2000 Dodge Neon No Brakes!!

[fritcr]

A friend has a 2000 Dodge Neon and her brakes are acting very strange. Sometimes it seems to have a pretty good pedal and stops then at other times you put on the brakes and they go nearly to the floor. It also Pulls to the left really hard. I bled all of the lines and no luck. I put a caliper on the left side and it made no difference. I'm more of a GM guy and have never worked on a Dodge before. I have a feeling it is the Master Cylinder but I don't want to tell her that and have her buy it if that's not what it is. I want to be pretty sure. She is a single mom with 2 teenager kids and she can't afford to take it somewhere. I worked on it all afternoon and it is still doing the same thing. The brake is very spongy and also we live on gravel and if you put the brakes on on this gravel road the left front wheel will lock up right away.
Does anyone have a clue what might be wrong?
Rob

[yale329]

Unless you see a oil drip or your cyliders are smoking, it is not that.
Check for vacume leals to the booster. All cars are the same.
Best of luck, Wayne

[fritcr]

Why would the brake booster make one wheel lockup? I guess I can kinda see the pedal and never knowing how much braking power you will have but it is not sending the correct pressure to all 4 wheels.
Rob

[xavier007]

master cylinder. If the seals are gone inside, it will allow not enough pressore to one side. This will also cause a soft pedal sometimes but not all of the time. Try pinching off brake line on the left front and see how your pedal is. Then try the right front if no change replace the master cylinder.

[yale329]

agree wih the master cylinder some what, but I question why it is pulling to one side. Are you sure you bled the brakes properly and is it not possiible a front calper is sticking.
Best of luck

[fritcr]

Thanks guys, it was the Master Cylinder. That fixed it up.
Rob