Re: 5KSQ Brake Warning Light

[Robert Houk - SMCC Bos Desktop Hardware <rdh@UrQ.East.Sun.COM>]

   The pressure accumulator, if that is the problem can be obtained from 
   Linda for consideraly less than the $400 mentioned below.  A bit ofer 
   $200 as I recal (if you call 50-60 a bit).  A hour of labor is about right.

   With a totally shot PA neither brakes nor steering work right.

As I recall (on my '83 UrQ; YMMV), the power-steering wasn't noticeably
affected...

   The definitive test for a bad PA:  Run the engine for a couple of minutes 
   ...

Or...whilst driving on open highway with *NO* traffic, try "standing on"
the brakes (i.e., brake RealHardRightNow -- not a "panic stop" [where you're
trying to pull the steering off off the column], but not a casual stop
either). If the car *instantly* decelerates hard, and continues to decelerate
at the same hard rate, your PA is probably OK. If the pedal initially seems
to do nothing, and the car continues to cruise along, then gradually the
pedal seems to depress and the car gradually starts to decelerate, building
up to a hard deceleration, then your PA is shot. Carried to the extreme,
you try to "panic stop" (someone just cut you off / a kid's ball suddenly
rolls into the street in front of you and you didn't even know there was
a kid in the neighborhood / etc.), and *nothing happens*, and you OHMIGOD
PANICSTOP and then the brakes come on and all four wheels lock up and
everyone looks at you like you're a total effing idiot (elapsed time under
one second...), then your PA[nts] need to be replaced.

					-RDH

It occurs to me -- another test: run the engine, turn wheels, pump brakes,
etc. and so forth. TURN OFF ENGINE; pop off the resevoir cap; the fluid
level should be "empty" (for practical purposes). As you pump the brakes
30-50 times (engine is still *OFF*), the resevoir should gradually fill
up as you empty the working PA of fluid. If it doesn't, after 60 pumps of
the brake pedal, fill up the resevoir and repeat until you can determine
whether or not the PA is properly accumulating its cup or so of hydraulic
fluid.