Oooooooo No Brakes!

[TinTentTourist]

My turn (I hope) to contribute to the forum, and I am no mechanic. :blink:

Occasionally my brakes were very hard to press, happened a couple of times, but seemed to resolve itself. Then one day it didn't.

Garage diagnosed I needed a new vacuum thingy fitting (ouch) But the couldn't do it before I went on holiday.

Did a bit of web trawling and had an idea based around some similar faults and my own intermittent symptoms.

Using a torch I could see a T piece behind the fuel filter, but couldn't get at it. I could see that both black plastic pipes going into the T were split and were loose (losing vacuum I guessed)

I was going to cut off the split and push the pipes back on, but couldn't get at it, the fuel filter was in the way.

One flash of inspiration later, I put a blob of gasket sealant on the end of a bamboo cane and carefully "blobbed" it onto the cracks and T piece. Left it to cure, then fired the car up.

Vacuum restored, brakes working fine. :D

I was extra careful the first few days but gradually forgot about the repair and have since done over 1000 miles. Visual check and it looks like when I first did it, pretty neat.

I am not recommending or endorsing anything that compromises safety, that is for yourselves to judge and no doubt debate, but since you folk have helped me out several times, I thought I would try and add something.

Martin

[chrispb123456]

At least you avoided having your brake servo changed unnecessarily and you affected a temporary repair to get you out of trouble, but do hope you have now replaced the perished pipes? you wouldn't want it to catch you out one day when your not expecting it.

[cyborg]

My turn (I hope) to contribute to the forum, and I am no mechanic. :blink:

Occasionally my brakes were very hard to press, happened a couple of times, but seemed to resolve itself. Then one day it didn't.

Garage diagnosed I needed a new vacuum thingy fitting (ouch) But the couldn't do it before I went on holiday.

Did a bit of web trawling and had an idea based around some similar faults and my own intermittent symptoms.

Using a torch I could see a T piece behind the fuel filter, but couldn't get at it. I could see that both black plastic pipes going into the T were split and were loose (losing vacuum I guessed)

I was going to cut off the split and push the pipes back on, but couldn't get at it, the fuel filter was in the way.

One flash of inspiration later, I put a blob of gasket sealant on the end of a bamboo cane and carefully "blobbed" it onto the cracks and T piece. Left it to cure, then fired the car up.

Vacuum restored, brakes working fine. :D

I was extra careful the first few days but gradually forgot about the repair and have since done over 1000 miles. Visual check and it looks like when I first did it, pretty neat.

I am not recommending or endorsing anything that compromises safety, that is for yourselves to judge and no doubt debate, but since you folk have helped me out several times, I thought I would try and add something.

Martin

speechless :D

[TinTentTourist]

At least you avoided having your brake servo changed unnecessarily and you affected a temporary repair to get you out of trouble, but do hope you have now replaced the perished pipes? you wouldn't want it to catch you out one day when your not expecting it.

 

As you will well know, owning a Galaxy, there is always something waiting to catch you out when you least expect it!!

I hope to get it done this week, but once again I am amazed that a fault like this should arise in the first place - a breaking system reliant on push fit plastic pipes, or am I just mechanically naive?