Brake pedal goes to floor sometimes

1993 Saturn
Myabe one time in 20 the brake pedal will go way low, orherwise they are
good. Normally don't have any pull or anything, no clue. Any idea what
this could be or any way to isolate the problem?
Thanks,
Dave

 

I thought I was loosing a master cyl on my 97 a couple of years ago with
symptoms as you describe, and the dealer did a fluid flush and all was
fine again.

 

Are you loosing any brake fluid? Does the car have ABS?
Might be the master cylinder is getting an intermittent leak. There might
also be crud in the fluid. It's a good idea (since brake fluid absorbs water
and goes bad) to flush out the entire brake system with fresh fluid every
few years. Open the right rear brake bleeder and put a hose on it and into a
jar of brake fluid (or use a check valve) and pump the brakes slowly. Just
don't want to suck air back into the system. When the reservoir is nearly
empty, fill it with fresh fluid and continue pumping until you get clear
fluid at the bleed end. Keep adding fluid and bleed remaining brakes untill
you get clear fluid out of all the ports..
Maybe you'll get lucky that it was a rust flake that was keeping the piston
from sealing completely. Oh, and be sure to use the manufacturer's
recommended fluid (DOTx) to protect the seals.

 

Two people in one thread saying "loosing". C'mon people, you went to grade
school!!

lose (looz)v. lost (lost, lost). los-ing,
los-es.v. tr. 1. To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of;
mislay: He's always losing his keys on the way out the door. 2. To
come to be deprived of the ownership, care, or control of (something
one has had), as by negligence, accident, or theft: I've lost three
umbrellas this year. Britain lost its American colonies in a
revolution. To be deprived of (something one has had): lost their
lives; lost her youth through hardship. To be bereaved of: lost his
wife. To be unable to keep alive: a doctor who has lost very few
patients. 3. To be unable to maintain, sustain, or keep: lost
everything in the stock market crash; is losing supporters by changing
his mind. 4. To fail to win; fail in: lost the game; lost the court
case. 5. To fail to use or take advantage of: Don't lose a chance to
improve your position. 6. To fail to hear, see, or understand: We lost
the plane in the fog. I lost her when she started speaking about
thermodynamics. 7. To let (oneself) become unable to find the way.
To remove (oneself), as from everyday reality into a fantasy world. 8.
To rid oneself of: lost five pounds. 9. To consume aimlessly; waste:
lost a week in idle occupations. 10. To stray or wander from: lose
one's way. 11. To elude or outdistance: lost their pursuers. To be
outdistanced by: chased the thieves but lost them. 12. To become slow
by (a specified amount of time). Used of a timepiece. 13. To cause or
result in the loss of: Failure to reply to the advertisement lost her
the job. 14. To cause to be destroyed. Usually used in the passive:
Both planes were lost in the crash. 15. To cause to be damned.v. intr.
1. To suffer loss. 2. To be defeated. 3. To operate or run slow. Used
of a timepiece. --phrasal verb. lose out. To fail to achieve or
receive an expected gain. --idiom. lose out on. To miss (an
opportunity, for example). lose time. 4. To operate too slowly. Used
of a timepiece. 5. To delay advancement.[Middle English losen, from
Old English losian, to perish, from los, loss. See leu-.]

loose (loos)adj. loos-er, loos-est. 1. Not fastened,
restrained, or contained: loose bricks. 2. Not taut, fixed, or rigid:
a loose anchor line; a loose chair leg. 3. Free from confinement or
imprisonment; unfettered: criminals who were loose in the
neighborhood; dogs that are loose on the streets. 4. Not tight-fitting
or tightly fitted: loose shoes. 5. Not bound, bundled, stapled, or
gathered together: loose papers. 6. Not compact or dense in
arrangement or structure: loose gravel. 7. Lacking a sense of
restraint or responsibility; idle: loose talk. 8. Lacking conventional
moral restraint in sexual behavior. 9. Not literal or exact: a loose
translation. 10. Characterized by a free movement of fluids in the
body: a loose cough; loose bowels.adv. In a loose manner.v. loosed,
loos-ing, loos-es.v. tr. 1. To let loose; release: loosed the dogs. 2.
To make loose; undo: loosed his belt. 3. To cast loose; detach: hikers
loosing their packs at camp. 4. To let fly; discharge: loosed an
arrow. 5. To release pressure or obligation from; absolve: loosed her
from the responsibility. 6. To make less strict; relax: a leader's
strong authority that was loosed by easy times.v. intr. 1. To become
loose. 2. To discharge a missile; fire. --idiom. on the loose. 3. At
large; free. 4. Acting in an uninhibited fashion.[Middle English
louse, los, from Old Norse lauss. See leu-.]--loose'ly adv.
--loose'ness n.SYNONYM: loose, lax, slack The central meaning shared
by these adjectives is "not tautly bound, held, or fastened": loose
reins; a lax rope; slack sails.ANTONYM: tight

 

....but it has a long 'Oh' sound. No wonder that foreigners have such
problems learning English. We folks that use it as our primary language
still have difficulty with all the rules.
Ok, so once again, mea culpa.

 

low brake fluid?
1993 Saturn
Myabe one time in 20 the brake pedal will go way low, orherwise they are
good. Normally don't have any pull or anything, no clue. Any idea what
this could be or any way to isolate the problem?
Thanks,
Dave