ABS weird on ice

[danielj]

Anyone else have any weird experiences with ABS on the recent ice? My ABS always seems a bit weird but on the ice in recent days it was very strange. Even at about 5 mph the break pedal was very stiff and grating. If I kept the pedal pressed hard it would sort of collapse to the floor after a few seconds and all the wheels would slide together. No ABS light came on at any point but the brake light came on from time to time when I pumped the brake pedal when it was stiff. This may be normal for all I know but wondering if anyone else had any similar experiences.

 

[jims-terrano]

Sounds like it's working to me:clap

Jim T

 

[tezzer]

well if the pedal goes to the floor there is a problem, mine just pumps very fast, but does NOT go to the floor, i would recommend you have your braking system checked asap.:doh

 

[danielj]

well if the pedal goes to the floor there is a problem, mine just pumps very fast, but does NOT go to the floor, i would recommend you have your braking system checked asap.:doh

Thanks. Have a test coming up in the next two weeks so one way or the other I'll be having it tested.

 

[ocelot]

mine works I think, sounds like I've a gang of blokes hammering away very quickly when it works, especially on the ice........ pedal goes dead hard tho which is what it's supposed to do ( I think)
great car in the snow and ice tho, effortless change from 2wd to 4 and back again.. and that LSD........ left a few landies struggling and that from a former LR fanatic

 

[danielj]

mine works I think, sounds like I've a gang of blokes hammering away very quickly when it works, especially on the ice........ pedal goes dead hard tho which is what it's supposed to do ( I think)
great car in the snow and ice tho, effortless change from 2wd to 4 and back again.. and that LSD........ left a few landies struggling and that from a former LR fanatic

The gang of blokes hammering away describes it very well. Must agree with you about it being a great car in snow and ice. Kept the Mazda B2500 off the road and used the T2. Far safer.

 

[zippy]

Hi Daniel

If you are running on HT tyres then the ABS will kick in more often than on an ordinary car. However, the brake pedal disappearing in the floor is not right. I personally would not go out in it until it is looked at.

Regards
Lee

 

[danielj]

Hi Daniel

If you are running on HT tyres then the ABS will kick in more often than on an ordinary car. However, the brake pedal disappearing in the floor is not right. I personally would not go out in it until it is looked at.

Regards
Lee

Thanks zippy. Tyres are road bias and in need of a change so that may not help. All the same I must say that while the brakes seem rough I do find them very sound. Even when pedal drops to the floor the brakes held solid. Will try to take a visit to a tyres and brakes shop in the next day or so.

 

[BigBlack]

Have you checked your brake fluid levels????

 

[danielj]

Have you checked your brake fluid levels????

Thanks for that. Fluid resevoir if full. The brakes seemed to be fine today. Snow and ice was gone from the roadway though although it was wet.

 

[clivvy]

pedal going to floor makes no sense if you say they seem ok now?? pedal to floor is a brake problem, no doubt! I would check your cylinder for leaks, incase when it hit the floor it had a leak, and now its corrected itself perhaps?? easy to spot...

 

[Deleted account DD]

If the pedal hits the floor after you've been working the brakes you may have air or water in the brake fluid. That would apear to fix itself after a rest then come back to kick you up the arse once you tested everything again.

When was it last changed or bled ?

Another cause of a similar type problem I've seen was a defective or leaking brake servo. I dont have the TII anymore so I cant have a look and cant remember , but if its got any hoses and connectors you can get to going to and from it at all check them for leaks if theyre leaking , even slightly youll gt variable or no vacuum. . No real way of checking a knackered servo that I can think of other than symptoms. On my Cav it did similar to what you have described then failed giving no servo assistance at all. Quite scary for the guy who was test driving it at the time

 

[vatco]

Funny this one

I would always have said that there is something amiss if the pedal hits the floor . But we have had the same prob with the brakes on my wifes Smart

It has been through all the checks. The whole system has been flushed out and fluid replaced. ABS system has been checked, Traction controll been checked. Everything that we can think of but still in the ice if the ABS cuts in then after the first application of the brakes then the pedal will hit the floor.

Only seems to hapen in the cold weather and the brakes still work as they should. I was so worried that I put it into a main dealer to get it checked out and still no fault found. It has recently had new disks and pads on the front and it still does it.

Scares the hell outa me I can tell you..........There is nothing quite like that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when your right foot meets little or no resistance.

Be interesting to see if anyone solves this

 

[Deleted account DD]

The best thing to do with a smart cars brakes are get rid of them.............and the rest of the car :augie

 

[danielj]

If the pedal hits the floor after you've been working the brakes you may have air or water in the brake fluid. That would apear to fix itself after a rest then come back to kick you up the arse once you tested everything again.

When was it last changed or bled ?

Another cause of a similar type problem I've seen was a defective or leaking brake servo. I dont have the TII anymore so I cant have a look and cant remember , but if its got any hoses and connectors you can get to going to and from it at all check them for leaks if theyre leaking , even slightly youll gt variable or no vacuum. . No real way of checking a knackered servo that I can think of other than symptoms. On my Cav it did similar to what you have described then failed giving no servo assistance at all. Quite scary for the guy who was test driving it at the time

Thanks for that. The brakes were checked, bled and fluid changed recently, probably about 600 miles on it since. Will have a good look at hoses and connectors but there is no obvious signs of any leaks and it has not lost any fluid. I have had brakes checked by two different mechanics over the past 12 months. Both could find nothing wrong. Neither of them had full test equipment though. Oddly, I wouldn't say the brakes actually failed when the pedal went to the floor. The brakes held and all wheels slid along for a few feet downhill but were not rolling. It it was servo would the brakes have held firm? I was only doing about 5 mph on an icy downhill driveway with nothing to run into so was no danger at the time. I expect to get a full test done at an MOT centre next week (not the actual test, that is due the following week, but will get it put up on the machines and see if anything shows up). Will let you know if anything shows up.

 

[vatco]

The best thing to do with a smart cars brakes are get rid of them.............and the rest of the car :augie

:lol:lol:lol

£35 yr road tax, 60 MPG, under £150 fully comp insurance.............dosnt half bring the weekly shoping bills down I can tell you !
Plus it was the only car other than the troll that could make it down our road and into the village during the Christmas snow and ice. :thumbs

only thing wrong is it aint 4x4. :doh

Oh and it wont quite fit in the boot of the troll :lol .

Maybe it would if I bought a bigger hammer

 

[Deleted account DD]

The brakes will work perfectly without a servo, just takes a massive amount of effort and strength from you :thumb2 with what youve posted there it quite probably isnt but still worth checking out.

 

[danielj]

The brakes will work perfectly without a servo, just takes a massive amount of effort and strength from you :thumb2 with what youve posted there it quite probably isnt but still worth checking out.

Thanks daved.
Will let you know if the test shows up anything.
Regards and Happy New Year.