|
08-27-2019, 07:53 PM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Conch Republic
Posts: 2,532
|
Geo Tracker with the brakes jammed on, pedal hard
Our 1996 Geo Tracker has a problem. After a period of driving the car begins to feel like the brakes are on. The pedal is solid at the top of the range and can't be pushed down. The car has to be forced to move. After some time, about ten minutes function returns for a while. Has anyone encountered this? I checked the wheel temps and found one front about 30f hotter than the other so I freed up the stiff caliper but the same thing still happened.
Possible contributors
Towed a thousand miles + with a brake buddy doing the stopping. I understand that these can exert a lot of force.
We had to add a lot of fluid once but it stopped leaking. I could find no drips. Might be master cylinder or unrelated.
__________________
33' 2008 National Tropical on a Freightliner chassis.We tow a 2001 XJ (Cherokee) RVM#189
|
|
|
|
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
08-27-2019, 08:03 PM
|
#2
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 22
|
possible brake booster valve. it may be leaking vacuum to the booster and that slowly applies the brakes. does it do it only after a period of driving without applying the brakes? also probable your lost brake fluid went into the booster which damages and swells the diaphram.
|
|
|
08-27-2019, 08:12 PM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Grand Design Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 494
|
Possibly the rubber cups on the master cylinder pistons are swollen/distorted. This will block the return to the reservoir , which will result in having residual pressure in the system. Look at the seal on the bottom of the cap and see if it looks to have been contaminated.
Charlie
__________________
2019 310GK-R
2017 RAM DRW - sold
2020 RAM Longhorn DRW
|
|
|
08-28-2019, 05:17 AM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Conch Republic
Posts: 2,532
|
Thanks. I'll check and get back. I can probably take the hose off the booster and see if it happens but I need a booster and MC anyway sounds like
__________________
33' 2008 National Tropical on a Freightliner chassis.We tow a 2001 XJ (Cherokee) RVM#189
|
|
|
08-28-2019, 04:02 PM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 2,984
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kahoona
Our 1996 Geo Tracker has a problem. After a period of driving the car begins to feel like the brakes are on. The pedal is solid at the top of the range and can't be pushed down. The car has to be forced to move. After some time, about ten minutes function returns for a while. Has anyone encountered this? I checked the wheel temps and found one front about 30f hotter than the other so I freed up the stiff caliper but the same thing still happened.
Possible contributors
Towed a thousand miles + with a brake buddy doing the stopping. I understand that these can exert a lot of force.
We had to add a lot of fluid once but it stopped leaking. I could find no drips. Might be master cylinder or unrelated.
|
If you have a stiff caliper it needs replacing, not "freeing up". Ideally they'd be replaced as a pair per axle.
Sticking calipers can get REAL hot. Hot fluid can gas and exert pressure back to the master and pedal. This is worse with old (3+ year) fluid that has absorbed moisture.
__________________
2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD gas 6.0 dually
1994 K1500 Suburban shop mule and plow truck
2006 Lakota 29RKT 5th wheel
|
|
|
08-29-2019, 08:02 AM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Conch Republic
Posts: 2,532
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by kdauto
If you have a stiff caliper it needs replacing, not "freeing up". Ideally they'd be replaced as a pair per axle.
Sticking calipers can get REAL hot. Hot fluid can gas and exert pressure back to the master and pedal. This is worse with old (3+ year) fluid that has absorbed moisture.
|
PS Freeing up was only a temp fix to see if it was the problem.
That could be part of it. I have a new one ordered arriving today along with a master cylinder,and rear shoes. It is only sticking a small amount and produced a disc temp of 135f when it happened but I will replace. I did have too much fluid in the res but reducing did not help. Can't get a booster for a while.
It is an interesting problem.
__________________
33' 2008 National Tropical on a Freightliner chassis.We tow a 2001 XJ (Cherokee) RVM#189
|
|
|
08-29-2019, 08:26 AM
|
#7
|
Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 49
|
I'd also suggest replacing the hoses that go to each of your front calipers.
Your vehicle is a 1996 and over time the hoses will swell on the inside giving the indication that the brakes are not letting off.
There is engough hydraulic pressure to force fluid through the hose, but not enough opening to allow it to freely flow back to the master cylinder when letting off the brake pedal.
|
|
|
08-29-2019, 12:44 PM
|
#8
|
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 784
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by atroph
I'd also suggest replacing the hoses that go to each of your front calipers.
Your vehicle is a 1996 and over time the hoses will swell on the inside giving the indication that the brakes are not letting off.
There is engough hydraulic pressure to force fluid through the hose, but not enough opening to allow it to freely flow back to the master cylinder when letting off the brake pedal.
|
yep I had that happen change your …. front brake lines
|
|
|
08-29-2019, 12:52 PM
|
#9
|
Registered User
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 7,114
|
I can't speak about the Geo Tracker specifically, but what you described is a classic symptom of bad brake hoses.
The inner rubber liner the hose starts to separate. This acts like a one way valve, when you press on the brake pedal, fluid flows through the hose to the caliper, but when you let up off the brake, the one way valve prevents the fluid from flowing from the caliper back to the master cylinder.
My recommendation: replace the brake hoses and then do a full flush/bleed to get all the old fluid out of the system.
|
|
|
08-30-2019, 03:07 PM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Conch Republic
Posts: 2,532
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by atroph
I'd also suggest replacing the hoses that go to each of your front calipers.
Your vehicle is a 1996 and over time the hoses will swell on the inside giving the indication that the brakes are not letting off.
There is engough hydraulic pressure to force fluid through the hose, but not enough opening to allow it to freely flow back to the master cylinder when letting off the brake pedal.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Waiter21
I can't speak about the Geo Tracker specifically, but what you described is a classic symptom of bad brake hoses.
The inner rubber liner the hose starts to separate. This acts like a one way valve, when you press on the brake pedal, fluid flows through the hose to the caliper, but when you let up off the brake, the one way valve prevents the fluid from flowing from the caliper back to the master cylinder.
My recommendation: replace the brake hoses and then do a full flush/bleed to get all the old fluid out of the system.
|
Yes. I was warned that this could be the problem. The hoses were OK. The brakes are fine now. They returned to normal when I bled the system. The MC had deteriorated in the only 2 years since it was installed (by previous owner) and leaked, then stopped leaking. When I bled the system it returned to normal. This morning I had the MC replaced along with the passenger side caliper just to be sure. I will do the other side when I get home along with the rear break pads, drums, booster and hoses. She is now ready to chase surf on the otherwise inaccessible parts of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.
An odd fact for you all. Only three wheels have bleeder valves on the Tracker.The passenger rear side has none and the fluid passes through it and goes to the drivers side which has the bleeder. Never seen that. Thanks for all of the help.
__________________
33' 2008 National Tropical on a Freightliner chassis.We tow a 2001 XJ (Cherokee) RVM#189
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|