intermittent hard brake pedal vw passatt

[shane.hutchinso]

hi i"m hoping someone out there can help,i have an 02 1,9 tdi passatt with an intermittent hard brake pedal,have changed both servo pipes that run through the bulkhead and the small pipe that runs to the small pressure valve.have checked that the vac pump is sucking,none of the brakes seem to be sticking.am now starting to loose ideas it can be fine for days and the next minute hard pedal and no brakes,i!m being drawn to the servo but have done the tests engine off pump pedal go"s hard ,start engine pedal go"s down ,any ideas would be great cheers,,,,,

[snapdragon]

It can be water ingress into the servo caused by rusting of the seam of it's casing and the continual internal vacuum drawing water in. This is far worse if the plenum chamber drains are blocked and it floods.

[shane.hutchinso]

i must admit there was some brown water in the servo pipes when i changed them.what is the plenum chamber and many thanks for the reply,,,

[passing]

If you have got water in the servo causing this problem - please report it to VOSA before you fix it. Only if enough people do this will VOSA have enough evidence to lean on VW and get them to do the right thing.
Oh and let BBC watchdog know - they did a good job with Renault Clios and the bonnet secondary catch.

[Panzerdriver]

If you use the search facility on this forum you will find lots of info regarding this particular problem.

You will need to look at this as a safety critical issue as there have been incidents of other Passat owners losing their brakes while at speed due to internal damage to the servo from rusting.

The root cause of this problem will have been a drain under the battery tray which has become blocked or still has a grommet fitted. Either way the blockage will need to be cleared, it does sound as if you will need to replace your servo as there is no way to repair them.

Sorry there is no easy way around this i'm afraid, it is a common fault but you do need to look at giving VW some grief as your car may have had a recall notice that was not carried out.

Have a good read on the other threads regarding this problem.

[geoffdragon]

VOSA's reply to my notification after the servo failed read along the lines of " failure of the servo does not take the car out of the safety regulation requirements ! "
VW told them that they will be writing to dealers and owners, stressing the importance of keeping the drainage holes clear.
At the same time VW wrote to me saying the water in the servo could not have come from a flooded plenum chamber ?
Watchdog have not replied to my complaint.
My dispute continues.

[snapdragon]

I have just complained to Watchdog too http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/
I don't watch it but if it helps them, all the better.

[passing]

I have just complained to Watchdog too http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/
I don't watch it but if it helps them, all the better.

watchdog don't reply but if enough of us make a concerted effort they will hopefully take notice. A spectacular incident would help I guess but that would involve risk to life and limb in this case. For that matter I wonder if there have been any that the police investigation have not fully explained ?

Same I guess with VOSA keep telling them what is happening.

[rachris12]

I've heard this problem of water in the Servo can draw water into the engine causing engine damage, is this true?
Also where is the best place to get a new or used servo from for a Passat tdi sport 2000 atj engine and are all servo's the same on the B5 passats?
Any advice welcome

[martin1810]

It's highly unlikely that water could enter the servo and get into the engine. You can buy a new servo from a motor factor. Try Euro car parts or GSF. VW may not be that expensive if you ring around.