Brakes delayed failure after crossing ford

Only thing I can think of is the brake line has cracked in icy water. If you have lost total brakes then there is obviously a complete loss of compression in the hydraulic fluid. Brakes don't fail like this unless there is already a big problem.

I suspect a botched repair at some point and the weather/conditions have found it out.
 
sovietspybob said:
Did the brake pedal go right the way down to the floor or did you feel resistance at the normal point but nothing happened?
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It felt like pushing the clutch pedal. I know it wasn't, because my left foot was on the clutch pedal, and I'm not *that* bad a driver :p But that was how it felt, no resistance apart from the kind of springiness that a clutch pedal has.
 
Could be a number of things obviously but sounds like either there is air in the brake system or for whatever reason one of your calipers pistons was pushed back in further than normal so you pressed the brakes once which pushed it back out but needed another pump of the pedal to pressurise the system to actually have any braking effect.

Either way get the braking system checked over by someone you trust, i'd also not go through insurance and just get a new wheel on eBay or a scrap yard and polish the wing yourself.
 
Not sure if it's been mentioned but it could have possibly been the ABS. When the ABS kicks in you do hear a kind of grinding noise and the pedal will go to the floor. If the ABS was engaged as soon as you touched the brakes then it is possible that you would have no braking effort, as it controls the brake pressure by maintain, decrease, increase. So it would be maintaining 0 brake pressure.

It's just a thought anyway, it's possible a wheel speed sensor has been damaged in the ford or water into wiring somewhere.
 
Some pics.

http://imgur.com/a/nBwKQ

A chap from work said the wheel was sufficiently damaged to fail an MOT, but it doesn't look all that bad to me... apart from the fact that it's now 50% organic :p

As suggested, I'll take it to someone who can look it over and check it out. Needs a service anyhow.
 
Or the two things are entirely unrelated. You went through a ford, no damage was done and the brakes were fine. Then you tried to stop later, lost traction and the ABS kicked in.
 
^^ I'm with something happening with the ABS as that directly affects the pedal pressure. So either the electrical connection getting screwed up, or the hall effect sensor got something (likely water) on it which impacted readings.

Normally, when brakes get saturated the effect is the brakes being ineffective rather than lack of pressure at the pedal.

Also, as Gex says the roads looks wet... are you sure you didn't skid, and you felt the pulsing from the ABS? (are those your skid marks?)
 
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While we are having random guesses... maybe the ford screwed up the ABS sensor so when you next applied the brakes it detected a locked wheel (or wheels) and went into full brake pulsing mode (the grinding) giving you very little retardation. Said sensor then dried out, got cleared of crud, sparked back into life etc. resulting in your brakes now working fine.

EDIT - Just seen the pictures OF A ROAD COVERED IN MUD! Mud is slippery as hell when wet. I'd now put money on just a regular activation of the ABS due to the surface.
 
lordrobs said:
While we are having random guesses... maybe the ford screwed up the ABS sensor so when you next applied the brakes it detected a locked wheel (or wheels) and went into full brake pulsing mode (the grinding) giving you very little retardation. Said sensor then dried out, got cleared of crud, sparked back into life etc. resulting in your brakes now working fine.

EDIT - Just seen the pictures OF A ROAD COVERED IN MUD! Mud is slippery as hell when wet. I'd now put money on just a regular activation of the ABS due to the surface.
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would have thought you'd have an ABS light on.
 
is it old style servo assisted ? could the servo or any of its piping have been full of water ? could you have mistaken no servo assist for no brakes ? (many do)
 
Had aomething similar before xmas. Just breaking normally towards traffic lights i drive through virtually every day. Car just skidded 100% for a long way and my nose overshot the line ( i breaked early) . I was like wt.....

just bad conditions and your car can easily go jnto a slide.
 
FoxEye said:
It felt like pushing the clutch pedal. I know it wasn't, because my left foot was on the clutch pedal, and I'm not *that* bad a driver :p But that was how it felt, no resistance apart from the kind of springiness that a clutch pedal has.
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Being a little pedantic but:eek:
 
Have you driven it at all since extracting it from the hedge and if so did the brakes work afterwards??
 
lordrobs said:
No need for any more guesses, look at the state of that road!
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That's a normal road down here. Perhaps the photos make it look worse than it is. It's not "covered in mud", where the tyres would run is just wet tarmac.

I guess the photos are misleading.
 
Kenai said:
Surely it would be easy enough to at least skim the guys posts and see he's already answered that question?
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I did read it
I didn't see it..

Having gone through it again and now seen it I would have to say then it is the ABS that has kicked in due to either a crappy surface or unloaded tyre. Pedal has sank as the ABS continued.

easiest way to test the theory is to find a bit of a wide section of tarmac (carpark) hang a hard right and stamp on the brakes. the unloaded right rear will lift causing the ABS to cut in and the dude can feel the similarities.
If that matches what he felt during the hedge incident then he stop worry because it was likely nothing whatso ever to do with the ford.
 
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Looks fine to be fair. Take it into a garage get them to check wheel/tyre, alignment, and the front suspension. Oh and the brakes. You'll be fine ;)
 
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