Brakes

[Irishboy]

Ok guys, I am at the end of my rope, and I really need your help. 73 Thing, replaced wheel cyl, soft brake lines and master cy. Using a harbor freight hand pump, no luck getting a hard brake pedal Probably used a gallon of brake fluid, no brake pedal Kept on then both rear wheel cyl started leaking. Bought two new rear wheel cyls from a different source and a new master cyl.

Also bought a motive pressure bleeder, pumped to 10 psi, just a little fluid came thru. Pumped to 15 psi, it bleeds really good, checked for leakes, no leakes no issues, no problems, still getting air bubbles, but no brake peda. Question; if I have no leakes, why am I still getting air bubbles after running about a gallon of fluid thru the system and still no brakes? Please help me, I am out of ideas!!!!

[tkelley]

Did you try adjusting the shoes out before you started?
_________________
When the sun doesn't rise, we'll replace it
with an H-bomb explosion or a painted jail cell...

[Banker]

If you replaced the master cylinder, did you adjust the rod into the cylinder. I chased this dog for 2 master cylinder before I figured it out. The adjustment rod needed backed up ever so little bit. May not be your problem, but it is worth a shot.
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Brian

07 Charger Sublime
03 Goldwing
74 Thing

[Irishboy]

I have adjusedt the shoes out and adjusted the shoes in but really seems to not matter. I have not tried to adjust master cyl, not sure what to do.

[citroen]

make sure the adjuster or on the brake shoes correct if not you will not have any brake pedal check all 8 shoes

[74 Thing]

When using the motive I make sure that all of the shoes are adjusted TIGHT against the drum, then make sure your brake res if full, screw on the motive with fluid in it and pump it up. Start with the front driver side wheel and crack then open and close it until the fluid is clear with no bubbles. Then I do the other front (checking the brake fluid level in between) then both rears and usually I recheck the front ones since it only takes a min.

Sounds like you may have air in the master cylinder.

[GI Joe]

[74 Thing]

I am not sure why that is the procedure but I discovered that doing the driver side front first was easiest since it was closest then I just hit the other side since I was under the car.

I would go to the back and do the rears then the front again per the procedure that you stated just to make sure.

[Yarkle]

[mondshine]

The Motive bleeder works great, especially on the late ABS equipped water cooled VW's, but.....
You can save yourself a lot of cleanup if you just leave the Motive bottle empty. Be sure to top up the reservoir before you bleed each wheel, making sure the level doesn't get too low. The extra time you spend topping up the reservoir is way less than the time it takes to clean up the Motive bottle.
A while back, my Motive bleeder was loaned out to a friend, so I made something out of parts lying around to do the job.
Here's a sketch:

Having done it this way, I'll save the Motive bleeder for my water cooled cars.
This is, by far, the cleanest way to do it.

Good luck, Mondshine

[JayC]

I had a similar problem when I was bleeding my brakes the first time. It drove me crazy until I figure out that one of the hoses going to the cylinder was not completely tight. The remote bleeder I was using would just keep pulling bubbles through. Check to make sure all the hoses are completely tight.

I finally figured mine out after I had let it sit for a few days and found a small puddle of brake fluid under one of the wheels.

[74 Thing]

Hey Mondshine,

Do you just not put any fluid in the bottle and use it as a forced air bleeder?

I understand what you mean by clean up-if you put fluid in the bottle and after everything is bled there is still fluid in the clear plastic line and when you unscrew it from the brake res it leaks all over. Then you have to clean the inside of the bottle with alcohol.

[mondshine]

74-
Yes, exactly.
Using air is so much cleaner, especially if you like the paint in your trunk!
The creative person could even use his spare tire, but remember, 10 PSI is plenty.

By the book, you should only use fluid from a freshly opened can; which means all of the left over fluid should be discarded. A couple of small cans can be a better deal than one large can of brake fluid if you can keep one unopened, rather than throw away the remains of a 1 liter bottle.

Follow the advice of the other posters and adjust your brake shoes tight against the drums, then re-adjust after you bleed.
Good luck, Mondshine

[GI Joe]

[mondshine]

Probably not Joe-
Awesome is a word I would never use to describe stock Thing brakes.
Just drive like an old man and live to be one

[rrankin]

I did mine when I replaced my switches... and I used the 'old' furthest first method.

My breaks are not super awesome, they are good.

On a side note, I adjust until the drum doesn't move - tight and then push on the pedal a few times - and then do it all again and again until I'm moved my pedal up as much as possible.

-R
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'74 Thing [Fritz]
Austin, TX

[citroen]

have you checked that the brake shoes or installed as I said I just checked another thing owner who could not get a good pedal he thought he had them correct he had 3 adjuster backward and could not get a good pedal installed them correct and now has a good pedal.

[oasis]

[hobie16]

[GI Joe]