Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:44:34 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Proper Brake Pedal Feel/Travel?
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you should never feel that 'bottomed out against something hard like medal'
feeling in your brake pedal.
unless you say your MC is new, I suggest that it's an MC leaking
internally...
like between the two in-tandem sections that makes it a dual circuit MC.
try a high quality new MC.
what is normal is ..
nice high firm pedal....maybe goes down 1 1/2 inches then starts to slow the
van.
You should be able to get on the brake pedal hard enough that on drive
pavement at 50 mph you could lock up the fronts if you wanted to ...
or nearly that good.
You should be able to apply more braking force than normal size tires can
deal with - or nearly.,
like slowing down hard enough that the nose dives, and everything loose in
the van flies forward.
I have had some that just 'would not' get a nice high firm pedal.
One was an 85 weekender.
Always stopped fine, had good brakes in the wheels etc...but pedal was
always more like 'half way down' rather than higher than that and firm
feeling. .
Wasn't mushy, just wasn't high off the floor.
I put in a brand new german MC ....it was still the same. Did everything
except the booster.
my point is ......some vans seem easy to get a high firm pedal easily, ,
others less so.
but that hard metal feeling in the pedal stroke......
not supposed to be there at all.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "neil n" <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 8:54 PM
Subject: Proper Brake Pedal Feel/Travel?
> Hi all.
>
> I've owned one Vanagon. I know what an outright "wrong" pedal feels
> like but not what a proper Vanagon brake pedal feels like. Like from
> 0-10, 2 -3 = normal driving pedal pressure, 10 = total stain yer pants
> panic stop pressure, pushed at level 7, my pedal eventually stops
> against what I assume is metal. Brakes fine otherwise. I've done lots
> of work on them (* below)
>
> Does this mean air in system? Should a good pedal NEVER bottom out?
> Like pushed to 10, should it feel like it's up against something solid
> but not bottoming out against a stop of some kind?
>
> To ensure air not the culprit, I pressure bled them. (finally built a
> pressure bleeder. Used one-man valve before). Pressurizing reservoir
> with air to 12 PSI, I saw a steady stream from all bleeders, NO
> bubbles, no change in pedal feel over previous method. Of note, fronts
> bled noticeably faster. Used ~ 3/4 litre.
>
> In archives, these caught my eye: Rear wheel cylinder position (early
> MY) and brake switch(s) air bound. (MC replacement)
>
> Again no point of reference, but for some time it's seemed that my
> pedal requires slightly more than normal pressure required to activate
> brake lights.
>
> I replaced MC not long after buying Westy. I don't recal bleeding the
> switch. How is this done? Likely that info is in archives.
>
> It drives with no *real* issues. I just want to be sure there's NO air
> in system.
>
> Thanks for taking time to read.
>
> Neil.
>
>
> * AFAIK, only parts not replaced over last few years: hard lines from
> MC to calipers. Proportioning valve. All replaced parts still ok.
>
> Over last few years (calipers + related not long ago)
>
> - Booster, (check valve too IIRC) pedal cluster rebuilt, MC. Checked
> push rod spec.
> - Flex hoses, calipers, pads, hardware, rotors/bearings
> - Drums, shoes (Raybestos deluxe) hardware, cylinders. From prop.
> valve to rear, all steel and flex lines
>
>
>
> --
> Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
>
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
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