A while ago I asked a couple of questions about an intermittent brake problem I had been having.

It's back and I want to figure out what the heck is going on - Dodge dealerships won't say a think because it hasn't duplicated itself at the dealer(of course)

3 days ago when I started driving after work(cold car)I noticed the problem again.
When I press on the brake pedal it feels real soft, has a little extra travel and then I have to push kind of hard to get it to stop until it does and locks up. This doesn't go away for a while this time. When it does lock up - It's almost like more of the braking is occuring in the back of the car, because the rear end breaks loose and starts hopping when the brake finally engages.

I have been noticing a weird smell wafting up from the car since this started(kind of like burnt brakes but a little bit sweet or electrical fire). The smell seems worst after I come to a stop.

Last night on the way home from work - when the brakes were feeling particularly bad I decided to pull the parking brake at about 20 mph to see if it was working(wondering if it's related) and I was able to pull it to the bump stop without much engagement at all. I yanked it a few times and after 4 times all of a sudden it started working again.
Now that I am paying attention to the e-brake, I have found that intermittently doesn't work.(I don't get it?)

When the car was new, by 1200 miles the fluid was pitch black and had a lot of sediment in it. A dealer bled the brakes at 2200 miles and I now am at 4200. The fluid is darkening significantly, again.

Are these behaviors symptomatic of anything you guys can think of?

Maybe bad cylinder? Maybe Sticking Caliper?

Any help is most appreciated.

 

my advise would be to take it someone like monro, or any chain garage that offers free brake inspection...see what they say..then go to the dealer with that info..

but if it was a caliper hanging, it would stop, but pull hard to one side..a bad master cylinder would cause a leaking condition, as would a bad caliper...is the car garage kept? do you ever notice any puddling near the wheels/moisture on the back of the tires or rims>?

 

Ocasionally, there will be a couple of splatters on the inside of the front right wheel.

Never seen anything drip - fluid is at a good level - and upon visual inspection it looks dry in there.

I did notice that my boost guage and tach are showing something a little different than what I thought was normal. Before - when I pressed the brake pedal the tach and the boost meter would go up a little. Now when I press it nothing happens until I release it - then there is a little surge in both the tach and boost guage.

 

It sounds to me like your simply screwed. I wouldn't be at all suprised if it has to do with the ABS. Have you tried disconnecting the battery for a few hours and then reconnecting it, maybe you'll get lucky.

 

Feels like I'm Screwed

I disconnect the battery for about 10 min's every 2 weeks or so. Never tried for a couple of hours, though.

Almost hit a truck last night because the brakes didn't want to grab until way low on the pedal stroke.

One thing I did notice last night - Burning brake smell from left rear wheel.

Now parking brake hardly does anything at all.

Just going nuts here.

 

Screwed it is then, sorry to hear it.[]

 

I'd be going back to the dealer, pronto! Driving with bad brakes is flirting with disaster!

 

def. going to the dealer - going for another ride with the head mech..

I did notice another thing as I was closely inspecting my right rear brake. There is a bunch of splatters on the exhaust pipe next to where the brake lines run. They are amber in color.

?????

 

You might want to carry a fire extinguisher in that case, the SRT-4 exhaust gets very hot and brake fluid is flamable.

 

It looks like it could be brake fluid, but it's hard to tell.

When it finally cooled off to the point where I could touch the exhaust, the splatters/drips are solid to the touch - would this be brake fluid?