2004 Mercury Sable brakes dont fail but are very weak

NEED4SPEED08

MEMBER
2004 MERCURY SABLE
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
48,000 MILES

I know you guys would like donations and such, and im willing to help out if you help me out. My 04 mercury sable's brakes are very weak at best.I am an automotive enthusiast, but most of my experience is with trucks and tuners. The brake pedal doesnt go to the floor, but it gets close. I have to keep the brake securely down even when sitting at a light in drive, otherwise it will inch foward, and this worries me, especially since it is my wifes daily driver. Now, my truck is heavier, and 2 years older, and it stops better than my sable. Ive been told to bleed the brakes and master cylinder etc. I filled the resevoir with dot-3 fluid, but no significant difference. How do I check the master cylinder fluid level, or is it the same thing aka the resevoir container? Im going to bleed the brakes next weekend, and would also like to know if theres anything specific I should look out for.

Sunday, March 30th, 2008 AT 12:18 AM

2 Replies

MERLIN2021

MECHANIC
17,250 POSTS

Drum or disc in the rear? If it has drum brakes in the rear, push the parking brake down, does the pedal improve? If yes the rears need replacing or adjusting, if the pedal sinks, there is a leak, and could be wheel cylinders. Check all hydraulics at the wheels, pull the rubber dust boots back, any fluid leak out?

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Sunday, March 30th, 2008 AT 7:35 AM

BRAVESTAR1

MECHANIC
234 POSTS

I concur.

On the Rear Drum Brake system it's possible that you have a bad wheel cylinder. If you notice the fluid going down over time, with the pressing of the pedal this is most likely the cause.

Also check the front Disc Calipers and see (with someone pressing on the brakes while the tire is off) (and don't get underneath please) See if one of the bleeder screws is loose, leaking, or busted.

Lastly I'm not going to advise on Rear Disc Brakes, since I don't deal with them much, but check the lines, you may have a leak somewhere along the lines, and can't see it, unless your under the car.
The best way to check this is to drive over a bunch of newspaper or flat pieces of cardboard, and see if you see a puddle forming (uhh don't have the A/C on prior to doing this, as water drips down from it).

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Saturday, April 19th, 2008 AT 4:00 PM