"duckbill" <ltcauth13@nospam.cs.com> wrote in message
news:d43a9547f5828c97f632121410bc0e6d@localhost.ta lkaboutautos.com...
> Over the past few weeks the brake pedal on my 95 Civic Ex (195,000
> miles)with ABS would sometimes sink a little at stoplights and statrted
> feeling a little funny the first time I applied them lightly in the
> morning. My first thought was to bleed the brakes. And, while bleeding the
> brake pedal yesterday, I lost all pressure and the brake pedal
> consistently
> went to the floor. I had placed a piece of wood under the pedal so the
> brake stroke would be the same. The search feature of this wonderful forum
> led me to purchasing a master cylinder. The problem is now fixed.
> What I don't understand is how a master cylinder could fail so
> completely because you have two seperate hydraulic brake systems? When my
> pedal went to the foor, it meant I had lost both of these brake systems.
> There were no external leaks, and I never had to add brake fluid. Had one
> of my brake systems failed a while back and I was not aware of it? Thanks
> in advace of any thoughts on the issue.
>
Probably off course on this one, but wanted to make sure... you have been
using Honda brake fluid? Other brands may not be compatible, in which case
you can get that happening. It happened to me when I had a Lotus with the
old Girling brakes and let the parts guy at Western Auto convince me all
brake fluids were the same. The fluid attacked the seals starting with the
secondary seal between the two halves of the cylinder... it had fluid on
both sides. When the primary seal failed the pedal went right to the floor.

Otherwise, I agree replacing the master cylinder was the cure one way or the
other.

Mike