anyone here do brakes?

[JIMINATOR]

I just had the front brakes replaced on an intrepid. the thing has like no stopping power and that has resulted in a couple of near accidents. I really noticed the difference when driving my wife's car. In driving, i can't lock the wheels at all. I can't even get close. i have been able to do that to other cars (with cheap brakes). It has antilock brakes but that should be working by pumping the cylinder when it detects skids. I am wondering if the mechanism may be stuck, thus reducing brake force. anyone know anything about these? thanks

[ME BIGGD01]

if i remember correctly, the intrepid (my bro has one) had a recall on his anti lock breaks box/unit. ther eis a website that he uses to get the info but it is late to call him to find out. i hope to see him easter day and will post back if i get the information.

as far as mechanics, i use to know what i was doing but never enjoyed working on cars (owned too many junkers and got tired of it). you may want to consider taking it to a dealer and just let the mechanics do what they do best. my mechanic is great and i actually trust him because he has always been reasonable. brakes are probably the first thing that should be working on a car:eek: .

[leon]

Last week, my wife's car had a similar problem,too.
My wife's car is ABS, too.
Then, as for the problem, the deterioration of gasket inside the brake cylinder was a cause.
It has been repaired in the dealer at present.

[JIMINATOR]

yeah, the 2000 non-abs unit has a recall, thanks also leon! guess i am going to have to bite the bullet on this one....

[ME BIGGD01]

i just remembered a trick he told me about.

turn your ignition on and off without starting the car (dash lights should go on and off but no engine start) and on the 4th turn on hit the break to see if you get a message from the computer. it should geive a code on the mileage odometer (if digital). if you get a code, google it and see what you find. i know this osunds like bs but it actually works on the jeep cherokee i have. it should work with all dodge chrysler cars.

[solid snake295]

if there was somthing wrong with your ABS, the ABS light would be on.
is the pedal really squishy? you might have air in your brake lines or your brake fluid might be contaminated with water. if the pedal is hard as a rock and your not getting any stopping power, your brake booster might have gone for a s**t.
stupid question: did you get new rotors to or just pads? if your rotors are not new, they might be glazed over and could use a resurfacing (or new rotors)

if you have any other questions, im a mechanic, im pretty sure Nightbreed is to :thumbs:

[PJ'l_Master]

sounds like someone didnt get his breaks bled...

[Fragetti]

First off cars with anti-lock brakes you want to keep a steady pressure for the anti - lock to work properly. I would make sure your rear brakes are adjusted properly. More so if there drum brakes. When breaking the weight of the car is shifted to the front putting less weight on the rear tires giving less breaking action. I would start there. if there was a recall you might want to check it out but it may not be your problem.
Frag

[PJ'l_Master]

just bring your car back and b!tch...that should work fine

[NightBreed]

If you had ABS problems it would set a code that could be retrieved by the dealer..

Where did you have the brakes done, was it a national chain ? There's a lot of shops that charge top-dollar for their work and use $10 pads.. :down:

[JIMINATOR]

i think the guy that did my brakes was incompetent. they did resurface the rotors and use quality brake pads. oh wait, that was me that did that... :banghead: so it sounds like time to change the brake fluid....

[ME BIGGD01]

i think the guy that did my brakes was incompetent. they did resurface the rotors and use quality brake pads. oh wait, that was me that did that... :banghead: so it sounds like time to change the brake fluid....
that's pretty funny:)

i find just dropping off the car/truck at a trusted mechanic is much cheaper then doing it yourself. when you calculate the time you have to spend picking up the parts and then installing them yourself, it seems cheaper to let the mechanic do it. i guess i kind of look at my hourly charge against theirs. mostly, it sucks yelling at yourself if there is a problem;) .

[JIMINATOR]

eh, its an easy job, the weekends are free, and if i am not busy doing something the wife will find something for me to do....