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Mon Oct 05, 2009 10:43 am

I believe i'm turning the conncecting rod in the right direction to ultimately give the master more play. When I first looked at the connecting rod it was tight up against the rubber pedal stop underneath my 1971..and the rod was very long..then pushing against the booster which then pushes against the masters rod. I'm giving it more play by turning the "connecting Rod" into the booster which doesn't hit anything inside the booster if im correct. It threads in and out of a hollow area in front of the booster. Now my pedal assembly is not pushing on the rubber stop and the connecting rod is shorter giving me more play ultimately at the master. Boy this sounds confusing....
[img]
lease correect me if i'm wrong. I should be making the connecting rod shorter so it doesn't push the booster so deep intothe master? [/img]

Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:44 am

right! :lol:

Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:56 am

hawaii5150 wrote: Boy this sounds confusing....

I have to ask...why did you take your bus to a shop to screw it up?

Either you want to fix it yourself, or you pay a dude to do it.

In this case, you PAID a dude to do it right.

What part of this picture am I missing?

is Hawaiian weed that much better than Humboldt?

Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:07 pm

The guy is out of service for a hernia operation for up to 6 weeks and I tried taking it back to his non Vw partners in his shop(they work on other cars too) and they charged me $49 bucks to tell me it appears to be fine cuz by he time it got to them the brakes don't drag cuz it's intermitttant.
So I'm trying to fix it now myself so I won't be without it for six weeks.

Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:16 pm

hawaii5150 wrote: Hernia operation and won't be back for 4 weeks!

His hernia got worse....that sucks...good luck!

They charged you $49 to look at what they screwed up?

yeah I actually read the posts

Mon Oct 05, 2009 9:23 pm

drove the bus to my "new Mechanic" and the brakes started dragging again. I'm starting to think I put on the wrong Master cylinder. I told my parts guy it was for a 71 bus..so he should know it's got power brakes..but maybe he sold me the wrong one..hhmmm I let you know what I discover.

Mon Oct 05, 2009 10:04 pm

sometimes on really cheap caliper rebuilds they don't watch the piston to caliper clearance. Each one is indivdually fitted. If it isn't right then the pistons can get cocked in the bores and refuse to release. There is also a small port in the master cyl that lets fluid go back into the reservoir when you release the brakes. If it has a little piece of rubber in it or the master is out of adjustment or poorly made that hole can be blocked which will keep pressure from releasing.

Does the bus pull when this happens or is the braking straight still?

Mon Oct 05, 2009 10:14 pm

hawaii5150 wrote: drove the bus to my "new Mechanic" and the brakes started dragging again. I'm starting to think I put on the wrong Master cylinder. I told my parts guy it was for a 71 bus..so he should know it's got power brakes..but maybe he sold me the wrong one..hhmmm I let you know what I discover.

Dude, your freakin' story changes more often than the weather...

Are you posting just for fun? Do you read your own posts? In your own threads? Or is 5150 a way of saying, "I'm Mad"....disregard all my nonsense?

Yahoo has a question and answer section. ;)

Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:28 pm

SGKent wrote: sometimes on really cheap caliper rebuilds they don't watch the piston to caliper clearance. Each one is indivdually fitted. If it isn't right then the pistons can get cocked in the bores and refuse to release. There is also a small port in the master cyl that lets fluid go back into the reservoir when you release the brakes. If it has a little piece of rubber in it or the master is out of adjustment or poorly made that hole can be blocked which will keep pressure from releasing.

Does the bus pull when this happens or is the braking straight still?
It stops straight. I think you are on the right track about a possible bad Master Cylinder.

Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:08 am

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

Have you verified that your pedal linkage is free?

Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:40 am

73kombi wrote: His hernia got worse....that sucks...good luck!

They charged you $49 to look at what they screwed up?

73kombi wrote: I have to ask...why did you take your bus to a shop to screw it up?

Either you want to fix it yourself, or you pay a dude to do it.

In this case, you PAID a dude to do it right.

What part of this picture am I missing?

73kombi wrote:
Dude, your freakin' story changes more often than the weather...

Are you posting just for fun? Do you read your own posts? In your own threads? Or is 5150 a way of saying, "I'm Mad"....disregard all my nonsense?

Yahoo has a question and answer section. ;)

Man, If you've nothing constructive to add, don't bother.
Other folks seem to be able to answer the guy and try to help with the problem. but you? seems like you just wanna have a go at him..
seriously.. why Do some people on here feel the need to just attack.attack.attack?

Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:07 am

If its affecting both fronts equally, it has to be the master. 8)

Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:42 am

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

Have you verified that your pedal linkage is free?
Yep great spring on the pedal too.

Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:44 am

mook wrote: 73kombi wrote: His hernia got worse....that sucks...good luck!

They charged you $49 to look at what they screwed up?

73kombi wrote: I have to ask...why did you take your bus to a shop to screw it up?

Either you want to fix it yourself, or you pay a dude to do it.

In this case, you PAID a dude to do it right.

What part of this picture am I missing?

73kombi wrote:
Dude, your freakin' story changes more often than the weather...

Are you posting just for fun? Do you read your own posts? In your own threads? Or is 5150 a way of saying, "I'm Mad"....disregard all my nonsense?

Yahoo has a question and answer section. ;)

Man, If you've nothing constructive to add, don't bother.
Other folks seem to be able to answer the guy and try to help with the problem. but you? seems like you just wanna have a go at him..
seriously.. why Do some people on here feel the need to just attack.attack.attack?

Thanks for the support Mook! :D

Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:45 am

GusC2it wrote: If its affecting both fronts equally, it has to be the master. 8)
I think you are right. Checking that next and will report back when I find out. I think the parts guy might of sold me the regular master instead of the boosted power brake master.

Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:57 am

mook wrote: Man, If you've nothing constructive to add, don't bother.
Other folks seem to be able to answer the guy and try to help with the problem. but you? seems like you just wanna have a go at him..
seriously.. why Do some people on here feel the need to just attack.attack.attack?

Not attacking in any way...but when someone pays a shop to fix a problem, the shop should fix the problem. That's kinda what shops do no?

It's really that simple. ;)

Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:25 pm

Changed out the master cyclinder & readjusted the adjusting rod for play, but brakes still slowly start to drag again...after about 20 mins of driving around in town. It gets to the point where it cant be turned by hand.

Question: The vaccuum hose that comes from the front of the booster does what? I followed the hose and it disappears into the body panel just below the drivers left side seat belt area..if you look into the drivers fender well next to the seat belt bolt you will see a hose disappear into the body panel. Does this hose suck clean air (thats why it's in the body panel?) or expells dirty air??
I followed the vac hose off the rear of the booster(near the Master cyl) and that one goes to the engine just under the Carb.
Could Vaccuum cause the brakes to drag after it get hot?? Thanks

Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:25 pm

Desertbusman wrote: Do your calipers have the retaining plates and pads oriented like Bentley describes?

I don't think you ever did answer. If someone did one side wrong chances are they did both sides wrong.

Are your front wheel bearings adjusted per the book? Too tight they might drag when hot. Next time you drive it feel the hubs for heat. They shouldn't be untouchable from the bearings but maybe from the calipers. Check for heat source. Be careful if you touch around the disk and caliper. I don't really know what you should expect.

Also check the rear hubs for heat.

Right after you stop jack up a front wheel and see if it spins as easily as when it is cold.

If the front brakes drag tighty with no pedal pressure did you try to crack the bleeder valve to see if it releases pressure?

As the booster diaphram moves in and out as vacuum is applied the front side of it has to breath in and out. that breathing takes place thru the hose and tube to the fender location you found. It gets clean air in there.

Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:19 am

Desertbusman wrote:
Do your calipers have the retaining plates and pads oriented like Bentley describes?

I don't think you ever did answer. If someone did one side wrong chances are they did both sides wrong.
(I will check that next and report back-yes I have a bentley)

Are your front wheel bearings adjusted per the book? Too tight they might drag when hot. Next time you drive it feel the hubs for heat. They shouldn't be untouchable from the bearings but maybe from the calipers. Check for heat source. Be careful if you touch around the disk and caliper. I don't really know what you should expect.
(Excellent idea...maybe it's not the brakes at all)(The wheels do spin nicely when cold)

Also check the rear hubs for heat.
( rears are always cool)

Right after you stop jack up a front wheel and see if it spins as easily as when it is cold.
(it locks up almost rock solid when hot)

If the front brakes drag tighty with no pedal pressure did you try to crack the bleeder valve to see if it releases pressure?
(I believe my mechanic that is helping me said he released the pressure from the Master cyl line and it released on both wheels. I will check with him to confirm)

As the booster diaphram moves in and out as vacuum is applied the front side of it has to breath in and out. that breathing takes place thru the hose and tube to the fender location you found. It gets clean air in there.
(thanks for clearing that up)
Thanks for your help Dersert Bus Man!

Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:23 pm

I wanted to report back in to report the fix. Turn out to be a bad Booster that was pushing slightly on the master cylinder when the fluid got hot and expanded. Even with the adjusting rod adjusted it wasn't enough. The wheel would spin free when cold but when the fluid heated up it would push ever so slightly onto the master and cause the dragging. Put in a shim between the booster and the master and it all went away. thanks to all for the replies and help.