The master cylinder on your vehicle is the component that distributes and pressurizes the hydraulic brake fluid that causes your brakes to react when you step on the brake pedal. A bad master cylinder can severely compromise your braking system. Visually inspecting your master brake cylinder for signs of leakage is a good idea, but a visual inspection will not always reveal a master brake cylinder that is going bad. Applying the brakes and paying attention to specific symptoms can tell you if you need to have your master brake cylinder inspected and possibly replaced.
Instructions
- 1
Pop the hood of your car and inspect the master brake cylinder. This is typically positioned just in front of the steering wheel on your vehicle and often connects to a dome-shaped component on the back wall of your engine compartment called a brake booster.
2Look for any signs of leaking brake fluid. If your master brake cylinder is leaking, you will notice fluid streaming from where the cylinder connects to the brake booster. A leaking master brake cylinder should be replaced immediately.
3Close the hood and seat yourself behind the wheel of the vehicle. Apply the brakes. If the master cylinder is functioning properly, the brake pedal will depress to a certain depth and no further. If, however, the brake continues to slowly depress, then you know youve got a problem.
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