Usually before I start the car I have my foot on the clutch and brake. Just recently I noticed the brake pedal is very stiff and if I let go of my hand brake, the car starts to roll while my foot is on the brakes.

Anyone know why this is happening? This never happened before till recently.

Driving an '03 6-speed if that helps.

 

did you check your brake fluid level? abs maybe?

 

When the engine if off, the brake pedal becomes much stiffer. There is no longer any vacumn assist on the brakes. That's pretty normal. If you put your foot on the brake pedal and start the car, you will notice that once it starts, engine vacumn builds almost immediately, assist comes on, the pedal will become softer and travel downwards.

Solution is either to step harder (you should not break anything) or keep the parking brake on.

 

I just found it wierd for a few days before starting the engine, the brake was extremely stiff.

Yesterday and today the brake was normally softer as usual before starting the engine.

 

be careful man don't go driving it if your brakes are not working. we would hate to lose a azine member... even worse the death of a CL

 

To get into a little more detail here ...

When you first turn your engine off, the brake booster will retain enough vacumn to assist the brake 1 more push. Once you press it once, that reserve will be used up and the pedal will become stiff (as it is no no longer assisted.) That's normal.

If the pedal becomes stiff on its own when the car is off (and you did not press it that first time), there could be a problem with the 1-way valve between the brake booster (that big round thing which your master cylinder is attached to) or the brake booster itself.

Here's a couple steps you can try to convince yourself how this all works.

1) On level surface, come to a stop. Put parking brake on. Take foot off brake pedal when engine is still running. Kill engine. Now step on your brake once. It should be "soft" and have normal travel. The vacumn reserve in the brake booster is working. Release. Do it again. The second and any subsequent time should be "harder" and have less and less travel. As engine is off, and you have used up the vacumn assist on that first push, it is now all your muscles. Pedal is hard and stiff.

2) After you do (1) above, put your foot on the brake pedal. Start the car. The moment the car starts, vacumn builds almost immediately. The pedal suddenly becomes "softer". Your brake booster is working again.

3) With engine running, car in park, engine at idle, jab your brake hard and fast a couple times. Do you notice a difference in the rpms or idle of the engine? The fluctuations in vacumn may affect the idle, though only slightly.

Hope this helps.

 

For a bit I thought it was a brake problem but its in fact what you just mentioned (1, 2 and 3) happening.

Appreciate the knowledge!