:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

You guys and this thread is killing me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:  :lol:

Hello,
Any body think .002 off on the valves matters any? I don't have a .006 gauge,  just a .008




S/V

Thanks Zen for the valve info.  Its been a while since I posted.   I had to redo the brakes on my 83 Subaru, hoses on a 85 toyavan and  other asundry nuisances.  Now I'm back and I'm gonna fix this bug.

I still have wimpy brakes and the emergency brake only puts a light drag to my forward motions.  I might need a E-brake sometime so what the heck..  lets fix that thing.

I borrowed a bunch of huge sockets and a impact driver drill and a 4 foot Pipe  and and began jumping up and down on the bar attached to the socket wrench. Boing! Finally got the nuts off.  Those VW's  really don't want people working on the back wheels.  Kind of like how you goto to the Dentist and  open wide but your not so relaxed with the proctologist.    .   I can't get the the lugs of the wheel on the driver side so lets fix the passenger side for now.  The right side wheel cylinder is drooling, maybe it had a minor stroke?   I'll rip the cylinder out later and see if it is too rough inside for a kit.  maybe a parts store is open on Turkey day.  Hope everyone is well.  SC

Side note.  My friend Andy in Trion just sold a fixer upper 67 delux bus on MYSAMBA last week. it was red and white. he had it for $800.  He still has a ton of other parts he wants to sell.

SC

ALERT !!  Attention all EMTs , Fire Dept and the Media. Smellycat has broken free and is now attacking his brakes. We need all house wifes to put extra guards on their washers and dryers and report any missing items and parts from same. After serveral months of peace, I truly belive that the "Triangle" will once again become unstable. We want everyone to remain calm and we will try to work through this latest uprising together. [-o<  [-o<

Sorry Zen, I did get the new cyl's so I took half your advice. SC

 :lol:  That's OK SC, most of the time I only half take my advice too.  The rest of the time I ignore it.   :lol:

The main thing is that before you take off to "battle traffic," or steep hills for that matter, the brakes are working properly and aren't in danger of going out any second.  

I've got a diploma from VSHK@LT (Volkswagen School of Hard Knocks at the LaFayette Triangle) but their standards are pretty low.  I didn't really learn a lot in some of the courses I took, but after re-taking it several times over the years Brakes 101 finally sunk in.  The brakes have to work and have to be reliable.  Do whatever it takes to make that happen.  Sometimes it doesn't take much, sometimes it takes replacing everything . . . just make sure they work and they are reliable.

Zen, I don't think SCs Bug will go fast enough to worry about "Binders" (vintage term) I think if he just turned into the "Triangles" prevailing winds his machine will come to a complete halt. I think his only consern would be to worry about getting hit in the "Stern Sheets" as he trys to launch his Bug into traffic down wind.  :lol:

There are a lot things that could cause your problem.  Check the easy stuff first.

If you want to make sure you have all the air out of the system and that you don't have any bad hydraulic components, run the adjusters out so that all four wheels are locked up.  Now see what happens when you step on the pedal.  You should have a slight amount of free movement at the top of the pedal, but as soon as the rod contacts the piston in the master cylinder it should stop.  If you keep holding pressure on it, the pedal shouldn't go down.  If this is what you get, the problem was that you had the shoes backed too far off the drum.

When the rod hits the master cylinder pedal, if the pedal starts out feeling "mushy" but you can pump it up tight and it will hold pressure, you have air in the system.

If it hits and feels hard, but continues to travel down slowly when you hold it under pressure, you've got a bad hydraulic component . . . if you can't find any leaks, it's most likey your master cylinder.

Another problem to look for is no free play between the rod and the piston in the master cylinder.  Before you go adjusting anything there, make sure that you clean all dirt, rocks, pennys, carpet fragments, etc. from around the pedal stop.  After 30+ years, there's no telling what's packed down in there.  This junk will keep the pedal from coming all the way back up.

One last note . . . if you want ALL of the air out (and believe me, you do), pressure bleed it.  Look back a page or two in this thread for instructions.  Oh yeah, I haven't found a complete set of belts, but I'm still looking.

Zen, I took an eighth of you bleeding advice.  Since I did not have a compressor,  I used a big red plastic beach float pump.  .  Using the miracle of duct tape, I  some how attached the hose to the top of the resevoir.    I Pumped and pumped and tried the pressure bleed and nothing happend,  then I felt a little silly trying to inflate my brake system so i gave up.


Bugtech, I figured out the front and back of the the bug but i have trouble with the sides.  Which side is the right?  If I sit in the drive seat, I guess the passenger side is the right side,.  If I sit on the hood facing the wind shield then  the drive side is the right side.  See how confusing this can be?  SC