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Questions about Brakes for you Car Buffs

1K views 43 replies 6 participants last post by  ratchet 
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#1 ·
Hey Mac and other car experts!

I just finished putting in a new clinder for the rear brake of a car me and my buddy is working on. It's in BUT it's only %50 better??

The Brake light is still on?? What eles could it be??? I didn't bleed it but I didn't really need to right. I mean the brake line was off the clinder so there was the fluild was all drain out but that won't make a big difference to it anyway.

The brake still slides but not that much. So what eles could be wrong??

Do i really need to bleed it?? if I do any short cuts?? Why is it still SH#$%y??? and the brake lights still on???

Help!!
 
#2 ·
Yes you need to bleed the brakes and yo might just as well do the 4 wheels starting with the passanger rear then the drivers rear, the passanger front and last the drivers front, because that is the closest one to the master.

If it's worth doing it's worth doing it right, I know you know that but you just thought you'd check and see if you could slide on that right?

do not use old brake fluid to bring the level in the master cylinder to full......it picks up moisture once the can has been opened.

DS
 
#3 ·
hey,i can actually contribute something back to this excellent site,even though dark star has pretty much answered it,since i dont know you hamster,and i dont know how much you actually know about cars,ill give a few more details,everything dark wrote is exactly correct,also keep in mind,you need to check the fluid level in the reservoir often,especially if alot of air is escaping as youre bleeding,and make sure you put the cap back on the reservoir every time,if it does run empty youll have to start all over again.i understand youve replaced a wheel cylinder...????i would also check for any other fluid leaks along the frame in case a line has rusted out.good luck:D
 
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#4 ·
I tried reading the directons on the net, but it looks so confusing!! Where is the nipples!! nipples are we talking about a Cow or what????

But not bleeding the brakes shouldn't make my brake lights on???

and when I mean sliding I don't mean to the right... I mean I press on the brakes and it still goes!! it slides and then stop!!
 
#5 ·
hamster,

You so funny......it is no big deal you do know how to do this procedure right?
If you don't just say so and we'll tell you but since I type liiiiike rrrrreallllly sssslooooow I'll wait for you to say one way or the other.

Is this thing car that you are working on of this era? like does it have disks up front and drums in back? is it ABS brakes?
The brake lite will stay on until you have enough fluid in the reservoir so that it is full.

DS
 
#6 ·
nipple/bleeder screw??????? right??lol this is funny,sorry were laughing at your expense hamster,yes dark is right,the light will stay on until there is enough fluid in the reservoir,AND THEN,you still have to pump it a few times for the light to come back off,any luck so far????????? lol
 
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#7 ·
DS, is there anything you don't know??? Do you know how to bake a muffin?? ha ha!!

No, it's a 88 Chevy Blazer me and my bud are trying to restore. It's a hobby I like to get into!!

But the brake reserve is full??????????????

I know the procedure on how to do it... but where is the nipples they are talking about???

The picture shows the guy bleeding it behind of the wheel... I thought the nipples were on the clinder itself???

But by not bleeding the brakes it should only be spongy right, it doesn't really make a difference in how the brakes are stopped.

So i don't think that's the difference, whould it??? thanks!
 
#9 ·
Sliding.........you have oil or brake fluid on the drums and or on the linings...........got some cleaner? brake cleaner? if you dont you can use paint thinner to clean things up no oily residue crap.
Gasoline will clean oil but be careful because you can go boom.

The nipples...........look on the backside of the brake plate like on the rear brakes lets say the plate is thething that your wheel cylinder is mounted on to and so are your brake linings...

get a flashlite and shine it back there right behind the area where the wheel cylinder is bolted to the plate do you see a nipple now?..........Good I knew youd find it.
 
#10 ·
well unless dark beats me to it,ok the nipple im assuming is a protective little rubber cover on the bleeder screw which would be on the back side of the wheel cylinder,take it off to bleed :),also not bleeding will make it spongy if only a little fluid was lost,very little,replacing a wheel cylinder leaves a big air gap,the pedal probably went right to the floor right????
 
#11 ·
there is one very easy option....................................go have a beer,or a 12 pack,wake up in the morning and take it to a shop,lol. sorry trying to lighten things up,hows the progress????
 
#12 ·
sorry for so many posts,my brain works in short bursts. i just read what you said about sliding again,if you mean one wheel is sliding,and then you stop,did you bleed all 4 wheels before you tested it????? sorry if that sounds dumb,thats how i understood what you said.......this would be so easy if i could just do the stupid thing for you,grrr,lol
 
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#13 ·
When I meant the Brake Light I meant the Lite on the dash board that says "Hey the brakes are f#$ked up!!"!!!

Hey Pctech!! The beer sounds good!! But remember This is a project of ours and it's a Blazer to go crazy on!! So we would like to work on it ourselves, taking it to a shop would be cheating!!

It does feel good when It's fixed and you get that pride!! My next project is the electirical system!! But that's a whole other thread itself!!!


but we would never take it out on the road until it's all set. The brakes are pretty easy once you get the hang of it!!

ps... I can't belive the Garage would charge the poor suckers $100 or more just to put in the Front brakes!!!

All it is... just replacing a pad into it, how easy can that be!! wow..
 
#16 ·
hamster,

You are a crack up!!!!

Okay now did you find the nipple?

look at it closely you will see the beed screw/nut on the nipple put a small rubber hose over the nipple and the other end of the hose into a can of brake fluid .......

........top off the master cylinder

........open the bleed screw about one quarter turn press the brake pedal and SLOWLY release it and repeat until no more bubbles are forced out from the cylinder as you apply the brake.

.......tighten the screw and move to the other wheels and repeat the procedure always being sure that you are keeping the master cylinder full dont let it go empty
 
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#17 ·
no pctech!! not one wheel sliding!!

It's like this... before when I would press on the brakes, I would really have to press down on it, my foot slides all the way down to the floor!! and you know how a Regular break would just stop the car.

Well the car won't stop after the break is pressed. It would still go (like neutral??) then stop!!

But I don't think bleeding the brake lines would make it that bad though???

We took a look and one of the rear cylinders was busted. We fixed it and it's better but not perfect.
 
#18 ·
ok,the light is good news whew!once everything else is right and you push the pedal to the floor a few times and its all bled that will go off.#2 yes thats close for a shop to replace front brkes its around $50 -$100, usually takes me about 15-20 minutes a side,wish i could get that chi-ching and do it all day,lol.and the other thing,your buddys partly right,the disc brakes do do the majority of the stopping because they are such an effecient braking system,but the back do their share,they also are the only ones that function when you apply the emergency brake,so while your doing those make sure thats hooked up right too,lol,i know...........OHHHHHH NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! na,the cable should be fine,as long as you put it all together right :D now you know why all the high buck sports cars or just the spendy cars advertise 4 wheel disc brakes,they stop on a dime
 
#19 ·
hamster,

Thanks for the cyberbeer......Yum......

The rear brakes do about 20 to 25% of the work while you are moving forward while the fronts do the 75-80% of the work.

Your emergency brake is going to the rears only and they are not to be ignored as they are significant.

another sip.......glug, glug, glug........ahhhhhhhh..good cyberbeer

The fronts are the disks in and you need to clean the rotors with a cleaner as to get the oil and grease off of them.......

You see how brakes work on a ten speed bike? same thing here the two pads sqeeze the rotor and stop the wheel......oily rotor slip and slide.......are you guys making a greasy oily mess?
 
#20 ·
no,JUST bleeding at first wouldnt have fixed what you described,but since you found the bad wheel cylinder,and your going through the steps necessary after you replaced it(including bleeding) it will be better now,see when youre wheel cylinder was leaking fluid,you were losing fluid(and i assume the reservoir was empty?)then every time you let off the petal it sucked air into the bad wheel cylinder,so it was alll f@#$%^d up,actually kinda simple,but it seems bad.
 
#21 ·
Originally posted by hamster
oh and one more question, my buddy tells me the Back brakes are like useless, it's really the front brakes that does all the work. The back brakes are only for support??? Is that true???
Regular brake drums which are over-limit (oversized inside diameter-wise), allowing the brake kit to expand too far, will also give you that indicator light.
Go to the salvage yard, buy some brake drums that are guaranteeed to be within specs, have them turned ~then~ put them on. Should solve the problem. And as you have been advised, follow the suggested bleeding pattern.
**The same thing goes if your front wheel (and/or) rear rotors are too thin.

And no, ~all~ the brakes stop ~all~ the wheels from turning. That is patently nonsense about rear brakes being the automobile equivalent of t*ts on a boar hog. Don't believe me? Disconnect the front brakes and go take a drive. The rear brakes alone will stop you just fine, but just not as firmly as having good brakes on all four wheels.
 
#22 ·
Im just reading bits and pieces her but you can replace that wheel cylinder for like 15 -20 bucks at the local parts house......they sell rebuilt ones and you take yours in and match it to the new-rebuilt one .........

Whew are we done now!!!!!!

More beer?
 
#23 ·
Ah, not to be a stick in the mud (or eye) but the truck is what 13 or 14 years old. There is as least one bad brake cylinder and, apparently, the master cylinder ran dry. I'm betting the master cylinder needs to be replaced. When they're that old and allowed to air dry they go south real fast. So all this work on the brakes and bleeding may have to be repeated.
Then again I could be wrong.
 
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#24 ·
Im just reading bits and pieces her but you can replace that wheel cylinder for like 15 -20 bucks at the local parts house......they sell rebuilt ones and you take yours in and match it to the new-rebuilt one .........
____________________________________________________

Dark Star!! wooo.... so you're the one chugging all the beer!!!!!

Ah!! The wheel cylinder is already in place!! How can you missed that in the posting!! ha ha!! :) The leak has stopped,

but the Main Question is why is My Brake "Fix It" light is still on?? and how come it is not stopping like it should. It's better but I still have to press hard on the brakes and it doesn't stop automatically.
 
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#25 ·
Okay!! Just one last easy question I wanted to ask in the frist place to end this!!


1) Do I really need to bleed the brake lines? Can I get by without it?

2) I replaced the cylinder so there was no fluids in it, why should I still bleed it???

thanks guys!! and girls :)
 
#26 ·
Possibilities:
1. Air in the brake lines (did you bleed all four?)
2. Water in the brake lines (did you bleed the lines completely?)
3. Another undiscovered leak (start looking)
4. Bad master cylinder.
 
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