serious brake issue
 

New to the forum and in need of serious help! I have a 2004 sebring sedan with the 2.4 engine. Vehicle is equipped with rear drum brakes. We purchased the vehicle about a year ago. During that test drive my g/f said she thought the brake pedal was very soft but otherwise she loved the car. After making the purchase I took the car home and serviced it from front to back. I replaced the front pads and rotors, serviced the rear brakes and adjusted them. She then told me the pedal was better. 2 months ago she began saying the pedal gets very soft at times and the car will not stop. She had to use the emergency brake once to avoid a crash! I then drove the car and did not find anything wrong. As a precaution I replaced the master cylinder and completely flushed the system with new fluid. The pedal seemed better for a week or so then she said it started acting up again. Up until now I never experienced the problem. When driving the vehicle I came to a stop in traffic and while sitting there the pedal softens and lowers and the car rolls forward. When the brakes are applied again the vehicle stops and this continues until the pedal is at the floor. I checked the brake booster and wheel cylinders for leaks. Everything is in working order and adjusted properly. I then took the vehicle to the shop and paid $85 for the brakes to be evaluated and flushed. I got the vehicle back and it is still doing the same thing! I am at the end of my rope with this vehicle and I'm deathly afraid to have any kind of trust in the brakes. Can anyone help me?????

brake
 

I have a 2004 that had a similar problem. I turned out to be the multi block/module for the ABS underneath the vehicle.
Took a chance a got one of ebay for £80. Its been ok for several years now.

I will check into that today! Is there a way to test it or anything? At this point all I can do is throw a part at it.

Hi, I had new discs and pads fitted new fluid through out, a brake master cylinder all to no avail. The unit/module was the only thing left.
To help identify it, my unit has either 4 or 6 brake ipe unions in it

module
 

Genuine Chrysler Voyager 2000-2004 ABS Brake Control Module Pump P04721765AA | eBay

this was similar to my faulty module

After looking at the car I found that it does not have abs brakes. I located the proportioning valve under the front of the vehicle though. Can this block be removed and rebuilt?? I'm wondering if anyone has done this or attempted it. This is def my problem as it is preventing me from getting fluid to the rear wheels which in turn causes the low brake pedal height. If it cant be overhauled I guess its time to search for a new one.

Yes it an be removed. As for "rebuilding", you are better off seeking a replacement. You'll need to bleed the entire system after installing the new one. I had the same problem on my 2001: no rear brakes. Replacement of the proportioning valve solved the problem.

I won't tell you anything new when I say that brake fluids are "hydrostatic" I guess.

DOT4 fluid assimilates water; as well as any other brake fluid. As you have stated, no brake fluid has been leaking out of the system, and you've been flushing the system.

The response of the ABS system usually has nothing to do with the break fluid, since it counts the revelations between the different wheels (else you get an ABS error; correct me if I'm wrong) and opens the ventiles, then. --A soft pedal will not (or might not) point out to a malfunction of ABS but either the brake cylinders or the main brake cylinder, which is in my opinion too early for a 2004 car (except it was unconditionally being driven in moist areas.) There are no hidden or unknown issues about brake fluids unless you have checked everything but the fluid itself.

You may do a task which is quite easy if you have a thermometer of the old style: Go boil some of your brake fluid which you pull out from the upper reservior on a stove and check when it starts boiling: DOT4 (as we use it in our cars) boils at 230°C (or for the US: at 446F); any boling before might lead to this what you experience: You seem to have air in your brake system which comes from boiing.

Maybe it helps you. There is no loose of breaking power when the fluid initially is ok but break power disappears after you're driving it for a while. A reason could be that you have a non sliding brake clam which would boil the fluid in your brake system. Use copper paste, then.

I guess my posting is obsolete. I didn't know there have been sold Sebrings without ABS. ...
For my owns understanding; I once had a rental Intrepid in Canada without ABS in 2001; so I figure there might have been some Sebrings w/o ABS anyway...

I have no clue what could be different on those cars w/o ABS; maybe the brake systems are different...

Today I replaced the brake proportioning valve because it was not allowing fluid to the rear of the car. After installing the new one I have fully functional rear brakes and flushed 64 ounces of new fluid through the system.

Now when I have a new problem. When driving about 15 mph and lightly applying the brakes the pedal will go to the floor. when this happens the rear brakes do not apply at all and the left front tire locks up. I am thinking that the right front tire is not applying brakes either because the car pulls hard left. If I apply hard braking the car if just fine. Now I am clueless!!!!!!