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I own a 1996 Toyota Starlet. About 6 months ago there were problems with the brakes.

There was excessive travel on the brake pedal to the extent that by the time I could feel some resistance the pedal would almost touch the floor. The pedal also felt very soft.

I took the vehicle to my local mechanic and he bleed the brake system which made no difference.

He went through all the diagnostics including clamping individual brake hoses and checking for leaks. The brake master cylinder was also removed and checked.

As a last resort a second hand Anti Locking Brake unit was fitted. For a short time the brakes worked much better but the problem has resurfaced again. It is not quite as bad as it was but I feel it is slowly deteriorating.

I did some research myself about this problem and found there are specific tools required to bleed the ABS system.

Could this be the problem?

Bhola

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 12 September 2009

The question we have to ask is what is causing the problem in the first place. I suspect the original cause of the excessive brake travel has never been located and fixed, especially as you say things are starting to deteriorate again after all the work done to date.

It may well be air in the system but how did it get there is the question that needs to be answered.

Fitting second hand brake parts sends a shudder down my spine to be honest and is, in my opinion, bad workshop practice. Reconditioned and tested parts from a qualified brake specialist are fine, but you have no past history or guarantees with second parts taken directly from another vehicle.

I'm not sure about the special tools required to bleed the system but I would recommend you visit a Toyota dealer as your next step.

Don't mess around with brake problems Bhola, get it sorted properly