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Car Forum / Mercedes-Benz Cars / April 2006

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Help! Brakes won't pump up on my 1986 190E

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M&M - 14 Apr 2006 22:06 GMT
Pads on front are fairly new, not sure about the back ones, can't get wheels
off, but the brakes won't pump up, car stops but not real quick, if you are
going backwards down a slope that really seem like they don't want to stop.
Would this be the mc or some other problem, can anyone help me with this? I
just bought this car and I'm afraid to drive it this way, it does stop, but
pedals real soft like it needs bleed or air is trapped.
T.G. Lambach - 14 Apr 2006 22:24 GMT
Did you check the brake fluid level?

Or air is in the brake lines or the vacuum brake booster is worn out and
must be replaced.

Do you hear any hissing from the brake booster (behind the MC)?
M&M - 15 Apr 2006 00:24 GMT
>Did you check the brake fluid level?
>
>Or air is in the brake lines or the vacuum brake booster is worn out and
>must be replaced.
>
>Do you hear any hissing from the brake booster (behind the MC)?

The brake fluid level is fine..  

Do you have any tips on bleeding the brakes, we tried doing the old fashion
way and this still didn't help the problem....

I don't think I've heard any hissing noise? This car appears to run nice, all
but this brake problem..

How can I figure out if it's the mc or the brake booster? Got any suggestions?

Thanks!
M&M

I thought about getting a new mc, but they are 95.00 and can't be returned if
this ends up not being the problem
T.G. Lambach - 15 Apr 2006 01:24 GMT
The brake fluid level is OK, so that means there are no leaks at the
wheels or their hoses.

If the booster were bad there would be reduced (or no) power assist and
the car would be hard to stop BUT the brake pedal would be hard (as a rock).

My conclusion, for what it's worth, is that the master cylinder is bad
and ought to be replaced ASAP. What else can be wrong?
M&M - 15 Apr 2006 02:02 GMT
>The brake fluid level is OK, so that means there are no leaks at the
>wheels or their hoses.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>My conclusion, for what it's worth, is that the master cylinder is bad
>and ought to be replaced ASAP. What else can be wrong?

Okay, great! I will try that!

How hard is it to replace the mc??
T.G. Lambach - 15 Apr 2006 04:40 GMT
"How hard is it to replace the mc??"

Access, wrenches, bolts and YOUR ability answer the question of how hard
it is to replace its master cylinder.

It's your car, go out and look at its master cylinder, draw your own
conclusions.

I don't make service calls.
Tiger - 15 Apr 2006 02:02 GMT
It is highly likely you need to buy new master cylinder... if it looks
original... it must be changed.
M&M - 15 Apr 2006 04:30 GMT
>It is highly likely you need to buy new master cylinder... if it looks
>original... it must be changed.

Does anybody know how hard this is to replace (MC) I'm ordering one tomorrow?

And does anyone have a good place to shop for parts on mercedes benz?

Kind Regards,
M&M
avalondarkside@gmail.com - 15 Apr 2006 19:17 GMT
MC replacment isn't hard. Use the propper wrenches on the MC fittings.
Make sure to bleed the brakes completely. This means keep going a
little while after all the bubbles have come out of the lines. The
first time I bled MB brakes I found air coming out after I thought I
got it all. Uses more fluid than I thought.
Ck that the E-brake isn't dragging. No brakes in reverses sounds like
some of your braking pwr is coming from your emergency brake.
I've had a lot of good luck getting parts for my MB from Napa Auto. My
local one even has a guy who knows a little about MBs and sends me to
the dealer when the part warrants it.
There are a lot of good people with a lot of knowledge on this group.
They deserve words like please and thank you--especially if you are
coming back for more help.
T.G. Lambach - 16 Apr 2006 01:52 GMT
https://www.autohausaz.com/
Tiger - 16 Apr 2006 05:46 GMT
It is not too hard but you need master cylinder bleeding kit... cheap at
autoparts store... however, you will need two sets as MB has 3 brake lines
on it...

Mount the MC on a vise lightly or have someone hold it... you will have to
drain and remove the old MC reservoir from old unit... wash brake fluid off
the car where spilled... brake fluid will cause paint to bubble up and fall
off.

Mount existing reservoir to new MC or buy new one... Most likely you will
need new cap too... so buy whole thing.

Back to bleeding... hook up bleeding lines to the MC and hoses back to
reservoir. Fill reservoir with new fluids... use a screwdriver and push in
the piston until you see no bubbles.

Once done... hook it up to the car and all the lines... leave cap off... and
press pedal down slowly and a couple of times... this will eliminate the air
where you hooked up the brake line... push brake pedal too hard and fluid
will shoot out of the reservoir.

Lastly... put cap on... pump pedal... make sure it feels solid... if not
bleed entire brake system... it is best to do this but if you are not
mechanically inclined... let pro do it for you.
M&M - 16 Apr 2006 18:07 GMT
>It is not too hard but you need master cylinder bleeding kit... cheap at
>autoparts store... however, you will need two sets as MB has 3 brake lines
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>bleed entire brake system... it is best to do this but if you are not
>mechanically inclined... let pro do it for you.

Thanks so much to all of you guys, for all of your help and tips! My husband
is getting ready to tackle this job and I am the one searching around on the
net looking for the tips for him (he doesn't like to type or email or post
stuff) I'm a firm believer in getting advice and you guys have been so quick
and prompt to answer my questions! Thanks again, I'll let you all know how it
works out! I'm new to this group as you could probably tell, and I 'm not use
to asking questions about cars that much, my husband always takes care of our
vehicles, but never a MB and when someone told us we would be sorry that we
bought this because the parts are hard to find plus they are hard to work on,
hubby kind of got mad at me for getting the car on eBay! So, I really
appreciate you guys giving me encouragement on how easy this will be,
hopefully we won't be sorry we bought the MB! Hope to hear from you all again
soon!

Kind Regards,
M&M
Richard Sexton - 19 Apr 2006 18:17 GMT
>vehicles, but never a MB and when someone told us we would be sorry that we
>bought this because the parts are hard to find plus they are hard to work on,

Poeple that say this have never actually done it before.

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  Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
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M&M - 16 Apr 2006 18:10 GMT
>It is not too hard but you need master cylinder bleeding kit... cheap at
>autoparts store... however, you will need two sets as MB has 3 brake lines
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>bleed entire brake system... it is best to do this but if you are not
>mechanically inclined... let pro do it for you.

Thanks so much hubby is getting ready to work on the car today, so I pray it
ends up being easy and he won't be too mad at me for getting the car! Thanks
again, I read all of this off to him and he's ready to go!

Kind Regards,
M&M
PT in OR - 17 Apr 2006 00:38 GMT
Just got done with my master cylinder. Let us know how it went.
M&M - 17 Apr 2006 02:45 GMT
>Just got done with my master cylinder. Let us know how it went.

Greetings~ Hubby got the MC on, but the brakes seems like they still have a
little bit of air in them, sometimes they're okay and then  they get spongey
again, and one of the brake pads seems to be rubbing, think we are going to
get some new brakes tomorrow and try to put new ones on and then bleed the
brakes again. How did your MC project turn out?

Kind Regards,
M&M
Tiger - 17 Apr 2006 04:43 GMT
Sounds like you now need to bleed the rest of the brake system as I
suspected too... You can use the traditional way of bleeding the brake...
pump... hold... loosen bleeder... close bleeder... release brake pedal and
pump... repeat until clear clean fluids comes out.
M&M - 17 Apr 2006 17:31 GMT
>Sounds like you now need to bleed the rest of the brake system as I
>suspected too... You can use the traditional way of bleeding the brake...
>pump... hold... loosen bleeder... close bleeder... release brake pedal and
>pump... repeat until clear clean fluids comes out.

Okay, we will try to bleed them again thanks  for your tip!

Kind Regards
M&M
M&M - 17 Apr 2006 23:27 GMT
>>Sounds like you now need to bleed the rest of the brake system as I
>>suspected too... You can use the traditional way of bleeding the brake...
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>Kind Regards
>M&M

Husband still not able to get the brakes to bleed completely, he went out and
got new pads, but he said it really didn't need them, they were only half
worn down, but while he was replacing the brakes pad he discovered that the
coil spring bracket is busted and rusted out on one side, he said you can't
fix this without doing major front end work on rhe MB and that we shouldn't
put anymore money into the car, it looked like a nice car to putt around in
with the gases prices up and everything, but hubby doesn't think we should
put anymore money into since he just found this major problem... Anybody out
there with a tip as to how we could fix this anyway cheap & not put major
time, (I don't give up easy).... But the hubby says no there is not anyway to
get around fixing it without major work & money?
Tiger - 17 Apr 2006 23:41 GMT
If the front spring plate is busted... the spring would have popped out.

How much did you pay for the car? Where are you located?
M&M - 18 Apr 2006 03:20 GMT
>If the front spring plate is busted... the spring would have popped out.
>
>How much did you pay for the car? Where are you located?

Thanks for trying to help us out, I really appreciate this! I can't ask my
husband right now about the MB, he's cat napping, but what he told me was the
coil spring bracket is busted and all rusted out, it's causing the right side
to sit down on the tire pretty close, he took it out for a test drive after
my last post and when he got back he said it was really rubbing on the tire
now, said you could smell rubber burning, we paid $281.00 for it on eBay, got
it just the other day and hubby just put in a MC $95.00, some new brake pads
$15.00, and a new head light $9.00. The car really doesn't look that bad,
that's why we thought it was a good deal and be good enough to putt around in,
hubby said the car wasn't sitting down like that the other day, but now it is
and he said that stuff is busted and rusted, hope this makes some kind of
sense, anyway thanks for trying to help, I was hoping something could be
rigged up so it could be driven, but once again hubby doesn't think so, but I
don't give up easy I guess....When he wakes up I'll tell him what you said
about the spring should have popped out, but it is sitting down on the tire
pretty close and rubbing it also?? Not good I guess?

Thanks Again for your time!
M&M
M&M - 18 Apr 2006 03:22 GMT
>>If the front spring plate is busted... the spring would have popped out.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>Thanks Again for your time!
>M&M

Oh, I forgot ... we are located in Ohio
Tiger - 18 Apr 2006 05:24 GMT
Ahh... Ohio... Look at it this way... $281 is dirt cheap. No doubt about it.
The spring does sound pretty bad and I believe him... it must be really bad
to make him say not worth it. If you had a mechanic do the repair... he
would replace the lower control arm... you need internal spring compressor
to do the job... The spring is the most dangerous part of the job... other
is fairly easy.

The good news is that that car is worth more than $281... People would want
it for parts. You don't have to sell piece by piece (which would yield alot
more money)... you could sell the whole car for like $1100 for the whole
car. It has good engine... good tranny... maybe okay interior... etc...

I have an 88 190e... part car... but in NJ... which you can use alot out of
it... but heck not worth the travel.
M&M - 18 Apr 2006 06:20 GMT
>Ahh... Ohio... Look at it this way... $281 is dirt cheap. No doubt about it.
>The spring does sound pretty bad and I believe him... it must be really bad
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>I have an 88 190e... part car... but in NJ... which you can use alot out of
>it... but heck not worth the travel.

Yes, that's what my husband wants to do, resell it, but we just bought it and
I really didn't want to hassel with it, and I also wanted to post this
problem to see if anyone had any suggestions, never know what someone else
might come up with, maybe a trick or something they did to fix something like
this, never hurts to try. But thanks again for your help and info, do you
think we should relist the MB on eBay or go a different route?  I liked the
little car only had it a few days, but better not try to tackle this job,
maybe we'll be able to resell it, hope so! Thanks again for all you time....
you've been very helpful.

Kind Regards,
M&M
 
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