Ok here's the story. I've had my TGP for 7 years and 20k miles. It's currently just under 70k. The ABS light has ALWAYS flashed since I have had it, yea shocker. Well last year my brake light would come on occasionally when I pressed the brake pedal and became more and more frequent. Now it happens just about every time I hit the brakes, stays on for about 2 seconds and shuts off. I have maybe put 3k miles on it in the past 2 years. About a month ago I was going to take it to school one day and I went to hit the brakes to slow down and it was about 2 seconds before I got brakes. So I turned the car around and parked it.
Last week my friend and I flushed the system, we took all the all fluid out and put in new fluid and bled the front brakes. When we went to do the back, both bleeders broke. So I ordered new Wagner loaded calipers and we put them in today and re-bled all 4 brakes. Now there is still about a 1 second delay from pressing the brakes to actually getting brakes and it still takes a while to stop even at very low speeds.
Do I need to bleed the master cylinder? I saw a bleeder screw between the 2 lines that come out to the front and rear. I wouldn't think so since I bled all 4 calipers but I could be wrong.
Could my master cylinder just be shot?
Could this be my ABS is just that bad now?
Can I just pull the fuses to my ABS?
I really don't want to put a thousand bucks or more into a whole new brake system.
I know it's a lot of questions but I am stuck. I am going to try to read as many threads on the PM3 here and at w-body but any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
I have had the same issue it went away when I replaced the nitrogen ball. Only problem I ran into is I waited way to long to get one and now I have a leak in the pm3 itself and half to keep filling it with brake fluid. I would suggest if you could have it professionally replaced some how I kinda know what I am doing and still messed it up.
There is a long 33 step bleeding process for the PMIII. But you likely need an accumulator ball. They are a little hard to find, but they are out there. Replacing it is very easy. You just screw the old one off, and screw the new back on.
Quote from: NTRCOOL on October 12, 2014, 03:25:39 AM
I have had the same issue it went away when I replaced the nitrogen ball. Only problem I ran into is I waited way to long to get one and now I have a leak in the pm3 itself and half to keep filling it with brake fluid. I would suggest if you could have it professionally replaced some how I kinda know what I am doing and still messed it up.
Quote from: Heartbeat1991 on October 12, 2014, 09:41:17 AM
There is a long 33 step bleeding process for the PMIII. But you likely need an accumulator ball. They are a little hard to find, but they are out there. Replacing it is very easy. You just screw the old one off, and screw the new back on.
Thanks I'll look for one. Nothing I need to worry about safety-wise?
I'd bleed it before driving it much. Any delay in the brakes could be a safety issue. It suck if you're car doesn't go very well. But it's far worse if you can't stop it. If you can't find that bleeding procedure, I will scan it for you.
Quote from: Heartbeat1991 on October 15, 2014, 04:53:43 PM
I'd bleed it before driving it much. Any delay in the brakes could be a safety issue. It suck if you're car doesn't go very well. But it's far worse if you can't stop it. If you can't find that bleeding procedure, I will scan it for you.
I know it's been a while, but the car has just been sitting in my friend's garage since this. I would like to try to get up there sometime and try this. Could you please scan the process for me so I know I do it correctly?
Bleeding Instructions :
thanks.
The scans are gone and the hard drive I had them downloaded to crashed on me. I hate to ask but could you please upload again? Thanks.
Quote from: meltboy11 on May 04, 2015, 09:36:59 AM
The scans are gone and the hard drive I had them downloaded to crashed on me. I hate to ask but could you please upload again? Thanks.
Do you still need the procedure?
PS: Some of you should post @ w-body. To be honest, I forget to check the board over here that often because of the periods of inactivity it has. There's a lot more traffic on the other board so things will get answered faster there.
I posted it again. It didn't work, I guess. I'll try again. I'll PM them to you.
I check in here at least once a day.
Quote from: mfewtrail on May 17, 2015, 01:48:46 AM
Do you still need the procedure?
PS: Some of you should post @ w-body. To be honest, I forget to check the board over here that often because of the periods of inactivity it has. There's a lot more traffic on the other board so things will get answered faster there.
Hey Matt, I am getting an error saying that the attachment directory isn't writable.
Also, I am fairly active on W-Body.
Quote from: Heartbeat1991 on May 17, 2015, 08:07:49 AM
I posted it again. It didn't work, I guess. I'll try again. I'll PM them to you.
I check in here at least once a day.
Thanks but don't worry about it. I think I might have a bad master. We tried bleeding it and after 6 or 7 attempts kept getting air. I brought it to the only mechanic in my area that I trust to take a look at it. I'll update when I know something.
Well just talked to the mechanic. He got the air out, but it still stops like shit, he says my ABS is completely shot. I don't know much more than that, I don't know what is wrong exactly. I am going to get the car home in the next day or 2.
So, I guess I will have to look into repairing or replacing my PM3. For anyone who has done this, where should I start? Would I be better off finding someone to work on it? From what I have seen in the past they tend to be incredibly complicated.
I have also considered swapping out for a non ABS system, but that requires a lot of work and ripping the car apart, which I really don't wanna do.
What exactly is it doing? No offense to your mechanic, but the odd that he bled it right or knows anything about them is slim. If you want to PM me your email address, I'll email the procedure to you. What lights are you getting on the dash? Anti-lock and brake? Is your pedal hard or soft? Does the car stop? Any strange noises?
I've got another member's TGP here from the Syracuse area getting fixed, including the PMIII which is leaking. I've got a few spare PMIIIs. It's not usually the master that is the problem. It's usually the pressure switch or the accumulator.
Yours sounds like an air problem. Let me know what it's doing so we can help you get it fixed.
Well this is the first time he has ever told me it's not something he would do. He said he just doesn't do ABS.
I will PM my e-mail.
Whenever I press the brake pedal the red brake light comes on. The ABS light has pretty much flashed the entire 8 years I've owned the car, but has never presented a problem. It has always stopped exceptionally well up until this problem occurred.
The pedal seems pretty stiff for about the first 40-50% of the press, then, as if pressure builds up, it goes the rest of the way as normal and braking at that point feels normal.
The car does stop, just not nearly as fast as it should.
No strange noises.
Are you near Syracuse? I am only about an hour away from there out Utica way.
Quote from: Heartbeat1991 on May 17, 2015, 11:46:44 AM
Hey Matt, I am getting an error saying that the attachment directory isn't writable.
Also, I am fairly active on W-Body.
I'll relay the message to Luke. I noticed the attachments didn't work quite a while back. In the meantime, I suggest uploading images to imgur. They'll stay hosted for quite a long time and allow direct linking. You don't have to sign up for the site, just upload in any image format, then paste the links here. ;)
Ok so I was reading about crossing pins A and H on the ALDL connector to read ABS codes. So I get in my car and go to do this when I notice. I have nothing on the H. I only have gold on A and M and silver on the B and J as shown in the image below. A starting top right to F top left, then G to M bottom left to right. I didn't know if I should just try A and J, as I didn't want to short something out and cause more damage. I am really hoping it is just the accumulator and not the pump. I am going to try to get a junkyard one first before spending $150 on a new one and having it not even be that.
What cars would have the correct accumulator? 88-91 W bodies with ABS I assume. Anything else?
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e240/Meltboy1/DSC_0274_zpstdvociu7.jpg)
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e240/Meltboy1/GM_ALDL_OBD-I_Connector_zpsw1nre0n0.gif)
I wouldn't jump random terminals.
I don't know where you found a new one for $150. Accumulators have been hard to find for this car.
Quote from: Heartbeat1991 on May 20, 2015, 07:04:56 AM
I wouldn't jump random terminals.
I don't know where you found a new one for $150. Accumulators have been hard to find for this car.
Yea the electrician in me told me not to do it... lol
I found it at GMpartsdirect.com part number
88927271.
Quote from: meltboy11 on May 20, 2015, 07:42:41 AM
I found it at GMpartsdirect.com part number 88927271.
Good Luck with that. They almost always refund your money and say "sorry, we don't have any."
Quote from: Heartbeat1991 on May 20, 2015, 11:46:39 AM
Good Luck with that. They almost always refund your money and say "sorry, we don't have any."
boooooooo.... ok thanks for the heads up. At least I have a part number, I might have luck with it elsewhere.
If you do, please share here where you get one.
Nothing at the junkyard. I guess I just realized that first gen w bodies are now 25 years old... lol
I'll try a couple others this weekend if I get time. I wanna keep looking online.
Not easy to find in a junk yard. Search that part number. A few places pop up, but you'd have to call them and find out if they really have one.
I saw Mfewtrail posted on w-body.com with a part number of 25528382 and also this, http://spinningwheels-sc.com/hydacaccumulatorballs.aspx on this post, http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/79570-Sluggish-brake-pedal/page2?highlight=accumulator+part+number about halfway down.
I will check on that option too.
Spinning wheels sells a Hydac unit made for Thunderbird turbo coupes. I wouldn't use one if you don't have to. They don't screw on the same way. I had one on one of my TGPs. After a couple months, it blew off, and my car was sacrificed to the gods. Burned right to the ground. I'm sure there is a thread somewhere here. I know there's on on w-body.
http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/80178-Well-This-sucks
Somewhere I had pictures of the difference in the threads. Spinning Wheels has also been out of stock for about a year or so.
Holy crap that's brutal. That sucks.