so i recently had an 88 xj6 given to me and the brakes suck! they are hard and dont stop well. the message center on the dash is saying low brake pressure and anti-lock failure. i looked at the master cylinder and it doesnt look like a hydroboost system so im wondering why its saying low pressure. im sure others have had this problem. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks, ian

 

My old '88 did a same problem as well. I sold it as is ,I was told I had to replace master cylinder and ABS components which is pretty $$$$$ .
If you are driving it as your daily commuter please get it fixed soon otherwise you may involve in an accident

 

Yikes, mine is doing that too! Same two messages on my VCM! My brakes are hard to push but I need new pads as well. Still I'm afraid when I get new pads installed, I'll still have the brake pressure issue. I just got this car and I'm falling in love with it but I wonder every day what I'm getting myself into!

 

You have a hydraulic booster on this system, it uses jag specific mineral oil. The tank for the oil is located in the passenger front corner under the hood. You need to start by checking that there is fluid in there. Also that your brake fluid is at the proper level.

 

Thanks! I know that my regular brake fluid is at the proper level but I haven't checked the mineral oil and I didn't even know that was associated. As soon as its done raining I'll go check! Thanks again!

 

how do you check the fluid in the reservoir for the booster? its solid green so you cant see in it and i cant get the cap where the lines go into it off. (of course i didnt want to try too hard at risk of breaking it).