My 1982 Oldsmobile Toronado (about 138,000 miles) has been having some braking issues for a couple years (it gets driven sporadically). When I come to a stop, the pedal would feel fairly normal initially, then as the car slows to a stop, the pedal "fades" (suddenly sinks about an inch, then "firms up" again...simultaneously, the car would (for a split second) have decreased braking, then would return to normal. This hasn't bothered me too much (figured it was due to an old/worn power brake booster); however, recently, while coming to a slow stop at my driveway, the pedal became hard and the car wouldn't stop...so I pushed even harder...I heard a "clunk" sound, then the pedal worked...the car stopped...but the dashboard "brake" light came on for a brief second (Note: this doesn't seem like a worn Master Cylinder...because the pedal will "firm up" eventually...and not continue to fade all the way to the floor the way a worn master cylinder problem would do) When I parked in my driveway, I checked the fluid...it was okay. I'm thinking this may still be a problem with the power brake booster...but I'm not sure...does anyone have an idea what this might be?
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