need help with malibu

2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU
179,000 MILES
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DPRIM1
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  • 1 POST
we have a 2005 chevy malibu it has done this twice. The brake gets very hard to push and it acts the emergency brake is on. you have to push on the gas hard to make it go. It you let it rest for about an hour it started working again.
Jun 17, 2012 at 11:28 PM
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CARADIODOC
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 34,321 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Look at the rubber bladder seal under the reservoir cap. If it is blown up and mushy, so are the lip seals in the master cylinder. That is caused by the brake fluid being contaminated with a petroleum product.

The next time the brakes seem to apply by themselves, loosen the steel lines at the master cylinder to see if the brakes release.
Jun 17, 2012 at 11:46 PM
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