David Brock lamented:
> ... I noticed that the brakes were grabbing a little. Last
> weekend, I took the cylinders off, and they looked clean.
> I re-bled the brakes, and took off. After more than a
> few "stop & go"'s the pedal was hard to the touch - no
> play, and as soon as I stepped on it, the brakes were
> obviously being applied.
As Andy Mace has already pointed out, the heating is the effect of the brakes
being stuck on, not the cause. The hard pedal is just proof of the stuckness.
The real question is why they got stuck. It could be either of two causes.
One possibility is that s caliper piston could be stuck. (I'd guess it less
likely to be a rear slave cylinder.) The other possibility is that a tear
inside one of the flexible brake hoses is acting as a valve and preventing any
release of pressure.
Once things cool down identify which wheel it is by jacking them up and
spinning them hand. (When you were driving you should have been able to tell
which wheel it was just from the heat, unless you drove so much that they all
heated up.)
If it is a stuck caliper then opening the bleeder valve on that wheel won't
make much difference, and when you've re-tightened the bleeder the pedal should
still be harder than it had been prior to this trouble.
If it is a bad hose, then opening any other bleeder valve won't make much
difference, but opening that wheel will.
> What kind of brake fluid do I use?
That's probably immaterial to this problem. However it might be worth the
trouble to switch to DOT5 anyway.
> After this, I'm quite sure that I'll have to tear down the
> whole system to ensure that there is not damage to the
> calipers
There shouldn't be any damage unless one ruptured, in which case you should be
able to see it leaking and feel a soft pedal. However you should consider
replacing the flexible hoses. Also examine the metal lines for serious
corrosion. If they're rusted enough consider replacing them too. Various
memebers of the TR list who know what they are talking about say the lines can
rust inside from the moisture absorbed by DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid. Replaing
the whole system is a largish job, unfortunately.
> fix the PWDA
There should be no problem with the PDWA unless you had a leak or otherwise got
it uncentered when you bled them.
--
Jim Muller,
'80 Spitfire currently on jackstands but soon to come off!
'70 GT6 out in the company parking lot
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