Brake pedal goes to the floor.

[Pathfynder]

Greetings, Folks!

Well, a few weeks ago I purchased a 2003 9-3 convertible. Things have been interesting, great car to drive, but not without its quirks. Some shakedown issues but I am working through them. A couple of weeks ago the turn signals, wipers, seat heaters, cigarette lighter all failed. At the same time. Hmmm... figure a relay or something somewhere and test all the appropriate ones and they are good. Narrowed it down to the ignition switch, so yesterday I pulled the console apart and replaced the switch. Not a terrible job, actually, but there are a lot of t-25 screws in a Saab.

So now all the electrical gremlins are tamed for the moment, but a new thing has popped up.

The brake pedal is suddenly, like drive it to work in the morning everything is fine, go to drive home at night and pedal is almost to the floor with minimal braking going on. That was exciting.

Check of fluid and the level is right at the top mark on the reservoir. Pads are good all the way around, no signs of leaks anywhere in the system.

Start tracing vacuum lines - here is where things get interesting. At the connection at the vacuum pump on the end of the camshaft the connection is loose. Not even finger right. Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t that be an airtight connection?

Each of the connections in that bit of harness looks like it was a hack of a repair to the factory vacuum harness. My question is would a dodgy vacuum connection to the brake booster impact pedal travel in the way I am experiencing.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Arlie

[chastehel75]

Short answer, yes, a dodgy connection would affect the pedal. I had the same issue on my '03 9-3 vert.

Check the line for cracks and make sure the check valves are operating. Also, make sure the red retainer clips are intact and have all the fingers. While the vacuum line connections appear loose, as long as they're fully seated and and the retainer clips are intact, they should provide a positive seal.