Brake

[tanyawilliams39]

What would cause the brakes to heat up and brake pedal to to to the floor on a 34? 2000 Condour R Vision. Change front brake hoses, brakes, rotars and calibers....With frequent stops pedal still continue fading to the floor. After pulling over for about 2hrs it cools then pedal is back at 100%. No Blake fluid leaking anywhere... Please, anyone with assistance!?!?!?!?

 

[John Hilley]

Possibly wrong brake fluid, possibly master cylinder. Could be brake lines or rear calipers

 

[youracman]

What John says.  Also could be contaminated brake fluid.  I have read where that is the second-most common cause of "fading".

I assume you bled the brakes when you finished the installation of the new rotors, calipers, etc.  BUT did you flush the brake lines?  If not, that "could" be your problem.  I found a paragraph that explains why ??. in better terms than I could provide:

Brake Fluid Fade
Auto manufacturers call for brake fluid to be changed periodically. However some vehicle owners ignore these recommendations and don't bother replacing the fluid for years and years (this seems to happen more often for older cars and trucks).  This causes the brake fluid to degrade and absorb water and other debris. The water absorption causes the brake fluid to boil at a much lower temperature when it gets hot. When this happens, steam forms in the braking system and steam will compress (brake fluid will not).


Note: When you let the system cool off, the water that the old brake fluid has absorbed over time (brake fluid is very hygroscopic) and had turned to steam via the hot brakes...... it condenses back to liquid and becomes incompressible again ???. until the next "heat up" cycle.  So your brakes work ?? for a short while.  This may not be your problem, but your description fits the scenario perfectly, methinks.

There are lots and lots of knowledgeable folks on the various forums that stress the need for flushing the brake lines to ensure that only new, clean fluid is in the system; i.e., no water or other impurities.  Most posters say doing that every couple of years is a good plan.  I believe 'em.  Naturally there is always at least one guy who says he hasn't flushed the lines in 20 years and his brakes work fine. :^)

I recently installed new front rotors, calipers, pads and wheel bearings on my E450.  To flush the lines, I used a "one man" tool I got from Amazon.  A bit pricey perhaps, but if the tool is flushed with denatured alcohol after use it will last a long, long time.  BTW- You can view youtube videos that are pretty good?.. look under "How to flush brake lines" at youtube.com for various methods.

https://www.amazon.com/Motive-Products-System-Bleeder-Trucks/dp/B000TK9FE8/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2658QL0MXBFRK&keywords=brake+bleeder&qid=1552450983&s=gateway&sprefix=brake+bleeder%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-7

Pls report back and let us know what you ended up doing to fix the problem ..... helps all us DIYers.

Good luck with a fix, and safe travels

 

[Hanr3]

You need to flush out the old brake fluid, its been "cooked". When you cook the brake fluid it boils and releases air in the lines. Air doesn't compress like hydraulic fluid and gives you a soft peddle.

I would seriously consider replacing all rubber brake hoses while your there. They don't react to the heat well either. They get soft spots, which leads to a line blowing out under a hard brake application. Basically, you lose half your brakes when you need them the most.

And the third thing I would do is service the rest of the brakes while your there. Disassemble, clean, lubricate and replace any worn components. It won't be cheap, but your brakes will be good to go for another 80,000 miles.

Hard fast stopping cooks brakes and warps rotors. I prefer to coast to stops and allow plenty of distance. If you musst stop hard and fast, pump the brakes. That momentary release will drastically cut the amount of heat generated compared to a solid compression.

 

[IBTripping]

youracman, Thanks for the link. That particular one won't work for my Dodge, but found one by the same vendor made for Doge vehicles.

 

[SpencerPJ]

I agree with others.  You need to do a 'flush and replace' with your brake fluid.  Not a hard job (as long as the bleeders come loose).  If this is something mechanically you think you can do, absolutely a DIY project.  Go watch some videos on Google on the process.  If you are not mechanically savvy, I would encourage you  to take to a garage (not a RV garage, but an automotive / truck garage).  If you don't do it correctly, you can get a bunch more air in the system and they will not work at all. Good luck, and get this fixed immediately, it is a very dangerous situation that will get worse.  Somethings you can skimp on, brakes are not one of them. )

Keep in mind, if your 2000 RV has never had brake repairs, you might need several other things besides a simple brake flush.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A dragging brake will do that, causing it to overheat and boil that brake fluid.  By dragging I mean the shoe or pad remains in contact with the drum or disc when there is no pressure on the brake pedal. There can be a variety of reasons for that. I gather you have already changed out several parts of the system at the wheel end, so I'd start looking at the supply end, i.e. master cylinder and fluid reservoir.