First post here. God, I hate being the newb. Anyway. I'm not new to working on my own cars and saving myself some labor cost. I've been doing my own work for over 25 years, but I'm at my wit's end on this one. My daughter drives a 1994 Accord LX non ABS brakes. Front disc with rear drum. She has the dreaded no brake pedal problem. The brakes have always been kinda low, probably 1/2 to 3/4 to the floor. But now they sink right down. The car will never stop in any kind of emergency, never mind daily driving. I've read so many threads, I've got a headache. I've followed every how-to and fix-it that's out there, with no result. All the symptoms point to the MC or brake bleeding. I've done the MC twice. I used different vendors with the same part from Cardone ( 1 from Rockauto and 1 from Advance Auto Parts ). Both were bench bled correctly. All four corners of the system bled with solid stream of fluid from each one. I used the RR, LF, LR, RF sequence. I used a Harbor Freight one person part, and also did it the old school way. With my son pumping the brakes while I worked the bleeders. I'm getting a good vacuum at the booster also. It's holding a vacuum when I turn the car off. Check valve is working correctly. No leaks or inflated brake lines in the system. Proportion valve not leaking. No lose of brake fluid at all. Most results I've found in my searching are the MC. I guess I replaced that for nothing. So, all parts check out fine. WTF am I missing ? I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, just lost right now.

 

To add 1 more thing. I did notice the back brake adjusters are maxed out. The shoes seem like they're thick enough. If that matters at all to the problem.

 

Something is missing. Either the MC is developing fliuid displacement and there is a leak or MC is not developing pressure under load (fluid bypassing piston). Based on your description, both of these seem unlikely.

The only other possibility I've heard of is a brake jumper hose w/ a balloon defect. As you press brake, the balloon expands preventing any significant brake pressure. This would account for all your symptoms. Suggest a careful examination under pedal pressure of all jumper lines.

good luck

 

I just went over the jumper lines while I bled the brakes again. Still getting a solid dtream of fluid. I figured what the heck. It only cost me some time and not money. I watched the jumper lines and they all appear to be okay. I didn't see any expanding while my son was pumping the brakes pedal. I went over everything again and it's still the same. I'm pretty disgusted right now.

 

When you pump the brakes, are you able to get some pedal and hold?

And brakes are not holding?

Good Luck

 

Not when the car is started. I tried pumping them up and it goes right down. The only time it holds is when the car is off and the booster isn't assisting the pedal. Someone from Pepboys offered to take a look for free, but they're 5 miles away. I don't want to drive around the block. He opinion was the MC or wrong bleeding.

 

Have you performed a brake booster tests?

Functional Tests
W/ engine Off, depress brake pedal several times, the depress brake pedal hard and hold that pressure for 15 secs. If the pedal sinks, the MC, brake line, or caliper is bad.

Start engine w/ brake pedal pressed. If brake pedal sinks slightly, the vacuum booster is working. If pedal height does not vary, the booster or check valve is faulty.

Leak Test
Depress brake pedal w/ engine running and turn engine off. If the pedal does not vary while depressed for 30 secs, the vacuum booster is OK. If the pedal rises the booster is faulty.

W/ engine stopped, depress brake pedal several times using normal pressure. When the pedal is first depressed, it should be low. On consecutive applications, pedal height should gradually rise. If the brake pedal position does not vary, check the booster check valve.

Check Valve Test
Disconnect the brake booster vacuum hose at the booster.

Start the engine and let it idle. There should be vacuum available at the hose end. If no vacuum, the check valve is not working correctly. Replace check valve.

good luck

 

The way I read about checking the booster was to pull the vacuum hose with the car running. When this was done, the pedal was hard as a rock. Pretty much had to press hard against the back of the seat for leverage so I didn't drive through my garage. The wouldn't be good. That shows be the booster is functional while the hose is connected. I also pulled the hose after shutting the engine off and it was holding a vacuum from the booster. I pulled the check valve before and I tried blowing through it. Both sides worked as expected, so that's working. IDK, it all indicates the MC. If I could get my hands on an OEM part just to check it would ease my mind a little. I have an ad on my local CL asing for a used MC just to check. A new OEM is way to much compare. I just spent over $150.00 rebuilding the left front after a ball joint failure.

 

Are the bleeders on the front calipers pointing towards the sky or towards the ground?

 

Bleeders are correct. Facing up.