vwfastg60

I have a really odd problem. I thought my rear wheel cylinder was bad so i went out and got new wheel cylinders,shoes and all the brake stuff from the front. Anyways come to find out the wheel cylinders are not leaking and it was an axle seal so Friday night the rear axle was gutted and fitted with all new parts. While i was in there i replaced the brake lines,front pads.

Heres the problem the rear lines were unhooked friday night all Sat. and part of sunday. When i put everything on i waited tel the end to bleed the brakes. Starting at the passenger rear then drivers rear passenger front and then driver front. We did the clutch and then the brakes again. The pedel feels mushy if you sit and hold it. It acts like a bad master. We read that the rear shoes have to adjust by driving forward and back about 15-20 times so we did it and the brakes grab great in reverse but forwards they dont. After leaving the parking lot i adjusted them in i was slowed down soem and it felt like the truck was pulling to the right. I hit them a bit harder and the truck wanted to switch lanes and the pedel almost hit the floor. We went back and blead them again. Went to the parking lot and it felt fine but still mushy pedel .

pushing the brakes on the road the truck pulls to the right still and has a mushy brake. I rechecked all the lines to make sure they were tight and all the bleeders. Everythings tight and we have almost 2 hours of bleeding in to them.The brakes were great before all of this and the only reason i thought anything was wrong was because of the fluid on the inside of the tire. im wondering if the lines i used might have a small puncture in them somplace(they are rubber) or if the hardlines i replaced them with might have one. I put used lines on from my parts truck that the brakes worked on but maybe soemthing happened while they were boxed up. I wouldnt have replaced it but i had a huge hard line on there from my hardlines somehow getting pinched to braking(looked like some one tried cutting them)

the other thing. My rear prop. valve is tied up because of the lift. Should i pull this down when i bleed the brakes? i know for a fact it is set harder in the rear because in the snow the rear would lock up before the front. It drives great that way on the dry and is really nice for towing the trailer.


Please help i have a trailer full of stuff to take to the dump and another load waiting and my house is on the market with about 2 showings a day

InternetRoadkill

You either have air still trapped in the brake lines or you may have a rear brake that's grossly out of adjustment.

chimmike

if there was absolutely no fluid in the master cylinder for that long, one of the seals could've dried out and cracked (happened to me on a clutch setup before)

If it took that long to bleed the system, something is hooked up wrong or allowing air in that shouldn't be.

yotasavg

ya i think the best option is check for leaks all over the system and then bleed them one more time. it happened to my dad's truck and we just found the bad seal then bled that section of the system. i don't know about the "pulling left" thing though

GSGALLANT

Did you also bleed your proportioning valve? I didn't see reference to it being done in your post. That is performed last in the bleeding sequence. Also, did you plug your lines when they were disconnected, or did you let all the fluid drain out of your system. If your master cylinder reservoir was empty, you also have to bleed the master cylinder before you bleed the rest of your brake lines.

Also, adjust your rear brakes manually instead of using the parking brake method (there's a small grommet behind your drum backing plates that you can remove, which gives you access to the adjuster wheel). Adjust the shoes on both rear wheels until they are almost rubbing on the drum (you'll feel it when you spin the wheel).

As far as the pulling to the side when you apply the brakes, if it was caused by one side of the rear brakes being adjusted tighter than the other, that will be corrected when you properly adjust the rears. If the problem is still there, check your front calipers for a seized or sticking piston.

Good luck.

tc

x2 - most people don't know about the bleeder on the LSPV. May need to bench bleed the MC.

vwfastg60

The lines were left open. The fluid had been in the truck for years and was not in the best of shape. We kinda bench blead it in the truck.

I didnt bleed the proportioning valve I saw something that looked like a bleeder but i couldnt find where to put the wrench on it.It doesnt look like the others. Im going to try manualy adjusting the rear and maybe a shorter line set up in the front to see if maybe i have a leak on one. Im sure they are longer then i need anyways. Im going to give it a try when i get back. I think i will pull the master and bench bleed it and try to flush some more of the nasty fluid out.

vwfastg60

Ok blead it and the proportioning valve and it didnt help so i got a master and got nothing but the same issue. We readjusted the rears and nothing.

I was thinking if i had a vacume leak it would make the pedel stiff but im thinking now it may make it soft. I sprayed the carb baseplate and adapter and it idled up so now to fix that! Im ready to burn this thing!

vwfastg60

any ideas?

rdlsz24

I'm having a similiar issue. My truck drives straight as an arrow when accelerating or cruising but as soon as I step on the brake it pulls hard to the right. So I should look at adjusting my rears? Could the front pads affect this too?

Rob

AH64ID

A mushy pedal is almost always associated with a bad bleed. I know you bled the crap out of them, but if at any time the MC went dry again, on accident, it puts a bubble in you have to rework all the way out.

The pulling also sounds like an air bubble, the opposite side of the pull isnt braking as hard, and you get a pull.

I think its odd you get better braking with the drums in reveres, thats the opposite of how it should be. Are you sure the shoes are in correctly?

I doubt its a leak in a line, as you would see it pretty obviously.

PirateFins

Bleeding sequence is MC, DR, PR, PF, DF, LSPV. I had a problem with air in the MC even after I bled it. I sat there and kept tapping (lightly, but enough) on it with a small hammer in a thought of getting any trapped air to the top. After several tapping sessions, all of the air was out and the brakes worked great.

I am sure you did, but you did clean up all of the gear oil that had gotten on the rears includding drums?

The pulling could be alot of what is mentioned above so I might say something that has been covered. Have you checked for lazy calipers on the front? Driving backwards does not adjust the rear brakes on Toys (do a search this has been covered, GM's are like that). Pulling the ebrake cable and or using the star adjuster is what sets the rear brake clearence. Also when mine was pulling right it turned out to be a combination of lazy left caliper (all braking done by right) and a bad outer tie rods (allowing the tires to "push" right under braking.

rdlsz24

How do you remedy a lazy caliper?

Rob

PirateFins

2 options
1. Rebuild the caliper, kits available @ autoparts store
2. Buy a reman'd caliper (loaded or unloaded), available @ autoparts store

I went with a loaded (pads and all hardware includded) reman'd from Autozone, came with a lifetime warrenty. It's recomended that you replace both sides at the same time. There is a core charge but most have them in stock. I checked the store stock online and called to verify, took off my old calipers and brought them to the store so I didn't have to pay the core charge or go back.

tc

I had a frozen caliper, and went cheap and just replaced the one side. Big mistake - the truck pulled VERY hard that direction. Definitely replace both at the same time.

vwfastg60

mine was bleeding over and over and over and over and moving the proportioning valve up and down