Brakes on fiat Ducato 2005

[Liam Williams]

The brakes on my 2005 fiat ducats campervan are loosing air pressure any suggestions what the problem might be.

[Derek Uzzell]

Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, Liam.

 

The following link is to a longish article advising on troubleshooting brake-related problems.

 

https://haynes.com/en-gb/tips-tutorials/troubleshooting-common-brake-issues-and-causes

 

I’m guessing that the problem you have is that, when the brake-pedal is depressed, the pedal has a ‘soft’ feel to it, or that the pegal is ‘firm’ to begin with but then continues to move downwards and the pedal needs to be ‘pumped’ to stop this happening.

 

When was the brake-fluid last changed, as this should really be done every two years?

 

If the brake-fluid is newish and there is no sign of a brake-fluid leak (ie. the fluid-level in the reservoir does not fall) there may be a problem with the brake master cylinder. If the brake-fluid level is falling, check for a leak.

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

Liam Williams - 2019-07-20 11:17 PM

 

The brakes on my 2005 fiat ducats campervan are loosing air pressure any suggestions what the problem might be.

You say "losing air pressure". Are you perhaps referring to the brake servo system, meaning that you are finding you have to use significantly higher brake pedal pressure for the brakes work? (The servo actually operates on vacuum, not on pneumatic pressure.) If you are sure the symptoms Derek describes above are not the cause, it might be that the vacuum pump, the connecting vacuum line, or the servo itself, are leaking.

 

If you are uncertain how the system is arranged, I think it would be wise to get it professionally checked as soon as possible. I once had a car that suffered a failed servo diaphragm, so there was no servo assistance at all to the brakes. Trying to stop it without the servo frightened the hell out of me, so I can't imagine what the effect would be on a 3.5 tonne van!!