[DML] Re: "normal" brake feel

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Mon, 8 Nov 1999, saintern wrote:

> -here's a question.....are the brakes on the delorean a little weak by
> nature?...It seems I realy gotta press down to get the car car to stop

No. The DeLorean brakes are quite good, especially by the standards of
the time. If your pedal is "spongy" you probably have one of two
problems. First, the standard brake hoses get soft with time and stretch
when you step on the brake. Second, if you haven't changed the brake
fluid in a few years, it can effectively "wear out" - getting contaminated
with water, air bubbles, and other things that don't belong. Either of
these can cause spongy brakes. The replacement for the second is easy -
replace your fluid with new DOT 4 brake fluid. The first one requires
replacing the brake lines with new braided stainless ones.

> any ideas? Plus, would a total brake job be doable at home or just have
> PJ Grady do it?

How much of a mechanic are you? The DeLorean brakes are fairly standard
disc brakes and if you can do a brake job on any disc brake car, you can
do one on the DeLorean. Of course, certain tasks like turning the rotors
need to be left to the properly equipped professional shops.