HI ALL.

Got what might be an urgent problem here!

I have been from cardiff to Swindon today and on the way back justas I got into Cardiff I noticed that every time I pressed the brake pedal it was making a "hissing" noise and there was a lot of travel in it!

Car still seems to stop but the pedal feels REALLY spongy.

My handbrake also takes 4-5 clicks to engage again, after having it done about a month ago!

I had the car lowered on Saturday on coilovers, is this a coincidence?

Any ideas! Help!

I'd say check your brake fluid and bleed them up

Brake fluid seems to be the right level!

I just went out to the car now again and pumped the brakes with the ignition off and the pedal hardened, then went softer again and started hissing.

air in the system then, get em bled

I dunno how though.

As my suspension was done on Saturday and brakes were fine then and were fine this morning. Its only since driving from Swindon into Cardiff at about 4.30pm this afternoon I noticed it.

Would air in the system really take 2 days to materialise?

Maybe a hose has come loose?

Like I said in post 2, bleed them up. Try and get a power bleeder so you can do it yourself otherwise you need 2 people- one to pump the pedal and the other to release the valve into a suitable container

Faulty brake servo, the diaphram will be leaking causing the hiss.

Faulty brake servo, the diaphram will be leaking causing the hiss.

+1 or a leaking vacuum pipe.

Expensive/ difficult to replace? Could lowering have caused this? i.e. might have got knocked or something?

Expensive/ difficult to replace? Could lowering have caused this? i.e. might have got knocked or something?

If it is the servo it wont be cheap (check vacuum lines first). Not that hard to do. I doubt lowering would have anything to do with it.

Id say a leaking servo also.

However sometimes they do make a hissing noise.

It a vacuum pipe was leaking pedal would be rock hard.

Servo is a big job as the engine needs to be dropped out.

The two posters who have said there is air in the system and bleed them, a bit of advice:

Please don't do your own repairs to there own cars, but take them to a garage for expert advice.

just a quick point: air in brake lines will not hiss

and the old saying a little knowledge is dangerous

I am assuming the vac lines are the ones coming from the control box on top of the left hand side of the engine bay?

Is the car safe to drive like this?

I am assuming the vac lines are the ones coming from the control box on top of the left hand side of the engine bay?

Is the car safe to drive like this?

Those are some of the vacuum pipes, but they are for other functions, I think- like operating the VNT. The servo pipe is bigger usually- roughly the size of hosepipe.

You want to check all of them, but look especially hard around the brake master cylinder/servo area (near the fluid reservoir). Get an assistant to pump the pedal, have the engine running, and listen for the hiss- but it might be tricky to hear over the engine.

A certain amount of noise isn't unusual from the servo as the air rushes in as it uses the vacuum- is the noise you hear new? Is it clearly audible over the engine noise?

I'd personally be very wary of driving it with a known brake problem. If the servo fails it is very hard (though possible) to stop.

No it has never made the noise before and I have owned the car since August last year.

The hissing noise is coming from the brake pedal area whenever I press it.

It still seems to stop OK but feel in the pedal is very spongy and needs a fair bit of travel to make it stop.

The hissing noise is coming from the brake pedal area whenever I press it.

.

Definitely servo then

Faulty brake servo, the diaphram will be leaking causing the hiss.

agreed