Poor brake pedal

I have a 1995 Volvo 440 1.6 petrol that has been laid up since March 2015. The brakes were fine until it was laid up. Now, with the engine running, if I press the brake pedal, it goes down a couple of inches before the brakes work.

I fitted a master cylinder I bought from ebay and made sure all of the pipes are tight. I replaced the brake fluid using Dot 4 type and bled the system, but the play is still there. The servo seems OK as the pedal goes hard with the engine off and drops a bit when I switch on. I can’t find any leaks anywhere and the fluid level does not drop. Steve Wooldridge If the pedal is firm with the engine off and the servo not operating, it sounds as though the hydraulic system is working correctly. As the vehicle has been laid up for some time, it may be that the brake discs have corroded. Once it’s driven, the surface corrosion should clean off – this will allow the pedal to drop slightly until the pads have fully cleaned the surface area.

I would clamp off each brake hose to see if this affects the travel on the brake pedal. If one hose alters the travel on the brake pedal by a greater amount than the other it will indicate an area that requires attention, possibly a caliper piston that is drawing in air. However, even if clamping off the brake hoses makes no difference to the travel, then it may still be a problem with the master cylinder or servo. If you have the services of an assistant, it would also be worth checking that no air bubbles are present in the master cylinder reservoir when pumping the brake, indicating a faulty master cylinder.