504Lexus

2003 ES300 - 275k miles, I need 4 mos / 3k miles out of it. I need this car just for grocery trips to go under 25 mph. Power steering is out,

My brake pedal has gotten a little squishy. happened over 1-2 days and now not getting worse. I think its the master cylinder...will it get worse? the guy that changed my oil yesterday said it likely will not as long as brake fluid not leaking.

I just need this thing to last me 3 more months.

LeX2K

Why did you change the oil if you only need 3 more months out of the car? On the master cylinder can't say maybe it's on the way out maybe not. Old/bad fluid will eventually kill the seals.

504Lexus

1) So to be clear about the master cylinder...will it leave me with 0% brakes suddenly or will it slowly decline? I read something that made it sound like 1 axle at a time fails? is that true. the dude at the oil change place said "it probably already failed" and made it sound like it prob won't get worse.

2) Because the mileage was at 4500 since last oil change...haha...I was conflicted about spending the 35$ on it for sure. When I sell it for $900 a "free half tank of gas" would also be one of the highlights as the power steering is out, front right fender and front bumper cover are messed up.


PS - thanks guys and pardon my ignorance...I work in healthcare and don't know much about cars if you can't tell 🤣🤣😅😅

LeX2K

Throw the dice.

The real question is can you afford to have your brakes fail? Does the parking brake at least work?

Arsenii

Hello,

I've had experience with a bad master cylinder, and it is anything but fun. This problem may or may not continue to escalate until you won't have enough brakes to even keep you stopped at a traffic light. The biggest issue is that even pumping won't work, the sleeve that creates pressure is now gone, then your only line of defense would be either engine or emergency brakes, which is not exactly ideal, especially if, God forbid, you will need to avoid something in the neighborhood. The car like that is not road legal, not something worth messing around with.

I am not sure how inclined you are to make your own repairs, but OEM master cylinder rebuild kit costs about $50 (P/N: 04493-33110). It took me a complete day to repair it, mostly because I've had some issues bleeding the brakes after installing the cylinder back. The trick I found is to take the ABS SOL relay out and turn the ignition to the ON position, tricking the ABS into the limp mode. After that just bleed the brakes with the regular two-person method, which seems to be the most effective. Even if you won't be able to bleed all the air out, you at least won't lose all the brakes in the middle of the road. Replacing the master cylinder itself is pretty simple, it's only held up by two nuts and two brake lines. The video below shows the repair procedure, see if it is something you are willing to tackle on your own.


Hope this helps and best of luck!

504Lexus

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Hope this helps and best of luck![/QUOTE]

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