1997 Eclipse Brake Problems

 To get to the point, my car needed all new rotors and pads, and 2 calipers. Well, that's what I thought until I replaced everything and still didn't end up with a fully functioning brake system. Now the problem is that the pedal goes down quite a bit before the brakes engage and they don't seem to slow the car down quickly. But if I push as hard as i can the wheels lock. To add more to this, when I pump the brake pedal a few times the pressure seems to build up and the breaks work fine. When I come to a stop the pressure releases and I'm left with faulty brakes again.


My guess is that the master cylinder is broken but I thought if that were the case then I wouldn’t have any brakes at all. I installed all the parts and bled out all the break lines properly and all the parts I installed seem to function fine once I pump the pedal. Also, the abs light is on in the car as it was when I bought it, but I wasn’t sure why because I tested the brakes and I could tell the abs was working.

The brake hoses, at the wheels, may have deteriorated and aren’t allowing fluid to the brakes; and then, aren’t letting the brakes release. The cure is to replace the brake hoses.

“when I pump the brake pedal a few times the pressure seems to build up”

Classic symptom of a bad master cylinder.

From now on replace your brake fluid every 3 years to reduce this kind of problem.