Hello,
My wagon is having problems braking. It does fine when i first start to brake, but i hear a hissing sound under the dash as if it's losing vacuum pressure. then the "power" goes out of the braking and i have to really press down on the brake pedal to get it to stop. i've rebuilt the vacuum pump, checked all the vacuum lines and believe i've traced the leak to the power booster. what do you guys think? is it just a simple replacement of the brake booster? anyone have the same experience as i have?

 

The power brake booster is just that: a booster. It sounds like there is a leak in the diaphragm and the only cure is to replace it.

I would look in a junk yard for one of these. There appear to be lots of these old 123 cars around and the booster are all the same. They can be a sort of a pain to change but they do not take any special tools to swap out.

You will still have manual brakes until this is repaired. Just remember to start stopping a long time before you used too.

Sam

 

Any tips on removing the brake booster? Do I have to pull the speedometer/ odometer to get to the bolts that hold the booster to the firewall?