My son's 1994 940T has brakes that seem to be much softer than my older 1985 740 with the dual piston Bendix calipers.

If I push twice as hard on my 740 I get twice the braking power. On his 940 they seem to only increase the braking power slightly when pushing twice as hard. Is this normal for a 940T ? Perhaps their is some air in the lines. The service records show that the brake fluid was replaced at the dealer at 120,000 miles (I bought it at 124,000)

Both cars have new Volvo brake pads and new Brembo rotors. I had also cleaned and lubricated the caliper slide pins when the pads and rotors got changed.

They work fine otherwise, I am wondering if there is a problem with the master cylinder or the calipers, or even air in the lines.

Thanks for any info.

R Duke

You might try flushing all the old brake fluid out and replacing it with new. If you haven't done this for a few years, it could make a world of difference. Over time the brake fluid absorbs water, and hard braking can boil the water, causing air and water to be suspended in the fluid. Not good for solid braking.

The brakes on my 945T are and always have been the worst part of the car. You have described the way mine feel. They stop ok, but the feel is terrible and mushy. The best feeling brakes that I have ever had are on a BMW e12 528i (1979-1981). They have honest 4 pot calipers up front and two pot calipers in the rear. Those are good brakes that can be modulated at any pressure level.

I hope you find something to make yours better and share it with us.

Be safe,
Chris

Chris,

That's interesting that yours have the same mushy feel that mine have. Perhaps it is somewhat normal on a 940. The older 740 brakes really grab if you press them. In fact, when my son drove my car recently, he commented on how much easier mine would brake than his 940.

R Duke

I’m told that Teflon/stainless steel brake lines really help firm-up the brake feel by eliminating flex inherent to rubber lines. While I have no personal experience with them, I’m going to give them a try – I’m starting to see cracking on the front rubber lines on my 945T.

IPD and FCP Groton sell them at quite reasonable prices.

Jeff Pierce
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'93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece -- sold to a loving home), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow

Hmmmm.

My 1987 745T originally had the small (10.25" diameter) rotors. I upgraded to the Big (11.25" diameter) rotors, and finally to the 940/960 (11" diameter, 1" thick rotors). Both the Big and the Jumbo rotors provide outstanding brakes. I can't really tell much difference between the two. Although I have never had much warping trouble with the 700 series, the Jumbo Rotors are most resistant to warping.
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john

Does your '85 have ABS? When pressing hard on the pedal, the 940's ABS system will not let the wheels lock up but will allow some pressure to bleed off the wheel in question to keep the wheel turning and in contact with the pavement. This feel can be misinterpreted as a lack of braking but is really the maximum amount of braking power being applied to the wheels before they would otherwise lock-up. Find a nice empty area (abandoned parking lot?) and see how far it takes the 2 cars to come to a complete stop from a moderate speed (30 mph?) with you standing on the brake pedal. I would suspect the 940 would stop in a shorter distance due to it's newer system. If not, the ABS system should probably be checked out.
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Bob Kraushaar '94 945T, '91 940T(retired), '88 240, '84 242Ti, '94 F-150, '88 300TE, '89 560 SL, '68 Shelby GT-500 KR

My 85 740 does not have ABS and the brakes used to lock up quite easily until I put new rotors and bushings on the front end.

My 940 does have the ABS, but it is not likely the ABS is kicking in at the braking level I am talking about. Perhap I will let the dealer check them.

R Duke