Wtf!

[SirDan]

my brakes were working fine for 1000-2000 miles then the other day a light changed and I needed to stop pretty fast. got on the brakes and the drivers side front tire locked up and pulled hard left. took it easy the rest of the way home. It seems like sometimes it stops great and other times it stops like the passenger front brake is doing nothing. It also seems like I might have lost some front brake fluid but currently see no leaks and the pedal feel is good.

I have brand new:
front calipers
front pads
front rubber lines
ALL hard lines
new proportioning block
new master cylinder
new booster
new wheel cylinders
new rear brake pads
new rear rubber line

I will look further for leaks more after I post this.

 

[Demonracer]

Your problem could be any number of things; you could have a piston not fully engaging during hard braking, a rotor with a heat spot in it, a pad that cocks it self a bit during braking, uneven fluid distribution due to trash in the system, and many more. Your best best would be to look at all four corners to start trying to diagnose the problem, as well as the master cylinder and proportioning valve. Just remember that most of the parts and pieces we buy now days are made over seas, and the people that make them don't care about the "foreigners who buy them". Just my 2 pennies worth.

Bill S.

 

[BillGrissom]

A leak causing a difference between LF and RF calipers sounds unlikely since both are on the same plumbing. A leak would take out both sides.

If RF is truly not working, most likely due to a line being plugged with rust. I had trouble bleeding the RF caliper in an Aries once and had a helper push the pedal with both feet with engine running (vacuum boost) and a slug of rusty metal finally shot out. I have used silicone DOT 5 fluid in all my non-ABS cars since. If you jack that wheel up, you can see if the brake does anything. Another possibility is that the LF pad is grabbing, due to impurities like oil or brake fluid. That can happen in drum brakes, due to their greater sensitivity to coefficient of friction (self-jamming effect), but doubt calipers are as touchy.

 

[TrailBeast]

Could be a caliper piston cocking sideways in it's bore and freezing up also.
Seen it before.

 

[SirDan]

Well i looked at it today a bit. first i found out that one of my caliper hold down metal things snapped a bit. But a friend that has been working on these things for year said thats not uncommon and likely not my issue.

I then had the rubber line off at the caliper to inspect it a bit because it was very very gently weeping it looked like. washers looked okay but i thought of replacing them even though they are maybe 2 months old. I put everything back together because I wanted to move the car for the time being and think more about my issues. Bled the brakes a bit and now they slowly fall to the damn floor! i'm pissed somehow I have made things worse, just my luck! obviously there is a leak I guess ill get to the bottom of that when its light out.

 

[SGBARRACUDA]

The pedal creeping to the floor means your master cylinder is bypassing fluid by the rubber cups inside. Time for a new master cylinder.

 

['74 Sport]

Bled the brakes a bit...

How much is a "bit"? If your lines still have air bubbles, you won't have full functionality. Air is more compressible than brake fluid. Try to eliminate all the "weeps" and leaks, then do a complete system bleed.