Date:         Wed, 6 Sep 1995 07:31:13 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Tobin T. Copley" <tobin@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca>
Subject:      Re: Brakes inconsistent

On Tue, 5 Sep 1995 Mark Sudul clarified:

> > On Wed, 16 Aug 1995 msudul@glenayre.com wrote:
> > 
> > > My '78 (Murray) is braking rather irregularly these days. After long
> > > highway sections (infrequent braking) the brake pedal sinks rather
> > > close to the floor without producing much stopping power. The problem
> > > is resolved after a pump or two when brake pressure is returned. 
> 
> snip...
> 
> > Mark, have you been losing brake fluid?  Any wetness anywhwere in the 
> > braking system that might indicate a leak in the system?  Wheel 
> > cylinders, master cylinders, couplings in the lines?  Check the whole 
> > length of the lines, too, since you may have chucked a rock or something 
> > up on the logging roads and damaged something.  
> > 
> > I'd be freaking if my pedal would drop to the floor every now and then!

> Tobin,
> 
> No loss of brake fluid that I have noticed. I will get underneath and
> have a thorough look. The rear wheel cylinders are new last fall. Sean
> Stueber says on August 16...
> 
> > I had to adjust mine several (about three, I think) times before the problem
> > went away.  You problem sounds exactly like mine.  I think the reason is that
> > when you adjust them it actually only adjusts one side.  Over the next few
> > minutes/hours/days of driving the shoes center themselves and require
> > adjusting again.  Give it a try.  Good luck
> 
> I re-adjusted the rear brakes 2 weeks ago and proceeded on a 2 week
> wind surfing holiday. The rough roads and long freeway sections did not
> cause the problem to reappear yet. One other symptom is that the brake
> pedal will drop slightly under pressure as if something suddenly
> releases, and I can hear a clunk from the rear when this happens
> (usually only after a long period of driving without braking).

Clunk?  You thinking then that that's the shoes popping into the 
'centred' position after rattling into a non-centred position on your 
long freeway drive?  Have you popped off the rear brake drums to have a 
look at the guts of your rear brakes?  Is your braking even when you do 
use them?  (i.e., one wheel of the other, or fronts only/rears only locks 
up under moderate braking on those logging roads?)

Tobin
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobin T. Copley                  Currently              =============  
(604) 689-2660                    Occupationally       /_| |__||__| :| putta
tobin@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca      Challenged!        O|             | putta
                                                       '-()-------()-' 
Circum-continental USA, Mexico, Canada 15,000 miles... '76 VW Camper! (Mango)