Peugeot 206 - new master cylinder?

TouchingVirus

Hey all,

Over the last while I've noticed worsening braking performance on my 206 (quit your judging, I intend on upgrading soon ). It just about passed the NCT with the mechanic saying the brakes were slightly spongy and needed to be bled but the mechanic said he bled the brakes and I've no reason to doubt them.

In late January the handbrake light came on even when the handbrake was off, I assume this is to do with brake fluid levels. Sooner after I went away for about 3 weeks and am just back.

I find that I've very little power in the brakes, with full travel to the floor before a slight pinch of the pads on the disc. I have got a handbrake but it's suffered with the bad weather and from being on for 3 weeks straight so it's poor.

I drove at 10mph to the shop and bought some brake fluid, poured it in (it was very very low) and sat into the car - the warning light went off. When I pumped the pedal I heard a hissing/suction noise over in the passenger footwell. The master cylinder and servo are over there, mounted to the bulkhead. When I went in for a closer inspection I found that the carpet is wet with some oily-type substance. I can't say if it's just water and a dirty carpet or if it's actually brake fluid that leaked out into the footwell - there looks to be quite a bit of it and I've no idea how much a closed system takes.

Anywho, dropped it to a mechanic this morning after rush hour passed - has anybody any ideas on how much this should cost to get repaired? I'm fairly skint and don't want to be taken for a ride by the repair place - I've never used them before but they were the closest to me (Atlas Drumcondra) - any advice appreciated.

Nissan doctor

The first place I'd be looking on a 206 with poor brakes is the rear brake cylinders.

TouchingVirus

Cheers Nissan Doctor, I ran a search on Atlas Drumcondra after my post and it appears you work there - Sure you can have a look at my car yourself, I landed in there with it this morning :P

At the minute it's no longer poor brakes, more no brakes. Definitely leaning more towards the master cylinder, I reckon the servo is fine because the pedal becomes much easier to push when I have the engine on and is harder to push when I don't - that's the servo's job, right?

Henry Ford III

Servo only works with the engine running.

You're losing hydraulic fluid somewhere and air is getting into the system. Could be master cylinder, but it could also be the flexible hoses, rear wheel hydraulic cylinders or the solid brake lines.

Nissan doctor

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Cheers Nissan Doctor, I ran a search on Atlas Drumcondra after my post and it appears you work there - Sure you can have a look at my car yourself, I landed in there with it this morning :P

At the minute it's no longer poor brakes, more no brakes. Definitely leaning more towards the master cylinder, I reckon the servo is fine because the pedal becomes much easier to push when I have the ignition on and is harder to push when I don't - that's the servo's job, right?

Thats a coinsidence, I'm off today though but if the lads haven't got to it today(I'm sure they will have) then I'll be on it in the morning.

TouchingVirus

Well, it turns out my motor is in bad shape - how it passed an NCT on November 2nd is beyond me.

It needs new rear shows & cylinders, front pads & discs, 1 rear wheel bearing and the front calipers need to be freed or replaced...holy f*ck...

Costed me at €640 without replacing calipers on the front - is that all right or?

Nissan doctor

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Well, it turns out my motor is in bad shape - how it passed an NCT on November 2nd is beyond me.

It needs new rear shows & cylinders, front pads & discs, 1 rear wheel bearing and the front calipers need to be freed or replaced...holy f*ck...

Costed me at €640 without replacing calipers on the front - is that all right or?

I just checked with the lads in work.

The problems are:

The rear cylinders have burst(reason for your complete failure) and covered the rear shoes in brake fluid, contaminating them.

The rear wheel bearing has play in it and is dry of grease.

The front caliper seals are torn which has lead to the pistons sticking in the caliper. We can free these up for now but it would only be a temporary measure at best.

The front pads are worn and the disks are below the manufacturer minimum, they are also badly corroded from lack of pressure being applied due to the seized calipers.

Unfortunately there isn't really anything you can get away with with regards to having the car safe but we will help you out the best we can on the cost of the job.

TouchingVirus

Nissan doctor wrote: »

I just checked with the lads in work.

The problems are:

The rear cylinders have burst(reason for your complete failure) and covered the rear shoes in brake fluid, contaminating them.

The rear wheel bearing has play in it and is dry of grease.

The front caliper seals are torn which has lead to the pistons sticking in the caliper. We can free these up for now but it would only be a temporary measure at best.

The front pads are worn and the disks are below the manufacturer minimum, they are also badly corroded from lack of pressure being applied due to the seized calipers.

Unfortunately there isn't really anything you can get away with with regards to having the car safe but we will help you out the best we can on the cost of the job.

Thanks a million for the update, I'm still shocked that all of this could happen in the space of 3 months including a period of 3 weeks where I was away and the car was parked up. I only replaced the front discs less than two years ago

Obviously the work needs to be done, and I need a car but I'm flat broke after the 3 week trip. I'll be taking it back off you folks tomorrow and parking it up on the drive until I get the cash in about a month. Luckily I'm only around the corner and can take the train to work instead for the time being.

Seriously though, cheers for checking this out for me, much appreciated

Seth Brundle

lads - there is a PM facility on here

Seth Brundle

thread reopened because I'm in a good mood.
Keep the private correspondance between yourself though.

TouchingVirus

Thanks kbannon, much appreciated.

The car is a '00 and to be honest if I tie in the cost of replacing the calipers with the quote I got from a garage at home for all the work that's necessary I'll be looking at a cool €1000. Between that and the NCT in November that cost me close on €600 I've nearly paid the value of the car in repairs in the last six months.

I understand that with the seals gone dirt and stuff will get in at the pistons again and cause them to stick. Does anybody know roughly how much it'd cost to rebuild the brake calipers instead of replacing them? Or even if it's worth taking a trip to a breakers yard and picking up a second hand set of calipers? If rebuilding is an option could I DIY it, or does anybody have any recommendations on where I could go for such a service?

Cheers

Nissan doctor

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Thanks kbannon, much appreciated.

The car is a '00 and to be honest if I tie in the cost of replacing the calipers with the quote I got from a garage at home for all the work that's necessary I'll be looking at a cool €1000. Between that and the NCT in November that cost me close on €600 I've nearly paid the value of the car in repairs in the last six months.

I understand that with the seals gone dirt and stuff will get in at the pistons again and cause them to stick. Does anybody know roughly how much it'd cost to rebuild the brake calipers instead of replacing them? Or even if it's worth taking a trip to a breakers yard and picking up a second hand set of calipers? If rebuilding is an option could I DIY it, or does anybody have any recommendations on where I could go for such a service?

Cheers

IMO a pair of good second hand calipers would be your best bet. Caliper rebuilding isn't that hard but isn't generally done in Ireland so the seal/rebuild kits can be hard to get.