No Breaks

[95ndz71]

Hello, My 95 z71 has soft breaks. When i step on them it sounds like there is a vaccum leak by the break booster. The guy i bought it from was trying to tell me that there was a air bubble in the break line, however I do not belive him so much. What do you guys think? Are there things i should check first before others? Thanks

[TrailLeadr]

Well a vac leak will generally make the booster less efficient, so you would have a harder pedal. It would require much more force to get the brakes to respond.

Typically if there is air in the lines the pedal will feel spongy with bad response.
If your brakes work, but lose their grip the longer you hold the pedal, or the pedal goes to the floor then you're likely to need a new master cylinder.

[95ndz71]

Well, it takes lots of pressure to get my truck to stop. They feel spongy but don't lose their grip, and my pedal doesn't go to the floor. So do you think I should start by bleeding my breaks?

[unplugged]

Yes, start with a brake bleed. It's easy and you'll have eliminated that as a potential issue. Then move on to check out the rest of the break system. Does your truck have abs brakes? There is a basic brake troubleshooting guide at about.com. (http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/a/bl302a.htm) Keep us posted on your progress.

[Toymyster]

When you say "soft", is it spongy, or a low pedal?? Start by checking and adjusting your rear brakes. Check for leaks and take it from there!!