well lost most of my brakes this moeninf... -12F, left home towards daycare, got 1 milw down the road and brake light comes on, push pedal and it goes almost to the floor, still stops ok, but has no pedal, limped home, abs works fine, no visible leaks, full master, any ideas?

 

Worn out master cyl seals. Stiffer when cold

 

thats not what i wanted to hear.... that means four new calipers too......(i doubt i can get the bleeders open without breaking them off)

 

wouldnt it have done it last week when it was even colder tho?

 

Sounds like Master cylinder. You can do this without bleeding...if you are lucky.

When you take off the Brake lines from the MAster, that is the High point so they wont get air in them.
Replace the Master and fill it with Brake fluid. Bleed the Master by buying a Master Bleed kit ( they sell real cheapies) . Basically two Rubber lines that screw into the Brake line area and sit in the Reservoir. Pump the Master cylinder until no more air bubbles. Take off the Bleeder and screw in the Brake lines. The tiniest bit of air between the Brake line and master will rise up and out the Master

 

If the [red] brake warning light on the dash came on, the steel line that goes to the rear brakes may have rusted through. 11 years old, that's about how long they last in states that use salt on the roads.

 

which calipers does the front of the mc feed?

n/m it's for the back... looks like I lost a line somewhere, i'll be diving under it tomorrow and see. front of the reservoir was empty when I got home tonight....

 

You're correct, the front portion of the master is for the rear brakes.... probably a rusted out line. Don't bother removing the old line, you can run a new line right alongside of it. The Tee mounted to the body, just above the rear axle, is a good place to start. If it's a 4 door, I believe there's a union just about mid-ship inside the left frame rail. If it's a 2 door you'll probably have to go all the way up to the ABS unit.

When it comes time to bleed, DON'T pump the pedal.* Gravity bleed each rear caliper separately until the fluid runs clear, (no bubbles). Keep the master full at all times while bleeding. Then make sure both bleeders are closed. A quick jab on the brake pedal should center the proportioning valve and turn the brake light off. If the pedal is still mushy, then you can bleed by pumping the pedal.

*If you initially try to bleed by pumping the pedal, the ABS unit will likely injest air. If/when that happens, you'll need a scan tool capable of initiating the "automated bleed". The el cheapo, ($400) scan tools that the auto parts stores have WILL NOT access the automated bleed so you'll need to visit a repair shop that has a capable scan tool.

 

my problem is gonna be getting the bleeder screws to come out....

 

No two ways about it, they gotta break loose. You can try soaking them with PB Blaster or carefully applying heat to the bleeder valve. If you get them to break loose, take them all the way out and clean the passages in the bleeder valve. If you can't get 'em out, you'll need to replace the calipers.