Here are 3 symptoms of a faulty power brake:
- You put more effort when you press the brake pedal (hardened pedal);
- The brake pedal does not return to its original position;
- Engine speed decreases when you take your foot off the brake pedal when idling
Before blaming the power brake, you must make sure that it is really not working properly. Let’s see how you can find out without going to the mechanic that the power brake no longer works:
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If the brake hoses are OK and you have no fluid leaks, it means that the power brake is faulty. A simple and common technique to find out if it is defective is to use the brake pedal.
Get behind the wheel, take the car free or put it in the Park if it is automatic, apply the parking brake, start the engine. Let the engine run for 2-3 minutes and then stop it.
Press the brake pedal 3-4 times and then keep your foot on the pedal.
Start the engine. Once the engine has started, you should feel the brake pedal begin to lower a few inches. Otherwise, you do not have enough pressure in the brake booster.
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With the engine running, take your foot off the brake pedal and stop the engine again.
Press the pedal 4 times, normally not very hard. If you notice that the pedal rises or hardens, it means that the power brake forms a vacuum. Otherwise, no vacuum is formed in the servo. In this case, test the power brake using a vacuum reader and a manual vacuum pump.
Start the engine and let it run.
Press the brake pedal and stop the engine, keep your foot on the brake pedal for another 30 seconds. The pedal should maintain its position, otherwise the power brake loses pressure somewhere.
If you feel the brake pedal hard while driving it means that the power brake is defective and must be changed as soon as possible.
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