[TR] No brakes, 64 TR4

[Geo Hahn]

Paul -

Could be several things including a failed hose, stuck caliper, failed
master, etc.

I'd start by raising the car (perhaps one end at a time) and seeing if the
problem is all 4 corners or if just one or a pair of brakes are not
effective.

Of course after a long spell off the road the disc may have a nice coating
of rust that will usually clear off with use but may give you some poor
braking for the first few stops.

If not that, then my next suspect would be a bound up caliper (or two)
which would be revealed by examining as noted above.

Could be the master cylinder but master failures I have had usually either
leak or fail completely (pedal to the floor).

I doubt the immediate problem is in the rear brakes (though they may also
have a problem) as you can lose those completely and scarcely notice.

Geo



On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 8:31 AM, Paul Willoughby <
paulwilloughby007 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Haven't driven the TR4 in a few years other than an occasional trip around
> the block every 6 months or so.  Last weekend I started it and drove it up
> the hill to the stop sign.  Uh oh, no brakes, (maybe 25% stopping power).
> Was able to coast down the hill using the e-brake with a little assist from
> the pedal.
>
> When I had started it, the brakes felt firm.  I had pumped them a couple
> times to make sure they worked.  I might have been a little over zealous
> and may have felt a pop or a snap on the last pump.  I don't drive the car
> enough to have a feel for it anymore.  But now the pedal isn't as firm.
>
> Fluid reservoir was fine, maybe 3/4" low. I rebuilt the master cylinder
> years ago and changed to silicon fluid.
>
> Can anyone steer me in the right direction for a diagnosis?  I was
> thinking broken spring in the master cylinder, but Moss doesn't list one,
> not even in the rebuild kit, so must not be a common failure.  Could I have
> pushed the little rubber plungers in the master cylinder past their stop
> point?
>
> paulw
> 56 TR3
> 64 TR4
>
>
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