At 02:22 PM 10/1/2007 -0500, Greg Schroeder wrote:
>...Whenever I press the brake it seems that I end up about a 1/2 inch from
>the floor to hold the car. The is especially true on a down hill stop at a
>stop sign.
>
>I have replaced the rear drums, the rear cylinders, rear shoes, front brake
>lines, front calipers, front pads, rebuilt the power brake booster & master
>cylinder and replaced the porportioning valve. I can replace the rotors but
>the really look fine and seem to be true. I am not feeling anything in the
>braking that would indicate the rotors need to be turned.
>
>Am I missing something?
Greg,
Let's start with the basics. You think the pedal is going too far to the
floor, right?
What can cause the pedal to move too far? Or why is it moving too far.
The only thing I can think of is that the system is having to move a lot
of fluid.
If the brakes were working correctly, the pads and shoes would almost be
touching the calipers/drums. So you wouldn't have to move much fluid to
get the braking material to touch the braking surface. So if you don't
have to move much brake fluid before the brakes bind and then there wouldn't
be much travel.
1. The master cylinder has 2 different size resivors. On you new m.c. is the
front or rear resivor the larger? The back (or closest to the power booster)
should be the largest. I assume that this is because either the front or
rear takes more fluid than the other. I'm not sure which or why?
2. Is it possible that you some how connected the brake lines to the wrong
place on the porportioning valve, and you have the smaller resivor trying
to supply fluid the which ever requires the most fluid?
3. Have you change the main brake lines, and possibly used a larger diameter
line?
4. Since the calipers are truely self adjusting, but the rear shoes must be
adjusted, is it possible that the shoes are too far away from the drums?
How many click do you get on the hand brake when you set it? If it goes
all the way up, then either it is way out of adjustment or the shoes are
too far away from the drums causing the hand brake to have to move excessively
to get the shoes to touch the drums. An indication that the rear brakes
need to be adjusted.
Looking up Excessive brake pedal travel in several of the books I have laying
around say:
a. Partial brake system failure. Inspect the entire system and correct as
required.
b. Insufficient fluid in the master cylinder. Check, add fluid and bleed.
c. Rear brakes not adjusted properly.
d. Air in system
e. Excessive lateral play of discs - I don't understand this one. Unless it
is meaning that the rotors are too thin or can move on the hubs. But
in our case the rotor is the hub.
f. Defective check valve.
Hope this helps some.
John
John T. Blair WA4OHZ email: jblair1948@cox.net
Va. Beach, Va
Phone: (757) 495-8229
48 TR1800 48 #4 Midget 65 Morgan 4/4 Series V (B1106)
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