Update on failing brakes!!!
 

A few weeks back, I made a thread outlining what had happened when I tried to do a quick U-Turn and how my brakes had literally failed!! (MY01 WRX)

Well....

Today, whilst driving around, I was in the process of making an abrupt U-Turn in a side street off West Coast Highway, just off Sorrento Beach parking station in a side street/cul-de-sac, and I was braking whilst turning into the cul-de-sac, going around 50km/h on the brakes and turning at the same time, and all of a sudden, they just simply "cut out" at the worst possible time, the car then mounted the persons property half on the driveway, half on the grass, heading towards a brick wall!! :O I managed to steer away from this fortunately. I literally had my foot flat on the clutch and on the brake to no avail, and with not enough time to rip the e-brake.

Scary stuff tho, just the insecurity knowing that if a car crashes in front of me for example, if i turn hard and jump on the breaks, they don't work?? :/

I am SURE this is nothing to do with the ABS...why would it completely cut off all braking power to all wheels????

I was braking while turning, and i did some "testing" after this had happened, and discovered, that even at 20-30km/h, when i turn to roughly half lock, the brake pedal, just doesn't even engage, all i feel is like it just scrapes along something and is pushed back towards my foot making strange noises. (people will say this is ABS, but how?? and why?)

Kinda worried over all this, it's due in for a service this week (112,000kms) so I will talk to subaru about it..??


Comments, ideas, thoughts, greatly appreciated??

2 major things: I was not driving like a complete dick, and the handbrake was not involved at all, before i get people abusing me for driving like a dick....

Cheers

Brett :)

You knowingly have no brakes and have been driving around?

Pretty normal

take it to someone who knows subis and brakes asap and on the back of a tow truck would not want to get rear ended by you when you brakes fail

Random thought is there avac booster 4 power steering and brakes........

Did you get an ABS fault light on the dash?

Two possible different scenarios.

1/ (likely) you experienced ABS moderating the braking force. The ABS will prevent you from locking the wheels. If you have turned sharp enough while braking it's possible that the wheels may have started to lock. The ABS will send a vibration through the pedal as it limits brake fluid pressure.

2/ (unlikely) your wheel bearings are rooted and when you turn sharpy the movement in the bearing allows the disc to push the pads and fluid back into the caliper and reservior. When you next step on the brake pedal it goes lower to the floor.

When you say it 'cut off braking' did you have a high & hard pedal or a pedal that went to the floor?

Edit; why are you making all these 'abrupt U turns'? I've made maybe 3 in my whole life (on public roads) Are you delivering pizzas? a hopeless navigator? or evading police? all of the above? lol.

all jokes aside, I haven't been knowingly driving around without brakes, just when i turn corners and apply the brakes with a reasonable amount of force then they don't work :/ testing them driving forward, they work perfectly well...any ideas?? cheers :)

[QUOTE=dtrally;547435]Did you get an ABS fault light on the dash?

Two possible different scenarios.

1/ (likely) you experienced ABS moderating the braking force. The ABS will prevent you from locking the wheels. If you have turned sharp enough while braking it's possible that the wheels may have started to lock. The ABS will send a vibration through the pedal as it limits brake fluid pressure.

2/ (unlikely) your wheel bearings are rooted and when you turn sharpy the movement in the bearing allows the disc to push the pads and fluid back into the caliper and reservior. When you next step on the brake pedal it goes lower to the floor.

When you say it 'cut off braking' did you have a high & hard pedal or a pedal that went to the floor?[/QUOTE]


I had a hight and hard pedal, i have experienced the ABS "moderating" the brakeforce in a straight line before, when i was cut off :/ and I don't think its that and most likely the wheel bearings are on the way out....the steering also shudders left to right very quickly when i brake hard in a straight line...??? SHIT!!


and the abrupt U-turn was because i had left my wallet at home :/ not evading the police as of yet :P

and no ABS fault light :/.....BIG problem!

brake lines being pinched when turning thus preventing the calipers to be initiated?

have you checked the brake lines to see if they have popped out from where they rest and squeezed when the wheels locked
left and right turn corners?

[QUOTE=pmh;547440]brake lines being pinched when turning thus preventing the calipers to be initiated?

have you checked the brake lines to see if they have popped out from where they rest and squeezed when the wheels locked
left and right turn corners?[/QUOTE]

Good idea, I haven't checked the brake lines...would be a good place to start, and newbie question..how? just jack it up and see if they pinch when the wheels are turned? :) cheers