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Old 01-10-2019, 09:03 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
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How to check the hydraulic brakes

Hi guys, so I bought an International Navistar 2001 school bus with hydraulic brakes. I am in OR the bus is in AZ, the owner is working with me on payments and giving me some time to pay it off and make arrangements to pick it up. what I am wondering is how I can ask him to check the hydraulic brakes to make sure they are good adequate and not leaking, without bringing it to a mechanic. Can you tell me the best ways to check on your own, I found some stuff on Youtube about pumping the brakes, I just wanted to see if there was anything else? Thanks

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Old 01-10-2019, 11:10 PM   #2
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If it's always lived in Arizona it shouldn't have the rust issues we see up here in the Great White North so the brake lines should be in good shape. Pumping the brake pedal will tell you if there is air in the lines. Other potential problems could include worn pads, warped rotors, seized calipers, and contaminated brake fluid.

If the seller knows his stuff he may be able to check it out for you, otherwise a brake shop would be the place to go.
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Old 01-11-2019, 06:05 AM   #3
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pictures can go a long way.. most hydraulic brakes are disc.. so taking digital pictures of the caliper and pads and rotors can tell you visually how much lkining there is left.. you can also see if there are leaks around the flexible lines / and or caliper pistons / bleeder valves.. pics of the master cylinder will show if theres fluid leakage in that area.. and in general under-carriage pics show whether brake line rust is an issue..



have the seller take LOTS of pics of everythinbg underneath and around the brake system.. zip them up and drop box them for you..

-Christopher
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Old 01-11-2019, 07:41 AM   #4
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And if it is Hydro on a bus it will very likely have some sort of booster. Either vacuum or (more likely) Hydroboost. Make sure to check out that part of the system as well.
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