Single owner 85 vanagon brake issue

[1985vanagoncc]

Sorry to all the experts for this old topic...i now have my fathers 1985 vanagon.. 3 years later after a drive the next day my brakes no longer work.. meaning my pedal goes to the floor. With car turned off, my pedal gets hard when pumped and when i turn on the car it goes back to the floor. After reading hours and hours worth of brake forums.. i am nkw stumped. I looked for leaks. ..nothing.. so i started with replacing the mc. Same issue. I then found a leak i didnt notice early on so i replaced the front right caliper. Took the old one apart and the seals around the piston were gone. No other leaks i can see on the other wheels. Filled up the reservior with fluid and still have the same problem... pedal goes to the floor. Question becomes where i should start first ..replace all the remaining calipers? Not sure i bled the system corectly either. Any help to start on this would be greatly appreciated. Or should i tow it to a shop ,i have always done my own work but from all the forums it looks like brakes can be somewhat of a puzzle. Any good shops around atlanta?

[borninabus]

not much of a puzzle when it comes to brakes.
sounds like you need to do a proper bleed.

IMO, the best way is gravity bleed, then old school 2 person method of one pumping the pedal, filling fluid and one on the bleeder valve.

tons of info out there on this.
good luck
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88 Van WBX, A/T - 13 JSW TDI 6M/T - 2012 Touareg TDI Sport

[Ahwahnee]

[dhaavers]

Short term: Air in the system...bleed it again, counterclockwise from left rear corner
(longest run to shortest). Replace all fluid for fresh, clean fluid. Basic maintenance.

Long term: Keep working...if one corner is bad, it's reasonable to suspect everything.
Inspect, rebuild, replace everything, including rubber brake hoses, pads, shoes, etc, etc...

Good start, keep on it. Brakes are important...you need to be able to stop before you start!

- Dave
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[Phaedrus]

Replace cylinders in pairs. If one has reached its maximum wear point, the other is sure to follow. i.e. do both sides.

Also, wheel cylinders can leak undetectably. You'll have to pull back the rubber boot a bit and see if there's any wetness. Wet = needs replacement. Doesn't have to be full-on leaking to be allowing air into the system.

Brakes are a highly-pressurized, closed circuit. Once you start repairing weak points, the next weakest link will soon give out. Might be a month, might be an hour. If one cylinder has failed and the others look pretty similar in shape to that one, it's worth replacing while you're doing the work.

Check your booster for leaks.

Make sure you understand how to adjust the rear shoes properly.

Make sure you bleed thoroughly, and in the right order. No air in the system. Old school, pedal-pumping method is the easiest way. Pressure works okay. Try a pressure test--can you find any wetness/leaks while holding the pedal down or applying pressure to the reservoir?

Hose failing symptoms would be a soft pedal feel (squishy), or the car pulling hard to one side while braking. Check hoses for obvious signs of wear (cracking, leaking, etc.); however, hoses can collapse without visible designators.

All-in-all, it's not a complicated system. Reservoir->MC->Booster->Wheel Cylinders, hoses/hard lines, adjustment.

Good luck! If you can't figure it out, someone will. Though, the troubleshooting hours/potential full brake system replacement would be a costly job at the shop.

This might help: http://www.sunroofsyncro.com/vanagon-brake-line-diagram/
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1986 WBX (Tin Top Camper)

[1985vanagoncc]

Thankyou all for the guidance.. proper bleeding this weekend. I suspect since one caliper went bad the others will follow soon.