Brake booster shot? New shoes?--77 Westy Deluxe

Moderators: Sluggo, Amskeptic

Post Reply
User avatar
thesamwise4
Getting Hooked!
Location: Honolulu, HI
Status: Offline

Brake booster shot? New shoes?--77 Westy Deluxe

Post by thesamwise4 » Tue Jun 18, 2013 9:21 am

Hi all! Aloha from Hawaii.

My brakes have been steadily getting worse for a little while now, and I finally had some time yesterday to take a look at them. It's gotten to the point now that I have to press very hard in order to get serious braking power. Let me give you a quick run down of what I noticed and then ask my questions. I have a 1977 Westy Deluxe.

I checked all brakes. Pads were fine on the front, shoes looked a little thin in the back. On the rear left, the stars were completely frozen to the screws, so I wasn't able to adjust that brake, even after an hour or so of PBlasting and tapping with a hammer (I removed the drum for easier access to the stars). I then bled the brake system and noticed a few things. First, that my wife was able to press the pedal all the way to the floor when we were bleeding the front brakes, but only half-way or so for the rear brakes. Next, while bleeding the front left brakes, I noticed a small wet sucking spot (about the size of a dime) on the engine side of the brake booster. When she pressed the pedal down, this spot would get a little more wet.

Here are my questions:
1. Any additional suggestions for loosening up the adjuster stars?
2. Any recommendations on where to get good brake shoes? I'd like to order them ASAP.
3. Is the brake booster shot? If so, should I have it rebuilt (where?) or try to buy a new one?
4. Is it normal that my wife could only press halfway down for the rears but all the way for the fronts? If not, what could this mean?

I think that's it for now. Please feel free to ask if I left any important details out (I probably did). Thanks in advance for your help!

--Dave
-Dave

1977 Westy Deluxe--The Green Lantern

kreemoweet
Getting Hooked!
Location: Seattle
Status: Offline

Re: Brake booster shot? New shoes?--77 Westy Deluxe

Post by kreemoweet » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:05 am

1. You could give the adjusters more time. Could take days. Whack 'em harder, they no doubt need to be replaced anyway. You could try and
pound the locating dowel outta the anchor block, undo the bolts and put block in a vise, and use a big ole pipe wrench on the adjuster.

2. Forget Bus Depot, I just tried to get late bay shoes there, they are outta stock and can't say when they'll have more. There's lots of VW parts
vendors who claim to have the shoes in stock, can't say anything about the quality, but sometimes cheepo brake shoes are better than no brake
shoes, yes?

3. The leaky spot is actually on the booster shell and not at the weep hole at the bottom of the M/C mounting flange? A leaky booster is no good, If it's rusted out
that thin in one spot, it's probably ready to pop in other places, time to trash it. You should dismount the M/C from the booster and check for fluid leakage into
the vacuum chamber. If it's leaking, it's time for a new M/C. There are several booster rebuilders around the country, I have no experience with them. Brand
new ATE boosters are currently being sold by Bus Depot, and a few VW parts vendors overseas. Expensive, of course, but it's the real deal.

4. The pedal behavior mean the front brake circuit is OK, but the rear is not holding pressure, either because there's still air in the circuit, or the M/C seals
are failing. It's the rear brake circuit that's at the front of the M/C and might be leaking into the booster.

User avatar
dingo
IAC Addict!
Location: oregon - calif
Status: Offline

Re: Brake booster shot? New shoes?--77 Westy Deluxe

Post by dingo » Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:23 am

i would look at the Master cylinder to start with......then follow the trail from there. Most likely will be a series of things to investigate...but i would start with Master cyl.
'71 Kombi, 1600 dp

';78 Tranzporter 2L

" Fill what's empty, empty what's full, and scratch where it itches."

User avatar
thesamwise4
Getting Hooked!
Location: Honolulu, HI
Status: Offline

Re: Brake booster shot? New shoes?--77 Westy Deluxe

Post by thesamwise4 » Sat Jun 22, 2013 3:02 pm

Guys, thanks for the replies. This is my first time through this particular problem, so I appreciate all the info and suggestions.

So I did a more thorough inspection and the wet spot I mentioned before is actually on the MC flange. When my wife presses on the pedal, this spot glistens a little. It's not dripping. The wet spot is directly below the "stalk" of the MC. You can see a slightly darker spot almost in the middle of the lower flange. That's it. (Note--I sprayed this area with PBlaster--it doesn't usually look this way).

Image


I assume this means it's new MC time, yes?

I assume that I should also pull the MC and booster and try to see if there is fluid in the booster, yes?
Thanks,
DS
-Dave

1977 Westy Deluxe--The Green Lantern

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Brake booster shot? New shoes?--77 Westy Deluxe

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:28 am

thesamwise4 wrote: I assume this means it's new MC time, yes?
I assume that I should also pull the MC and booster and try to see if there is fluid in the booster, yes?
Short answer, yes.

Yes, and vacuum it out with a shop vac.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

Post Reply