weird brake issue

[e53sg]

I parked on a steep decline, and afterwards the pedal goes down like there is no power brake booster and it feels like the master cylinder is bottoming out. Little to no brakes. I checked the fluid after getting it level, and it is just above the low level line. I'm wondering if on the decline I got some air in the lines & if bleeding the brakes would resolve the issue.

Any ideas?

[andrewwynn]

More likely you busted a brake line. See the threads about the topic

[e53sg]

I'm not seeing any leaks or fluid drops. Usually when the fluid is low, it is due to pad wear. I'm going to check the pads, and look at replacing as well as bleeding.

[andrewwynn]

Did you get the red brake light? (Low fluid will do that) if you got some air in the system you will get spongy brake

[e53sg]

no red brake lights on dash.

[g300d]

You could have a dead booster due to oil contamination from the vacuum pump.

You can check by pulling the vacuum line and checking for oil there.

[andrewwynn]

If the pedal feels spongy especially with car not running air in the line is suspect.

[e53sg]

it does feel spongy with the engine not running.

[bcredliner]

I would fill the reservoir to the proper level, start the engine then push hard on the brake pedal to see if it fades to the floor. If it fades at all I would pump the brakes and do the same things a few times. After that I would check the brake fluid level. If the level has gone down I would use a bright flashlight and look for a leak. If the fluid remains at the full mark I would try bleeding the brakes with a pressure bleeder. Low brake pedal due to pad wear is gradual rather than all at once.

[andrewwynn]

Also low fluid won't cause spongy feeling. I once got a low fluid light from parking nose down but wasn't low enough to get air into the system. If you can push the pedal lower once it firms up either there is air or something rubber is expanding such as the brake hose. If somehow managed to fail in a way it inflated like a balloon but didn't break.