My 97 Outback brakes suck big time. Rotors and pads all look good, but I lack braking power. I bled the brakes awhile back and it helped for awhile, but I left the car sit 2 weeks in Morgantown WV, and went skiing with a bud to Vermont. When I picked the car up on Sunday the pedal feels hard and you really have to push to get it to stop. I believe the problem is the power booster, and the only ones I see at a decent price is Cardone rebuilt ones on Ebay. Are there others options out there for power boosters? could there be another problem to the brakes to consider? Thanks Brad

before you go spending money on a power booster...sometimes the line to the power booster from the intake manifold gets condensation in it and freezes...Im not to sure what part of west virginia your in but was it cold when you left the car? Is the pedal hard the first time you push on it after the car has been sitting for a while? Do this check....Get in the car, put your foot on the brake, start the car, does the brake pedal sink to the floor when you start the vehicle?

before you go spending money on a power booster...sometimes the line to the power booster from the intake manifold gets condensation in it and freezes...Im not to sure what part of west virginia your in but was it cold when you left the car? Is the pedal hard the first time you push on it after the car has been sitting for a while? Do this check....Get in the car, put your foot on the brake, start the car, does the brake pedal sink to the floor when you start the vehicle?

 

Freezing during the day is not a problem this time of year, but I had thought maybe the hose to the booster might be clogged. If I get in the car and press the brake pedal it goes down about 3/4 of the way. I can pump the pedal a couple of times and it will go down about 1/4 of travel. Once I pump up the pedal and turn on the engine, the pedal goes back down 3/4's travel. The best way to describe the lack of braking is, after I turn on a cold engine and its still on high idle, putting the car in R or D, I can barely muster enough brake to hold the car from moving.

Booster test

 

pump brakes ten times with car off.

press brake pedal with car off

start car while holding brake pedal down

If the brake pedal does not move towards floor the booster is bad.

 

 

 

 

Also check the brake booster check valve at the intake manifold. Since they are downhill from the booster, they tend to collcet moisture, but i think your booster is bad.

 

 

nipper

I had a very similar problem and once I changed out the front calipers it was toatally gone. Check the slides for sticking and replace any bad hardware on the front. I'm willing to bet that your booster is fine. If the booster has gone bad the car will run poorly due to a vacuum leak. The diaphragm cracks and that is why you lose power. This creates a vacuum leak and it is very noticable.

 

Just my two cents\

Good Luck

I had a very similar problem and once I changed out the front calipers it was toatally gone. Check the slides for sticking and replace any bad hardware on the front. I'm willing to bet that your booster is fine. If the booster has gone bad the car will run poorly due to a vacuum leak. The diaphragm cracks and that is why you lose power. This creates a vacuum leak and it is very noticable.

 

Just my two cents\

Good Luck

 

I cleaned and greased the caliper slides about 6 months ago. The car just feels like it has no power assist at all.

I cleaned and greased the caliper slides about 6 months ago. The car just feels like it has no power assist at all.

 

 

I did the same thing. The pistons were binding and I had to replace the calipers. Once I did that the problem was solved. The pistons weren't totally stuck, just very tight and therefore no very efficient in providing stopping power.

Strange, I got in the car this morning, pumped the pedal about ten times, fired up the engine and drove off, everything seems to be back to normal. No more hard pedal feel...........

replace the check valve.

 

 

It is cheap enough.

 

 

nipper

Whenever my car sits for awhile the brakes suck at first, but then come back into it. It's like they glaze over a tad with lack of use. Not what you have I guess but is a common subie thing from my experience.

Whenever my car sits for awhile the brakes suck at first, but then come back into it. It's like they glaze over a tad with lack of use. Not what you have I guess but is a common subie thing from my experience.

 

 

Its a common thing with disc brakes and ceramic or metalic pads.

 

 

nipper

replace the check valve.

 

 

It is cheap enough.

 

 

nipper

 

I took the vacuum hose off with the check valve and sprayed carb cleaner in it from both ends. I let it dry good and put it back on, WOW!! what a difference in brake pedal feel! Definitely found the problem. Thanks for the advice, it saved me time and money!.......