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Sat Oct 03, 2009 1:53 pm

Hi guys. Got a 71 Westy with front disc brakes. Bus was sitting for 16 years so I replaced every piece of brake system I could except the proportionary valve. New everything down to hard lines. Everything was fine for about a month...then I noticed my bus was sluggish and won't roll down a slight incline in neutral. Brake pedal got really hard. Got out and front brakes were hot to the touch. Rears were find. If i let it sit for a while everything is relaxes and is fine for awhile again...
Read all the post I could find and adjusted the rod from the pedal to the booster to give it more play. What is 1mm in inches by the way? Seemed fine after that on a test drive and hit the brakes really hard lots and was fine...thought i fixed it. Today driving for a bout 5 mins in town, it started dragging again. let it sit for an hour and it was fine again. I thought it might start by leaving my foot on the pedal at stop lights for a long time but that doesn't seem to initiate it. I can't seem to induce it..it's just intermittant when it feels like it.
From reading the other post it seems the new Master Cylinder must be intermittantly bad , not allowing fluid to release back.
My question is...could this be the booster? Or Vaccuum problem? Before I take out the master and get a new one I just wanted to check with you guys one more time. Sorry for the long post :(
You guys are great! Thanks:D

Sat Oct 03, 2009 2:45 pm

Assumption time......did you rebuild your calipers or get new ones?

1 mm is 0.03937 inches

Sat Oct 03, 2009 3:36 pm

Do your calipers have the retaining plates and pads oriented like Bentlry describes?

Sat Oct 03, 2009 3:42 pm

When it drags and you open a bleeder momentarily on that wheel does the drag suddenly stop? Does it continue to drag with the engine shut off? Did you replace the flex hoses to the calipers?

Sat Oct 03, 2009 4:58 pm

I replaced all the soft and hard lines and calipers and rotors. The calipers came with the shoes already installed in the calipers. I didn't do the install myself. A VW shop did it but the guy is off on a Hernia operation and won't be back for 4 weeks! I took back to the shop and another Non VW guru looked it over and gave it a clean bill of health, but over course it won't lock up for him.
I will check engine off and and engine running next time it happens. Not really sure how to crack the brake lines....so haven't done that yet. It ususally clears up before I drive it home where I can get under it then it loosens up by itself in a few minutes of sitting so I never got the chance yet. thanks for the feed back so far guys!

Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:00 pm

1mm is like almost nothing right!!!!!! :shock:

Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:00 pm

Check your Bentley (Section 8, Page 6) on how to adjust the connecting rod. This is the rod that attaches from your Brake Servo to Brake Pedal. I had my brakes redone and they forgot to adjust that rod and I ran into the same problem. Since I shorted that rod, the brakes have been just fine. :D

Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:03 pm

hawaii5150 wrote: The calipers came with the shoes already installed in the calipers. I didn't do the install myself.

Calipers don't have shoes....they are like 3rd world kids...

MAKE THE SHOP FIX IT! :twisted:

You obviously don't have the knowledge yet, to fix it alone, someday I hope you will! :wink:

Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:03 pm

Blu67Bug wrote: Check your Bentley (Section 8, Page 6) on how to adjust the connecting rod. This is the rod that attaches from your Brake Servo to Brake Pedal. I had my brakes redone and they forgot to adjust that rod and I ran into the same problem. Since I shorted that rod, the brakes have been just fine. :D
I did shorten that rod but maybe I need to shorten it more. I might try again. Wasn't sure how much to shorten it 1mmplay is really nothing.

Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:05 pm

73kombi wrote: hawaii5150 wrote: The calipers came with the shoes already installed in the calipers. I didn't do the install myself.

Calipers don't have shoes....they are like 3rd world kids...

MAKE THE SHOP FIX IT! :twisted:

You obviously don't have the knowledge yet, to fix it alone, someday I hope you will! :wink:
I hear ya! I'm not much of a mechanic for sure! since I brought all the parts to them and they put them in they say they can't warranty any of the work if the parts are at fault. Big lesson for me to just let them buy the parts next time.

Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:06 pm

hawaii5150 wrote: 1mmplay is really nothing.

Play in what? Pedal travel?

Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:40 pm

The play (1mm) the rod supposed to have going into the brake booster then into the Master cylinder.

Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:52 pm

hawaii5150 wrote: since I brought all the parts to them and they put them in they say they can't warranty any of the work if the parts are at fault.

Dude, what kind of VW "Shop" did you take it to? Any shop owner I have met would at least diagnose, if not fix, the issue. How are you/they sure it's your parts and not their incompetence?

You had to pay a few Benjamins for them to do that labor...and yet it is wrong. They should make it right, or at least tell you what is wrong. That is why they are called mechanics, and you are the dude with the cash...

Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:16 am

The 1 mm of play is for the rod inside the master cylinder! The outer connecting rod that I'm taking about needs to be adjusted so it doesn't cause the calipers to press too hard against the rotor.
Loosen the lock nut and give the connecting rod 1 full turn, retighten the lock nut, and see that has released the front disks enough so that they won't rub, overheat and lock up your front brakes. I only had to turn it once myself to solve that problem on my '71 bus, it's not that hard, and you need to learn how to do your own brakes, then you'll feel better about yourself and your bus. :D

Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:24 am

Blu67Bug wrote: The 1 mm of play is for the rod inside the master cylinder! The outer connecting rod that I'm taking about needs to be adjusted so it doesn't cause the calipers to press too hard against the rotor.
Loosen the lock nut and give the connecting rod 1 full turn, retighten the lock nut, and see that has released the front disks enough so that they won't rub, overheat and lock up your front brakes. I only had to turn it once myself to solve that problem on my '71 bus, it's not that hard, and you need to learn how to do your own brakes, then you'll feel better about yourself and your bus. :D

just make sure you have some freeplay in the pedal. it doesn't matter if it's 1mm or 10mm. mine's about 1/8".
the 1mm is an unnecessarily tight spec. damn germans.

the play is easily perceptible with your foot while the engine is off and after you've pumped the pedal once or twice...unless it's only 1mm or zero :roll:

Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:27 pm

Make sure the pedal itself is not starting to sieze. When you experience the problem, dragging, pull up on the brake pedal.

Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:45 pm

Is it both front brakes, or just one? That makes a big difference in diagnosing the problem.
To crack open the lines, turn the TOP bleeder valve on the calibers to release pressure for 1 second, then re tighten.
You do have a Bentley, right.?
No, not the car Bentley, the manual Bentley. :wink:

Sun Oct 04, 2009 9:47 pm

Yep I got a Bentley and a Muir book. I'm just not a very good wrench. Tried adjusting the rod again and turned it 2 turns to the right clockwise into the booster. Test drove it and it seems find so far...but that's what happened last time and it came back. NoW my generator light just came on solid so I drove it home....can't catch a break lately.

Mon Oct 05, 2009 6:24 am

You're doing the right thing by trying one thing at a time and then test driving. It's often a guessing game, eliminating the posibilities until you find the answer. 8)

Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:35 am

hawaii5150 wrote: Yep I got a Bentley and a Muir book. I'm just not a very good wrench. Tried adjusting the rod again and turned it 2 turns to the right clockwise into the booster..
you want to loosen the rod.
away from the booster.

until you can feel freeplay in the brake pedal.