what does a brake booster do?
What Is a Brake Booster? Brake boosters are used only on power brakes, not manual brakes. The booster's function is to give more braking power with minimal pressure on the brake pedal. If the booster is not working properly, you will still have brakes, but the brake pedal will be very hard to push. A brake booster is what gives power brakes their power. It works on vacuum from the engine. The booster pushes on the master cylinder with the pressure applied to the booster by stepping on the brake. If the engine is off, it cannot get vacuum, therefore the brakes will be hard when the engine is off.
A brake booster is an enhanced master cylinder setup used to reduce the amount of pedal pressure needed for braking. It employs a booster set up to act with the master cylinder to give higher hydraulic pressure to the brakes and/or lower force applied on the brake pedal through a brake booster push-rod.