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Author Topic:   brakes
rockafellz
Gearhead

Posts: 1312
From: San Lorenzo, CA, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 10-29-2001 01:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for rockafellz   Click Here to Email rockafellz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hey All,

I have a '66 Mustang with drum brakes all around with a single master cylinder.

I have replaced all the brakes shoes (front and rear) and have resurfaced all the drums.

Here are my current symptoms. When I brake, it takes more pressure to make the car stop. The pedal also goes down a little farther than normal. I know this because, my dad's '66 stops way better with less pedel travel. (same brake configuration by the way).

Now, i'm just not sure what the problem is. I have bought 2 front wheel cylinders and 2 front brake hoses which I haven't put on yet. And I'll have to take apart the rear and measure them before I can get replacements because in 1966, Ford made two different types.

What do you guys think the problem is? I'm also thinking the problem could be the master cylinder. My dad and I used a plastic syringe and sucked out all the brake fluid and cleaned the master cylinder. Then I cleaned it with a rag (pretty dirty at the bottom). Then refilled it. Would I need to bench bleed the master cylinder since I sucked all the fluid out of the jar?

We have also bled the system 3-4 times on each brake, starting with the right rear, left rear, right front and left front.

What do you guys think the problem could be? The wheel cylinders will be replaced no matter what (when I took them apart some pistons were actually stuck from dust or sand buildup), but I'd really like to know what exactly is causing the problem rather that just replacing it all and saying it is fixed.

Please help.

Regards,

Erik

[This message has been edited by rockafellz (edited 10-29-2001).]

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mustang68mustangs
Gearhead

Posts: 289
From: pittsburgh,pa.usa
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 10-29-2001 01:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mustang68mustangs   Click Here to Email mustang68mustangs     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Well It sounds to me like you need to bench bleed the master .If you sucked all the fluid out of it then air would have gotten into it.
you can bench bleed it on the car with the brake pedal hooked up.

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SteveLaRiviere
Administrator

Posts: 33988
From: Saco, Maine
Registered: May 99

posted 10-29-2001 06:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SteveLaRiviere   Click Here to Email SteveLaRiviere     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
When you step on the brake, it should feel hard, like it is solid. If it's spongy like you're stepping on a rubber ball, it needs bleeding.

------------------
'70 Mustang Mach 1 M code 351C 4V/FMX/3.25 open
'72 Mustang Sprint Coupe 351C 4V/FMX/4.30 Trac Lok
'94 F-150 XL 5.8L/E4OD/3.55 Limited Slip
'97 Probe GTS 2.5L DOHC

Recycle --- Restore a Classic Ford!

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Harrys'65
Gearhead

Posts: 341
From: Saint Paul, MN
Registered: Sep 99

posted 10-29-2001 10:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Harrys'65   Click Here to Email Harrys'65     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I agree with the other guyes, it sounds like they need bleeding. The other thing to check is to make sure your shoes are adjusted out to the point just before they start rubbing.

------------------
Harry Straub
'65 Mustang Coupe
http://www.harrystraub.com/resto.html

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franklin
Gearhead

Posts: 128
From: VA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 10-30-2001 01:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for franklin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
All the above suggestions should fix the problem. But I have a strange incident that I can contribute. It was coming up on inspection time for my 65, and I knew the front shoes were getting borderline. But the car stopped fine. I went to Advance auto and got a new set of shoes. They were Bendix brand. Installed them and afterward, the car didn't want to stop. It gave me a very unsettling feeling everytime I went to stop. I thought maybe the drums where "glazed over" or something, so I took them off and went over them with sandpaper. I adjusted, and messed with this for about a week. I then told myself I didn't have a problem till I put the new shoes on. I think these were a "lifetime warrenty" shoe and I thought they may be made of a harder compound, so I took them off and went to Napa. I told the guy I wanted some cheap shoes thinking they may be softer, but he convinced me he had a good quality shoe that I would be happy with. Well, you guessed it, it fixed the problem right away. It makes you wonder sometimes, how anybody can fix their car when they are given inferior parts to put on it.

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franklin
Gearhead

Posts: 128
From: VA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 10-30-2001 01:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for franklin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I just noticed you said you had the brake drums turned. Like I said before, the suggestions the other guys made should be done first as they are the standard fixes. But I just remembered another strange problem I have had before. It had to happen to two different vehicles before I figured it out. I would take the drums in to be turned, and so the guy would turn them. It just so happened one time, this is all I did and afterward, my pedal didn't have a solid feel and it wouldn't stop very well. I got my wife to push on the brake pedal, and I could actually see and feel the brake drum flexing. I ordered new drums and the problem went away. With rotors they always seem to be alert with the thickness tolerance, but drums seem to slip through the check. I don't know what the limit is on a mustang, but I remember on one of my other vehicles it was only .030 inch over.

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