Hi, I (privately) bought a 1995 850 T5 Wagon a couple of months ago only to find out there was a problem with the brakes.
All is well until the car has been driven for approximately 50+ minutes, at which point the brake pedal will become really hard to press. It will still work but just not as it should, it'll take longer to actually stop the car.
It doesn't seem to matter whether I'm driving locally and stopping/starting frequently or if I'm driving on the motorway, either way the problem occurs after close to an hour. After that, if I continue driving, it will occur at seemingly random intervals.

I rang the seller , who in turn rang his Volvo mechanic, to ask if he had any idea what the problem may be. They came back with the possibility that the Booster was buggered.
Since then I have taken it to my mechanic a couple of times to see if I can get it sorted but he's not been able to replicate the problem. He'd rather not order an expensive part such as a Booster until he's sure that's what it is. He's flushed/changed the brake fluid, which was apparently pretty sh*tty , and had hoped that'd solve it. Unfortunately it hasn't. (He isn't charging me for labour until the problem is solved by the way).

Thing is, from everything I've read on this forum, I should be able to hear a hissing sound if it is in fact a Booster problem - correct? But I don't hear anything that sounds like hissing.

Any ideas as to what it could be? Or do you reckon I should just tell him to replace the Booster as that is most likely the problem?

Please bear in mind that I've just been laid off from work so money is tight, otherwise I would have asked the mechanic to replace the Booster already.

Thanks for any help/advice that can be offered.


Craig.

 

I would check/replace the vacuum line from the booster to the motor.
I am thinking it might be getting soft after the hose heats up. Then from the vacuum in the line it is sucking the hose shut causing the issue.

 

Okay, thanks for the quick reply, I'll give that a go.

Cheers.

Craig.

 

Okay, so I had a look, but to be honest I really don't know what I'm looking for. How will I tell if the line needs replacing?

Thanks.

 

I will bet under the battery tray it is pressed pretty thin.
By the motor it is most likely real stiff.

 

I can't seem to find any line under the battery that's pressed thin. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong part, perhaps I should just take it back to the mechanic and pass on your thoughts.

Thanks for your help, it's much appreciated.

 

When was the last brake service performed? Think your pads might just be getting very worn? might be time for some new fluid? Your brakelines may also be at fault if they are getting old and worn and allowed air into the system.

 

Sorry that is my bad. It runs under the air box. It will run in and around the mount for the air box.

 

Good info! I will check this out too, but my brakes are stiff at all times.

 

Thanks for all the advice, not done anything about it yet as they seem to be okay ever since the weather started getting cooler. Hopefully I'll be able to get some cash together and have someone take a look for me.