Took the car in for re-inspection, and it passed…. but brakes were still really soft and mushy.
Did some reading about the master cylinder and that sounded like it could be the culprit, even though my VIN wasn’t under recall. Went ahead and got a new master cylinder anyway, installed, and sucked a 32oz container of new brake fluid through the system. Nice clean fluid at all four wheels. Still mushy. Had my son help me bleed the brakes the old-fashioned way (not with the vacuum kit). Still mushy.
Last thought was the brake booster. Checked the vacuum hose and it looked good. With the car running, disconnected the vacuum line, and within a few pumps, the brakes became very stiff. Reconnected the vacuum line and right back to mushy brakes. Repeated a few times – stiff/mushy/stiff/mushy.
Has anyone had this happen or know of a fix? Thanks in advance!
