TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:36 pm

heres the deal..

i can push my brake pedal in about 2" and it stops..

so hard i cant even go further..

but when iam goin on the road i have hardly no brakes.. so i have to rip the E-Brake..

any ideas ?

Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:37 pm

forgot to mention that its that way all the time..

and they use to work great..

do i need to bleed my brakes?
mas cyl. ?

Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:44 pm

It is possible the rubber flex hoses are collapsing internally and not allowing for enough volume to the wheel cylinders. If it has been awhile, you may want to replace them just for the heck of it, even if it doesn't fix your problem. Try bleeding the brakes with a friend pushing the brake pedal, see if you get a decent stream of fluid. If you don't and the pedal won't go further than it is currently, suspect those hoses.

EDIT: I don't think you need to bleed them because of air, which would cause the pedal to be spongy, not hard. I'm suggesting bleeding as a diagnostic aid.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:26 pm

If it has always been like that and now you are loosing brakes then you may want to try to adjust your brakes at the wheels. When you jack it up and spin the wheel you should hear a slight drag. Also the flex lines could be bad as well and building up pressure. Does it pull? You can also feel (be careful they can be hot, I mean really hot) each brake drum after a drive. They should all be about the same temp. If one is really hot or not then start there. One more thing... Do you have play at the brake pedal? You should have like a 1/16 to 1/8th play between the brake rod and the master cylinder. If you dont then your brake rod may not be allowing your master cylinder plunger to come back out far enough to allow brake fluid back up into the reservoir.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:30 pm

Paul Windisch wrote: It is possible the rubber flex hoses are collapsing internally and not allowing for enough volume to the wheel cylinders. If it has been awhile, you may want to replace them just for the heck of it, even if it doesn't fix your problem. Try bleeding the brakes with a friend pushing the brake pedal, see if you get a decent stream of fluid. If you don't and the pedal won't go further than it is currently, suspect those hoses.

EDIT: I don't think you need to bleed them because of air, which would cause the pedal to be spongy, not hard. I'm suggesting bleeding as a diagnostic aid.

Good Advice. I would start with this. Could also be a problem with the master cylinder, but doing the above will start to point you in the right direction.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:36 pm

olson1955 wrote: heres the deal..

i can push my brake pedal in about 2" and it stops..

so hard i cant even go further..

but when iam goin on the road i have hardly no brakes.. so i have to rip the E-Brake..

any ideas ?

doesnt really sound like a fluid issue to me but mechanical at the pedal

have you looked down at the pedal with a flashlight to make sure that there isnt a rock or coin or something caught in the pedal assemble? or that the rod coming out the back is not bent

Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:06 pm

i'll take a look and see if anything is blocking the way!

and if not then iam going to inspect my master cylinder!

and yes when wheels are off the they drag a little.. i just adjusted them iver the weekend..

and replaced the pass. side wheel cylinder..

before this started happening it did pull to the right a little!

Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:14 pm

olson1955 wrote: i'll take a look and see if anything is blocking the way!
You really can't tell by looking. Those flex lines collapse on the inside.

Max

Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:04 pm

then what do i do ?

Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:14 pm

About the only thing that you can do it to replace them. No real way to tell if they are bad or not just by looking. Fairly cheap and easy to get your hands on. Start spraying the unions with something like PB blaster now so they will come apart easily. The last thing that you want is to start stripping stuff out if you dont have brake tubing wrenches.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:28 pm

olson1955 wrote: then what do i do ?

This is the reason for bleeding first. Not to go after air in the lines, but if you open up a bleeder screw and have someone push on the pedal, you should see a good stream of brake fluid, this is normal. If the pedal is still hard and you only get a dribble or no fluid, suspect THAT flex line.

As someone stated previously, look for debris around the pedal cluster. It is doubtful the master cylinder pushrod is to blame unless you've been messing with it recently.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:42 pm

olson1955 wrote: then what do i do ?
They are all old, right? Just replace them all. Then flush the system and put in fresh fluid. Bleed the system and adjust the brakes.

The brake system is not something to pinch pennies with.

Max

Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:20 am

Max Welton wrote: olson1955 wrote: then what do i do ?
They are all old, right? Just replace them all. Then flush the system and put in fresh fluid. Bleed the system and adjust the brakes.

The brake system is not something to pinch pennies with.

Max

X2... Cheap 2hr. fix.
My LR wouldn't bleed w/o lots of brake pressure. Replaced all 4 flex lines w/o any hassles. Good bleed everywhere now. Listen to these guys.

Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:53 am

Max Welton wrote: The brake system is not something to pinch pennies with. Max

Yep. Fix it right, or we may not be getting future posts from you....

Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:51 am

Max Welton wrote: olson1955 wrote: i'll take a look and see if anything is blocking the way!
You really can't tell by looking. Those flex lines collapse on the inside.

Max

I agree with all that the braking system needs to be done the right way but You can tell if something is jammed up in the pedal cluster by looking and seems to me the first obvious step before removing or replacing parts or hoses

Wed Nov 04, 2009 12:09 pm

Each time I acquire another old car, I go completely through everything involved with steering and stopping. If I don't know first-hand how old the flex lines are, they get replaced. (*)

I can deal with being stranded by a drivetrain failure. So I might try to nurse a old engine or tranny along for a while. At worst, I might have to walk or get towed.

(*) Same goes for fuel lines, but in this thread we are talking about things that can get you killed. A fire will will kill the car, but the driver generally gets out.

Max

Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:50 pm

i appreciate all the comments and all the solutions..

luckily it was anything major! lol

the top pin for the gas pedal was sticking out and cause the brake pedal not to go any further..

so i pushed it back in and now everything is working proper!

Thanks again!