Brakes Pedal Gone Soft

[jibbbbbb]

hi all , i have not drove the rav in a few day but the wife has , when i drove it today i noticed the brake pedal felt soft . i pumped it a couple of time and it went hard and the pedal came up ( lol sounds a bit rude lol ) . but after driving it for a few secs it goes soft again and the pedal goes down , not right to the floor but at least half way. could it be a servo problem , or low brake fluid . i have not had chance to check fluid yet . any info would be a help...............

[jibbbbbb]

update on brake problem , just been and checked fluid and theres none in there . had a full service 6 months ago ,and i no it was full then . is my best bet just to fill it up and keep my eye on it . and can someone tell me what brake fluid to use ........

[daveh_rav4]

Hi...

My advice would be not to mess with brakes if you don't know what your doing! If fluid has disappeared from the brake reservoir over a short time scale... it needs to be investigated. It is normal for the fluid to approach the 'low' mark as the brake pads wear down and the caliper pistons extend to compensate. Unless you have been very heavy on the brakes it should be longer than six months! I would advise you to have a visual brake test carried out with particular attention to fluid leaks from any brake component and of course brake pad wear. A bad set of discs can also rip up pads prematurely. At best the brakes will need to be bled and any air expelled from the hydrolic system.

If you mess with the brakes on a car... and get it wrong, you can die! Or worst still... I might if I happen to find myself in front of your vehicle!

update on brake problem , just been and checked fluid and theres none in there . had a full service 6 months ago ,and i no it was full then . is my best bet just to fill it up and keep my eye on it . and can someone tell me what brake fluid to use ........

[jibbbbbb]

thanks for the reply , the old man who was in the trade for 40 years said , it more then likely a rear brake cylinder , so im off to mr quick fit in the morning , well its a free brake check there . any one no how much a rear brake cylinder fitted should cost , so ive got some ideia

[bothwell_buyer]

on your age of car, I think its a bit young to need a new brake cylinder - even if it does. Has the brake fluid ever been changed on the car as it doesn't last for ever?

[Bodgit-fixit-run]

Just look on the inside of the wheels to see if they are oily wet. if it's a cylinder then the wet will come from the rear of the wheel and settle either on the floor by the wheel or run and settle at the bottom of the rim. It does sound like a seal is worn out. Personally I wouldn't drive it again until you have checked it quite simply. It may not stop. I once had a cylinder suddenly fail two days after an MOT. No sign of any problems beforehand but I nearly :censor: myself when i was approaching a roundabout and couldn't stop. Thank goodness for a good handbrake.

[bothwell_buyer]

so thats what 5 doors are for??!! Opening the rear ones to throw the anchors out!!!

[Bodgit-fixit-run]

so thats what 5 doors are for??!! Opening the rear ones to throw the anchors out!!!

No they are to let the :censor: out after a near miss.