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Date:         Sat, 7 Jun 2003 12:36:12 -0700
Reply-To:     wilden1@JUNO.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: brakes
Comments: To: danoer1@ECLIPSE.NET
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

If you've got rust on one side of the rotor it is a sure sign that you don't have brake pad contact there. New / Rebuilt calipers are in order. Disregard any other symptoms until you get this replacement done. Hopefully you'll have solved the problem.

Stan Wilder

On Sat, 7 Jun 2003 13:13:15 -0400 Dan Erlandson <danoer1@ECLIPSE.NET> writes: > Question for the group on brakes, calipers and drums > > History: My wife (primary driver of the van) complained to me the > other day > that she thought that the brakes on the van were mushy and that she > had > almost gotten into an accident because she had to "pump them". I > reminded > her about the weight of the van / stopping distance (yea, yea, > yea). The > front pads were done 30k ago, the rear drums and shoes about 20k ago > and the > master cylinder and brake fluid just last summer...about 10k ago. > > So anyway I checked things out yesterday and noticed that the > inboard side > of the front rotors seemed rusty. The fluid in the master cylinder > looked > nice and clean and up to the mark. I've never been real successful > in > getting the rear brakes adjusted quite the way I would like them to > be. > Seems like the shoes are either too close to the drum (they scrape a > bit) or > too far away and the emergency brake handle travels too far). > > Questions: Sorry for the long background... > 1. Does the rust on the front rotors mean that the pistons in the > calipers > are not functioning correctly and if so is it best to just replace > these as > a whole unit rather than just worrying about rebuilding them? The > calipers > are original on the van that we bought back in 91. > > 2. I'm confused by the Bentley reference to a one way vacuum check > valve in > the engine that is supposedly attached to the brake booster (if I am > reading > the manual correctly) I seem to have never found it. The brake > booster > does indeed seem to be operating as per the Bentley testing > procedure > (starting car with brake pedal depressed and having brake pedal > fall > slightly but then hold) > > 3. Does the brake pressure regulator have any bearing on this > situation? > It's only function seems to be regulating the flow of fluid when the > van > isn't level. > > 4. What is the consensus on adjusting the rear brakes? adjust them > close > and have the shoes scrape a bit during the first few > hundred/thousand? > miles? > > > Thanks for the help > > > -- > Dan Erlandson > Flemington, NJ > > danoer1@eclipse.net > 91 VW Vanagon GL 170,000 mi > 99 VW Passat 107,000 mi > >

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