ok,today in Maine it was POURING out..i mean,visibility was 100-200 meters max...

so im driving home from my gf'* house.and i press on the brakes to slow down in a 25mph zone from a 50mph zone...and i press,and a sec later,the brakes seemed to stop working,so i press ALL THE WAY down and the tires lock up and almost got hit by a oncoming car.the next minute the brake light comes on,and i have to press to the bottom jsut to get the brakes to work a little,its still pouring out,and im hoping its a busted line,i didnt check the brake fluid level.

wow dude that IS scary. Hopefully it was a line.. usually the ABS would kick in when the brake petal is fully pressed. You should check the fluid level, if its low, its probably the line.. and while your at it flush, and bleed the brakes with some DOT 3 [i think that'* the right kind] you shouldn't need more than one bottle, Valvoline is the best brand i've seen at my LPS.


-justin

just checked the brake fluid..it was gone..lol..

and when i opened the hood,there was some smoke around the front drivers side tire,and along the transmission....

Yes! It sounds like the front left brake hose burst. You are very lucky. I hope you replace both brake hoses after the rain stops.

y should i replace both hoses?

It stands to reason that the right brake hose is in the same shape the left hose is/was in. That is, old, dried up and ready to blow. So, as you found out, you were extremely lucky. Why push your luck? For an extra 30 bucks(and a few turns of the wrench) replace the right brake hose, bleed the entire system with fresh brake fluid and your good to go and stop!!!

Also one thing to remember if you have the same kind of brake system as my 90 SSE then after you shut the car off and go to check the fluid, you have to pump the pedal 25 times to get the fluid to come back and read properly. It is written on the fluid resevoir, you may not be able to see it.


Also if you have blown a flex hose change BOTH as recomended. ALways do them in pairs since if one is gone the other is not far behind.

im going to autozone tomm and geting a replacement,tonite..i just crimped the wire to that tire,and i got brakes on 3 tires till tomm,shoudl be safe enough?

i filled her with some power steering fluid,didnt have any brake fuild around..lol

good nuff?..eh

ok, here'* what you do, go to a backroad, and push her to 80, and SLAM on the brakes.. if you don't stop, they don't work. lol. Well if the petal fells like crap, then your brakes will perform like crap. I'd take out the 88 to go pick up the stuff you need. then fix your 89.


-justin

that IS scary, and maybe should be something thats included as a part of maintence for older car owners, BEFORE it becomes a problem. I know I will be looking at my brake hoses now