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Date:         Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:45:18 -0800
Reply-To:     John Anderson <wvukidsdoc@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Anderson <wvukidsdoc@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Rear brakes frustration
In-Reply-To:  <F3894986-599B-4A49-B0F1-C28E93419078@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1


Big mushy can also simply mean adjustment issue/takeup until contact (which is how this seems to sound to me) cause otherwise it usually means MAJOR air in the system.  Mushy after takeup of slack more means air in the system, which also could be possible here due to the "pumping" after hitting a solid stop bit Rick states.  If they are in fact pretty solid after that initial takeup till "stop" I think it is far more adjustment than bleeding, However, personally (and I bought my first Mity-Vac 20 years ago and still use it for some things) I don't care for vacuum bleeding, you are after all only pulling an optimistic 14.7 psi, and likely nowhere near that.  I have better results 2 person standard bleeding, or using my pressure cannister power bleeder.  But I think Craig is on the track about still being out of adjustment somehow.  Rick sounds like he's adjusted correctly though, with experience doing same, so a bit hard to call.  Check
 adjustment well, make sure you hydraulicaly seat them a few times during adustment to center things well, you may only be dragging on one shoe on one side when you are adjusting, though this is not usually so much the case with Vanagon sort of floating system compared to older with individual shoe adjustments.  Before giving it the next run through take it apart make sure everything is correctly installed and seems free with the drums off, and that of course you don't have a major cylinder leak though I think you'd see evidence (seepage) of that.
 
As it sounds like you changed the fluid completely, I would ask, are you sure that you never ran the master dry (even just half of the resevoir?) as that might make one more inclined to think big air in the system, and again IMHO is not well removed by 1 man vacuum bleeding.
 
Anyway some thoughts.
 
John
 

________________________________
 From: Craig Cowan phishman068@GMAIL.COM
 
Mushy pedals means there is air in the system. It sounds like its also still out of adjustment, as that determines where te pedal starts. 

-craig
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