Anyone experienced problems with their brake servo in the cold weather? If I park my 1.6 in the garage over night, then the next morning, the breaks are as good as ever. But, if I park outside, then, for the first 100 yds, I have no servo assistance, then it kicks in.

On a run, in the snow this weekend, after several miles of not applying the brakes, I came to a round-about. On braking, the servo did not seem to be working at first until after a few seconds, then the brakes were introduced normally as it kicked in.

On investigation, the servo looks fine. No broken hoses etc. Wondering if something is freezing up, as it was quite cold yesterday in central Scotland.

Anyway, if anyone else has experienced these problems it would be appreciated if you would reply with a possible cure. (2/01)
I would guess that the symptoms you describe are due to rusty brake disk and not due to a brake servo problem. Try to brake hard just before you park the car for the night, this should dry the disks and reduce the problem a bit. (2/01)

Mine do this too if it's damp or the road is wet and I haven't used the brakes for a while. I had just put it down to dampness so I make sure that I apply the brakes well after a morning start up and use them on a run. I seem to remember reading that a change of pads can cure this, but don't take my word for that as I'm still on the Japanese pads that were on my car when I bought it.

Not as bad as an Isetta bubblecar I once had - it's n/s front brake drum would fill up with water in bad rain (puddles near the edge of the road). The o/s one worked fine, so a stab on the brakes nearly turned you round - especially with such a short wheelbase. Soon got used to applying the brakes fairly often to keep them dry! (2/01)
rusty discs ... but there is an option .. which you will find very hard to trace .. many years ago on a quality (not) car beginning with F (and F .. and known as dustbins) .. there was a problem of sticking servos .. the rubber diaphragm inside would stick to the rear shell and not the body .. so first applications on cold mornings give you a 'oh my god .. no brakes' feeling .. which in fact was not true .. just the operator had to use their foot for once (delicate operators!). The solution was to add talcum powder to the rubber .. and bromide .. (as featured on your windscreen wiper blades to stop them juddering) .. and a clip to hold things in place. However the Japanese FMEA would have pick this failure up and so it is unlikely to be your problem ( .. Failure Mode Engineering Analysis if you must know!). .. and to retro introduce the talc/bromide would require it to come from the footwell... (2/01)
Another possibility is the non-return valve in the the servo hose to the manifold. If that isn't working correctly the servo won't retain a vacuum properly and won't work. (2/01)
Mine did this with the Japanese "KEEN" pads, and a previous Roadster with unknown green competition pads was even worse. A change to EBC Greenstuff has cured this completely. (2/01)