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YIKES! No Power Assist Brakes


RedRacer

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Just got my car back from the shop (transmission pan leak repaired)... The mechanic said that the 'brakes seemed really hard.'  I was not sure what he meant until I drove home (luckily- less than a  mile).  I will not drive it again until the brakes are repaired!  Both the yellow and red brake lights are on.  There is absolutely no power assist.  I drove my other car back to the shop and asked whether they had to do anything with the brakes while they had it.  The mechanic said they did not.  He asked whether I had been driving the car with the brakes like that.  I had not- they worked fine when I took the car in.  It is a good, reputable shop, so I believe they did nothing to cause the problem.  He said they checked the lines to see if there was any damage - there was not.  Any ideas what might have happened- or what to tell the mechanic to look for when it goes back to the shop in January?

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My guess is either your accumulator is bad, or the pump is not turning on, which could mean the brake pump relay or pressure switch has gone bad. I would start here to find the culprit:

http://www.reattaowner.com/roj/repair-information/repair-tutorials-a-information/category/84-brakes-electrical

http://www.reattaowner.com/roj/component/content/article/64-suspension-a-brakes/brakes-mechanical/172-accumulator-testing-instructions

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Sounds like the brake pump isn't running for some reason. It could be a fuse, brake pump relay, pressure switch or a bad pump motor. Need to do a little troubleshooting to find the problem. The links rogold provided will help.

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Thanks for the responses- I will share this information with the repair shop when the car goes back in January!  I will let you know what it turns out to be.  If it is the accumulator - is it possible to get a replacement?

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The Accumulators usually run around $350 new maybe more. Sometimes you can find a used one from the pick yard but you might take a risk on those being good depending on how long it has been sitting out in the hot sun. There are many compatible car models that use those accumulators (search for the list on the forum). Good Luck!

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  • 2 months later...

Well- it took long enough, but I go the car back and there was no charge!  It was just a fuse.  Kind of scary though- fuse goes out  - no power brakes....

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The Accumulators usually run around $350 new maybe more. Sometimes you can find a used one from the pick yard but you might take a risk on those being good depending on how long it has been sitting out in the hot sun. There are many compatible car models that use those accumulators (search for the list on the forum). Good Luck!

 

I just received confirmation that the new accumulators are in.  $155 pluse $14 shipping.  e-mail is:spinningWheels-sc@Earthlink.net

Spinning Wheels comes highly recommended.  These are new units that will fit our Reattas.  Mine is on the way.

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