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m3456y
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2013
Posts: 134
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 Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:53 am Post subject: Need help solving brake issue… |
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| I’m tying to help a guy solve an issue with his 1984 Brazilian T2 bus. It has power assisted front disc brakes and everything worked perfectly until the right rear brake cylinder failed as he was driving it. He was able to make it home and after replacing the brake cylinder, bleeding all the brake lines several times we took it out to test it. The brakes all worked, but the pedal was low and it pulled hard to the left under braking. We re-bled the brakes again, no air bubbles in fluid - took it back out and found the same thing. Any ideas on what the issue may be? |
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lil-jinx
Samba Member
Joined: August 14, 2013
Posts: 1547
Location: New Brunswick,Canada
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m3456y
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2013
Posts: 134
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 7:34 am Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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| lil-jinx wrote: |
| the pulling could be brake fluid from the failed wheel cylinder soaked into the brake shoes. |
I thought that too, but it feels like a front braking issue as it’s very pronounced. |
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timvw7476
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Joined: June 03, 2013
Posts: 2475
Location: seattle
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:56 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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Are you bleeding on a flat surface?
The pressure regulator to the rear cylinders will stay somewhat closed if you even tilt the vehicle slightly. Best way to bypass that issue is to do it flat. And it doesn't hurt to gravity bleed it as well. |
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m3456y
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2013
Posts: 134
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:01 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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| timvw7476 wrote: |
Are you bleeding on a flat surface?
The pressure regulator to the rear cylinders will stay somewhat closed if you even tilt the vehicle slightly. Best way to bypass that issue is to do it flat. And it doesn't hurt to gravity bleed it as well. |
Bled on flat surface. Started with gravity bleeding, then went from wheel to wheel starting with longest brake line. |
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SGKent 
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 42364
Location: at the beach
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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what ever side it pulls to is working fine, the problem is on the weak side. If the right rear wheel cylinder failed, you had to pull it apart to repair it. Go over the work again including adjusting the rear brakes. The right rear is likely where something is wrong. If the linings got soaked with brake fluid, both sides should be replaced.
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Last edited by SGKent on Mon Jun 30, 2025 7:18 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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RLFD213
Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2009
Posts: 479
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:44 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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| Bleed the front brakes first. Make sure you get all the air out, then bleed the rears. Make sure you adjust the rears as you’re bleeding them: bleed, adjust, bleed, adjust. Also how old are the soft lines? Maybe you have another problem. |
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dodger tom
Samba Member
Joined: March 25, 2013
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Coast, CA, but we're all still Ukrainian and Californian
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:54 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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i changed my fluid, and it started pulling to the right. my mechanic drove it around, then shot both rotors with an infrared temperature gauge. the left was much cooler. his diagnosis was a sticky left caliper. dirt in the lines caught during the fluid change?
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1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled. |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 23731
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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Clarify, Tom. Is it pulling to the right all the time or just on braking?
All the time, sticking right caliper
Just on braking, sticking left caliper
Usually a sticking caliper will run really hot though. Don’t touch rotor to check , thst will hurt.
Possible swelling of brake lines? Are the soft hoses less than ten years old?
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 52239
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 8:01 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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| m3456y wrote: |
| I’m tying to help a guy solve an issue with his 1984 Brazilian T2 bus. It has power assisted front disc brakes and everything worked perfectly until the right rear brake cylinder failed as he was driving it. He was able to make it home and after replacing the brake cylinder, bleeding all the brake lines several times we took it out to test it. The brakes all worked, but the pedal was low and it pulled hard to the left under braking. We re-bled the brakes again, no air bubbles in fluid - took it back out and found the same thing. Any ideas on what the issue may be? |
So you also bled the front brakes? Did you get normal flow from the right caliper? Do your calipers have two bleeders? If so you need to be using the upper bleeder. |
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dodger tom
Samba Member
Joined: March 25, 2013
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Coast, CA, but we're all still Ukrainian and Californian
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 9:09 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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| Abscate wrote: |
Clarify, Tom. Is it pulling to the right all the time or just on braking?
All the time, sticking right caliper
Just on braking, sticking left caliper
Usually a sticking caliper will run really hot though. Don’t touch rotor to check , thst will hurt.
Possible swelling of brake lines? Are the soft hoses less than ten years old? |
hey steve,
only on braking.
won’t touch nothin.
but, it was the rotor he shot with the temp gun. no friction, no heat, right?
but, don’t mean to hijack the thread. just offering my experience as a possible explanation for the op.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled. |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 23731
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:38 am Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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I don’t think I’ve ever had a caliper freeze cold, they always end up with the pad not fully retracting and ergo run really hot. That would point me to cold caliper good, if anything.
The Right way to sort out is caliper removal and confirming piston motion under thumb pressure on both sides. Don’t guess with brakes
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m3456y
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2013
Posts: 134
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2025 3:39 am Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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| Wildthings wrote: |
| m3456y wrote: |
| I’m tying to help a guy solve an issue with his 1984 Brazilian T2 bus. It has power assisted front disc brakes and everything worked perfectly until the right rear brake cylinder failed as he was driving it. He was able to make it home and after replacing the brake cylinder, bleeding all the brake lines several times we took it out to test it. The brakes all worked, but the pedal was low and it pulled hard to the left under braking. We re-bled the brakes again, no air bubbles in fluid - took it back out and found the same thing. Any ideas on what the issue may be? |
So you also bled the front brakes? Did you get normal flow from the right caliper? Do your calipers have two bleeders? If so you need to be using the upper bleeder. |
Bled all brakes several times starting with longest line first. Used only the upper bleeders on the front. The front brake hoses looked to be relatively new as the complete front beam was replaced, brakes and calipers new, etc. Also, the pedal while hard and solid is now lower than it originally was. Wondering if it could be a master cylinder issue. I’m not new at this - I’ve done it many times on various vehicles, but have never run into this after replacing a brake cylinder. |
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jtauxe
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 5961
Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2025 8:50 pm Post subject: Re: Need help solving brake issue… |
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| m3456y wrote: |
| Bled all brakes several times starting with longest line first. Used only the upper bleeders on the front. The front brake hoses looked to be relatively new as the complete front beam was replaced, brakes and calipers new, etc. Also, the pedal while hard and solid is now lower than it originally was. Wondering if it could be a master cylinder issue. I’m not new at this - I’ve done it many times on various vehicles, but have never run into this after replacing a brake cylinder. |
I'm not sure how much it matters, but the manual specifies the order in which to bleed the brakes, and it is not "longest line first."
Hoses may "look" fine, but be rotten or softening inside.
Don't rule out the booster. After a long hard fight diagnosing my brakes after replacing the front calipers, it turned out that the booster had failed during the bleeding process.
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