Brake help

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kevinhall

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Morning all, had a search but can't find an answer to an issue I'm having.

As part of restoring my van I have refreshed the whole brake setup - new hard and soft lines, new master cylinder, new rear drums and front calipers rebuilt.

Had the new system filled with fluid but wouldn't bleed so took to the local garage who diagnosed a faulty master cylinder. They replaced this (with one I sourced) and they have re-bled the system and are getting pressure pedal with the fronts isolated by clamping flexis, but pedal to the floor as soon as the fronts are released.

They have suggested faulty calipers as the system is holding pressure and braking the rears. Before I get new calipers, can anyone who knows more than me offer any thoughts on whether it sounds likely?

Thanks!!
 
You can refurb front callipers. It’s been a while but in my bay own8ng early life I did it so it couldn’t have been hard. I stripped them blew them through with air and built them back up. You can buy rebuild kits from usual places
 
Long shot - If you have discs on the front and the bus is fitted with a pressure regulator to distribute less force to the rear drums (to stop it snaking when breaking hard). Then that might need stripping and cleaning. We had a similar problem with very weak pressure on the rear drums and it was crud stuck in the regulator. Once cleaned it was fine. Worth a thought if all else fails.
 
Personally, before you take anything apart or buy any bits, I’d try clamping the rear flexi’s and seeing what happened with the fronts then. From the symptoms you’ve described, it could be as simple as air in the caliper - they’re definitely on the correct way up with their bleed nipples at the top?

If you can get a good pedal with the fronts clamped, at least you know that the MC is air-free. With the rears clamped, I’d crack one of the front nipples and see if air or brake fluid comes out when the pedal is depressed. Sometimes if the system has a lot of air, it can be hard to push it out of the tiny bleed hole if there is too much resistance. You can help avoid this by filling the brake caliper up with fluid through the bleed hole and see if that gets you started.


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Awesome thoughts thanks guys. Van is at the garage so I will nip down in the morning and check some things out.

Upside down calipers would be a great answer....keeping my fingers crossed for that!!
 
Nipped to the garage today and yup, calipers on the wrong sides, bleed nipples at the bottom :oops: . Being switched over so fingers crossed that's an easy fix. Thanks for the tip! Will update once I know.
 
WINNER!! Calipers switched, system bled and I have brakes. Thanks for the suggestion...so glad it was an easy fix :)
 
kevinhall said:
WINNER!! Calipers switched, system bled and I have brakes. Thanks for the suggestion...so glad it was an easy fix :)

Winner winner, chicken dinner!


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Pleased it got sorted :)
Strange thing is my calipers have bleed nipples top and bottom?
 
Some of them had bleed nipples top and bottom so VW only had to make & sell 1 type of caliper. Just use the top ones.
 

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