Excessive Brake pedal pressure needed

As long as the ign sw was on then thats OK. But it sounds like the pump in the master cylinder assembly is not running, as hard pedal and no rear brakes is a sure sign...

Possibly have a bad relay on the firewall near the clutch m/c.

The motor would run when I turned the ignition to on and it would stay running for about 10 seconds and then cut out

Bump, still no brakes in the rear... any suggestions?

Take the brake lines loose starting with the connection closest to the caliper, then try to bleed again, repeat until you get fluid, then replace all the brake lines behind that point. Sounds like a clogged line. If it were me, I'd go ahead and replace all the lines anyway...save from future problems and hard lines/benders aren't that expensive at Autozoo. Cost me about 25 bucks to but a bending tool and 5 feet of 3/8 steel brake line when I made my coolant lines for my T3 install.

DISCLAIMER: Im not a brake guy and dont know if this will work or not. It is simply an idea. But thinking about it 'simply', thats all I could come up with....and it worked when I had a similar issue on my 68 Dodge Dart, but thats a different animal all together...drums all the way around and no ABS (LOL).

Originally posted by Jeff K:
Pump pedal 5-10 times with key off. Turn key to RUN with your head mear the MC. You should hear the booster pump run for around 30 sec and then shut off. WHile the pump is running, you should see the level in the reservoir drop around 1/4".

The accumulator can not be recharged. If it is bad, it must be replaced.

Warning lights: None work?? After pumping pedal several times, turn key to run. Both the red BRAKE light and yellow ABS light should stay on while the pump charges the accumulator. Lights should go off several seconds before the pump stops running. Even with accumulator fully charged, ABS light will come on for about 5 sec whenever key is turned to RUN as the ABS computer runs its prove out tests.

BTW, to check fluid level in reservoir correctly, it must be checked with the accumulator fully charged (after the pump has stopped running).

This is a long overdue, but i just tried what you outlined for me to do jeff... The accumlator charged up it all happened like you said it would, the ABS light did come on for 5 seconds only, and the brake light stayed on for a minute after i turned the engine on.

So where does this leave us? with it being a MS/ABS problem or brake hardware/lines? Also worth noting is my Parking Brake does not work at all.

Any more ideas/tests I could try.

I just read my hayes manual and it says that "If dashboard warning light comes on and stays while the vehicle is in operation, the ABS system requires attention. (I'm not entirely sure if that is relevant but yeah the brake light has been on while I've driven before). And it says for me to check fuses/electrical, and the brake/abs computer controller in the cargo bay.

The ABS part of the system and the hyd. boosted power brake part of the system are 100% independant of each other.

If the pump runs and shuts off, the problem is either internal to the MC or, as thunderchckn suggests. Not that unusual for the flex hoses to get plugged up and not allow brake fluid thru.... seen this happen before.

Is there any real way to define whether the problem is located in the MC? Basically just follow the Haynes instructions and pull it off or what not.

Time to start over and go thru the system step by step. You have confirmed that the booster works following Jeff K's instructions. What light comes on, the red or the amber. The amber light being on is of no consequense to your problem. The red light being on could mean low brake fluid or your parking brake is on or there is no pressure in the system. The switch on the parking brake can be loose on its mounting causing the light to come on from time to time. You said you were unable to bleed the rear brakes so you have to find out why. Check the rear brakes to see if they work at all. The rear calipers tend to get stuck. See if the parking brake caliper levers are retracted and not stuck partially on. Check the front calipers to see if they are free to move and working. Check the rotors and pads on each wheel. Inspect the front hoses for rubber cracking. Inspect the brake lines for leaks. Inspect the body to differential distribution block hose. Bleed the brakes properly following instructions, do a search, found on this site or page 235 of the Haynes manual. The very last thing you want to do is take out the MC (hydraulic actuator) because it is not rebuildable by you, and a replacement costs US$1700.

Alright thanks for the info, i'll do er in the morning... For the price it would take to rebuild the MC, it would pretty much just be worth more than the car.