"Brakes" light, no brakes; '86

When I pulled into a parking lot last night and hit the brakes, they made a "phssssh" sound and the pedal went to the floor. The "Brakes" light on the dash came on. I had to drive the car home 15 miles with no brakes, using the tranny to stop. That really sucks in an automatic when the speed limit is 55.

Anyway, the cylinder has full fluid. No leaks, lines screwed tight. I had noticed the brakes didn't work well, and seemed to have a lot of pressure behind the pedal. And if I stopped on dirt, I would skid right before the complete stopping point, just for that second. They did feel "tight" all the time. But they were noiseless and didn't pull to one side drastically. I say that because it needs a tie rod on one side, so it pulls anyway.

If the cylinder was blown, wouldn't it be leaking?

Ok, re-drove the car. My "no leaks" turned into a leak. I had to pump the brakes to find it. At the front passenger side where the brake line comes down to the caliper, there is a metal bracket that holds the flexible line in place (above the bleeder). That was frayed right at the top of the bracket, and upon removing the bracket and moving the line, the fray came apart, and the fluid came pouring.

You will need to replace the line to the caliper. They are a little expensive and you will need a coupling wrench to change it. DO NOT pump your brakes or even push the pedal as you will empty the master cylinder and that will cause a whole lot of problems you may not want to deal with. All you need to do is remove the old line from the back of the caliper, and remove it at the bracket. Replace it with a new one and bleed the brakes, remember to fill the master cylinder before you attempt to bleed the line and the brake on that side. They make one person bleeder kits but get someone to help you so you can control the process. Once the line is bled (free of air bubbles) tighten the bleeder screw, refill the master cylinder and give it a drive. It should work OK. You also may want to check the line on the other side as it may be bad too.