Brake Master Cylinder Return Spring

[Jay Laifman]

I had an odd thing going on with my brakes. At unpredictable times, after the car sat for a day or so, when I first got into the car, the pedal would depress a little further than other times. The very next time I'd press the brakes, they'd be fine. And the master was not showing any lost fluid. I also discovered that my brake lights were not always going out - and I have a mechanical switch in there. I got under the dash and found the spring was not pushing the plunger 100% out every time. Sometimes it sagged just a tiny amount. That of course would trigger the brake light switch. I stretched the spring, put it back together, and both issues seem to have gone away.

We'll see if it truly did fix both. If so, then I have to wonder how long the stretched spring will stay that way.

 

[todd reid]

have you considered that the seals in the master might have swelled and thus need more return force than the spring can supply? just a thought.