First time post on this forum - hi

99 Concorde LXi w/ 182k on it. I start it up this morning outside in the cold (15F). I notice that the brake pedal is solid, won't move. After I start the engine, there is a little give in the pedal, then a bit more and then the sound of hissing air. (I assumed that something had frozen)

I feel around in the dark and can feel what seems like a hole in the bellows at the fire wall.

I abandon car and take my wifes van to work.

Looking at the problem this evening (30F) and I note that the bellows seem a normal shape until the pedal is pushed, and then a gap appears between the bellows and the firewall and the hissing sound starts. the bellows don't appear to be ripped.

I am assuming there is a vacuum problem, but is it likely that I have just dislocated the bellows, or does it sound like a more serious problem?

thanks

 

the bellows is nothing more than a dust boot. probably have icing on the diaphragm. Get yourself a high school auto shop text book and have a look at how a brake booster works. Education is a powerful tool. the more you know the (potentially) more you're worth.

 

Indeed.

When I replaced the booster cylinder, it must have been 1/4 full of water. No doubt froze and I ripped a diaphragm when I operated it in the cold.