cr*p brakes UPDATE MONDAY

mk1 dudes


i swapped my rear shoes after i did an axel swap

left the fronts as the pads were kl

bled the brakes with a bleeding kit, the type you use a spare wheel to give you the pressure

now my brakes are rubbish! pedal has nothing and it does not return normally

one bleed nipple was snapped off by the previous owner, going to get a new one (rear)

i did not bleed the snapped nipple obviously

so my question is will my brakes drastically improve once i fix the sheared nipple anhd bleed it

or have i got a bigger problem

shit! would describe them currently

if the pedal just goes to the floor and the actual pedal is o.k. it would suggest a fluid leak some where.
blled kit which uses a spare tyre, for pressure?

the spare tyre bleed kit

bottle of brake fluid, tube to the servo with correct size cap
another tube off that to the valve of a spare wheel
creates a pressure system

as you open the bleed nipple the pressure from the tyre forces the fluid through the system

when you see no more air bubbles close the bleed nipple.

no need for pedal pushing or two people etc



there was a fluid leak but i sorted that( rigid to flexi not tight enough), improved the pedal but i still think i have air the system.

i asked this question as i dont think a massive improvement will come from  sorting the remaining bleed nipple!

and one got any ideads

Yeah the Easibleed kit uses air pressure from a car tyre. If you have swapped the axle but omitted to bleed one of the rears, then it will have loads of air in and give you the symptoms. So you need to sort this out and then bleed. Personally, I never use the Easibleed (used to), because the pressure compensator and possibly non return valves, mean it bleeds the rears too slow. And I know that MC seals can fail using the one-way valve technique, but I'd rather it fail in the workshop than on the road!

Also, auto adjusters often don't adjust the pads up to the drums properly, this gives a long brake pedal travel.

You've got to make sure that the brake fluid is topped up all the time while bleeding the brakes. If you allow the fluid to drop 1" whilst bleeding the brakes, it will allow air into the system.

paul_c said

Yeah the Easibleed kit uses air pressure from a car tyre. If you have swapped the axle but omitted to bleed one of the rears, then it will have loads of air in and give you the symptoms. So you need to sort this out and then bleed. Personally, I never use the Easibleed (used to), because the pressure compensator and possibly non return valves, mean it bleeds the rears too slow. And I know that MC seals can fail using the one-way valve technique, but I'd rather it fail in the workshop than on the road!

Also, auto adjusters often don't adjust the pads up to the drums properly, this gives a long brake pedal travel.

how do i tell if the mc seal has failed

by the sounds of it i still have loads of air in the system, i have another go after i sort the broken nipple

cheers guys

I managed to get the small bolt heads moving by spraying with wd40 overnight and giving the heads a good bang (at the corners) with a very small cold chisel and a hammer. One side was any allen key bolt and the other was hexagonal and worked on both.

paul_c said

Also, auto adjusters often don't adjust the pads up to the drums properly, this gives a long brake pedal travel.

try never adjusts the shoes. that'll be a bit nearer the truth.

wooders said

paul_c said

Also, auto adjusters often don't adjust the pads up to the drums properly, this gives a long brake pedal travel.

try never adjusts the shoes. that'll be a bit nearer the truth.

I'm kinda trusting VW that they work when they're brand new, otherwise they'd have never designed and used the system!

MC seal failure is diagnosed by process of elimination. If you've bled the brakes according to good workshop technique and they're still soggy, its probably the MC gone. Another thing could be bulging flexi brake lines. You really need 2 people to check that one out. One other thing - if you have T pieces in the system (and the air has gotten that far up) you might need to bleed the brakes with 2 of the nipples open at the same time, to get the air out of the T piece area.

(removed)

first thing is if your rear shoes are under adjusted you would still have a brake pedal just a lot of travel before hitting the hard pedal!!!! and a crap handbrake!!!

best and easy way to adjusted them is to look through the bolt hole with a torch and a flat head,lever down on the tapered adjustedment untill the shoes hit the drums and your sweet! saves taking the drum off!!!

also dont use a easy bleed kit!!!
get you mate or you women to jump in and pump the pedal!!!

best way to bleed the brakes, is to pump the pedal 10 time hold pressure let the nipple of, let all the fluild out thenlock the nipple back.repeat process untill you feel a good pedal!!!

also try bleeding from the master first!! and work your way back!!!!

if not your master has had it!!

update!


i have swaped both the rear cylinders for new ones

and bled the brakes again and fully adjusted the rear shoes

my brakes and very good now!


HOWEVER

i have a leak i think

either coming from the rigid to flexi line on the passenger side, in that really shit place by the rear axel

or that slave unit (think thats what its called) near the same join, the thing with the spring that comes off from the axel

hope you get what i mean!

how can i solve the leak from either of these places?

i have tightened all the bolts as much as possible?

can overfilling the system force leaks

because the fluid is a little bit above max!

the thing with the spring on the rear axel is the compensator valve, just so you know   if you over fill it wont cause any harm, it will push whats not needed out of the hole in the cap.

you maybe looking at new lines if ones now gon a bit iffy

one of the lines i used,rear rigid was from the replacement axel, i cant remember what side it was but i think the leaking line could be the reused line

could this be the problem

would i have to remove the axel again to change it?

are there new brake lines avaliable or do i have to make them?

is it more likely to be the rigid line or the flexi?

how safe is it to drive like this? im not going to, just thought i would ask

the leak is drips, no running out! wet can be seen though after a while

i if it drips without pressure on the pedel it will squirt with them under pressure. you will have no fluid and no brakes if you drive with a split line. it maybe the reused one as the flange may have been compressed to much to seal again.

change the flexi and the soild to be sure.

making a set is not that hard and the tools are reletively cheap these days.

yes you will have to remove the rear axle again. sorry.

well i have the set from my original axel and i no that works so i will attempt the job at the weekend!

dam it, for the axel removal, so scared i am going to brake another bolt

shouldnt do though as its only just gone back on!

is it possible to remove my rear coilovers and leave the axel pivoting on the mounting brakets/bushes

to swap the rigid line that runs along my axel?

without damaging or destroying anything ?