brakes suck

[hhn2002]

i drive a 91 vert. my brakes suck...alot. no abs. i could probably stick my feet through the floor like fred flinstone and still stop faster. is this normal?

[Phoenix7]

NO! Not normal. How's your brake fluid? Did you check your brake system? How long ago did you service the brakes?

[RoughRex]

1. Check fluid level, refill and bleed as necessary.
2. Does the brake pedal stick down? If yes then replace or rebuild the Master Cylinder.
3. If the pedal does not stick down and you have completed step 1, search the system for leaks.
4 If there are no leaks, ensure that the vacuum line is still connected properly to the Brake Booster and there is sufficient vacuum present.
5. Check for proper adjustment of he brake pedal
6. If the Brake Booster is getting vacuum and all steps above have been done, replace the Brake Booster.

Another thing is to look at your brakes themselves..

a low worn pad will cause for a nasty pedal and nasty bite (especially on a cheep junk pad)

my suggestions is:

If there are no leaks.

replace all the pads and rotors (with quality pads)
Get a couple bottles of brake fluid (dot 3 or dot 4) and begin to bleed the ENTIRE system (doing each wheel a numerous amount of times)
change out atleast one full bottle of brake fluid that way u can get all the old nasty brake fluid out and start fresh.

Good luck

[Max777]

Hmm, well personally, one of the problems I encountered was that my caliper pistons were sticking, causing irregular pad wear, so I would make sure to take a look at your pads to see that they are worn down even.

Another little thing: The bleeder screws on our cars are notorious for snapping clean off, so i would put some anti-seize on them to prevent that from happening.

...now, if your calipers are old and look junky, you can get some rebuilt ones at Car Quest for $65 each when you bring the old ones in with you.