Volvo Brake Master Cylinder - FTE 8111005

The master cylinder of most vehicles is a critical control device for your vehicle's braking system. Your Volvo’s brake master cylinder converts the force of your foot on the brake pedal into hydraulic force on the braking system. The master cylinder is made up of the primary and secondary reservoir, and the primary and secondary pistons. Along with the help of your brake booster this component provides the braking hydraulic pressure that is responsible for stopping your vehicle.

When you apply pressure to the brake pedal of your vehicle, pressure builds up in the master cylinder, and this pressure causes the secondary piston to compress the brake fluid in its circuit. The master cylinder controls two circuits, each circuit controlling two of the car's wheels. If your master cylinder has a leak in one of the two circuits, only two of the car's wheels will have the pressure needed to brake, and the car's braking ability will be severely reduced.

With age, brake master cylinders can have internal seals break causing catastrophic leaks. Without pressure on the hydraulic brake fluid your Volvo will simply fail to stop. If braking performance is down on your high mileage Volvo this could be the root cause of the failure.

Common Failure Symptoms:

• No brake pressure at your pedal
• Spongy brake pedal
• Internal Fluid Leaks
• External Fluid Leaks
• Loss of brake Fluid