Andrew Rout

Just bought an S550 Mustang, so my old 96 GT has been sitting the past week.

Today I went to take the 96 out for a short ride, and found that the clutch is very stiff and the brake pedals are soft, almost feel like there is air in the lines. The brake fluid level is normal, however. Also, the brake lights flash on when I hit the brakes, and turn back off when I let off the brakes.

Everything was fine when I last drove the car a week or so ago; I'm not sure why these issues would appear just from sitting for a little bit.

Any advice on what to look for, what to check out?

Thanks in advance

Urambo Tauro

Welcome!

How old is the brake fluid? If it's due, might as well change it anyway. I wonder if you might have a bad hose somewhere that's swelling. Couldn't hurt to check the condition of the hoses.

I've also heard that clogged vents on the filler cap can cause a similar issue. Rare, but possible.

Andrew Rout

The brake fluid is a couple years old; I was going to change it soon anyway, so may as well get that taken care of.
I'll check out the hoses and filler cap and then update the thread. Thanks for your time

ZEN357

Check for rusted brake lines and make sure they are not slowly leaking any place.

Andrew Rout

Will definitely do that, but wouldn't that cause the clutch pedal to get soft as well, rather than stiffen up like it has?

Urambo Tauro

Nope. These are cable clutches. Totally separate system from the brakes. The only component they share is a pivot shaft for the pedals.

When the clutch pedal starts to get stiff, it could be a sign that the cable is wearing out, or that there's something wrong in the bellhousing. If you disconnect the cable from the release lever, the cable should move freely on its own. A prybar will help move the release lever to check for binding.

Andrew Rout

Ah, okay. Really strange that these issues happened at the exact same time, although to be fair, I at least had some kind of warning as far as the clutch is concerned. I had a new clutch/flywheel installed a few months ago, and not long after that, every time I pressed the clutch, I felt a slight "clicking" the entire length of the pedal travel.
Going to check the cable now.

I checked the hoses; none appeared to be swollen or leaking (I haven't checked all the brake lines yet though).