating or sliding style caliper and it is actually the mounting hardware that seizes up. The only time I have seen caliper pistons lock up is with cast iron calipers where moisture built up inside the caliper and rusted the inside.
The brembos have neither of these issues. They are 4 piston calipers that have no slides or floating pins to seize up. They also will not rust or corrode in place due to the heavy coatings on the inside and the fact that they are an aluminum composite. Is there a noticeable difference in brake pedal effort with the car off and car running? Also I would take a measurement of manifold vacuum just to make sure you are making enough vacuum to properly operate the booster. If you never opened the brake hydraulic system, my bet is a booster or vacuum issue, especially if the pedal is firm and doesn't drop to the floor.
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08-18-2014, 09:54 PM | #7 | ||
Booooosted.
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I wish I could go out and check some of these but this car is loud. hahaha And it's late. |
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08-18-2014, 10:01 PM | #8 | |
Drives: Love the one you're with Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Downtown Charlie Brown
Posts: 11,850
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Some of these cars had very High lift with very long durations. What cam are you running? |
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08-18-2014, 10:21 PM | #9 |
ROAD COURSE JUNKIE
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Not that it's the same but when I left my truck in Bama for a year the calipers froze up on me due to the humidity and moisture and sitting there not being used. That would be the first place I would look PQ.
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08-18-2014, 10:30 PM | #10 |
CamaroFans.com
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This one sure sounds strange... Wonder if it has something to do with ABS.
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08-18-2014, 10:33 PM | #11 |
Drives: Love the one you're with Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Downtown Charlie Brown
Posts: 11,850
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08-18-2014, 10:37 PM | #12 | |
Booooosted.
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Once I do the easy checks I'll get to the calipers. |
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08-18-2014, 10:38 PM | #13 | |
Booooosted.
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What sucks is start-up was perfect. No leaks, no hesitations, no nothing. |
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08-18-2014, 10:42 PM | #14 | |
CamaroFans.com
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Sucks about this brake deal. I'll go find some experts for you. |
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