Brake Freeplay goes away

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hodad - 27 Jul 2007 04:12 GMT

I have a 1986 Toyota Dolphin RV. that has a brake Problem.
Problem is when I first drive it the Brakes have about 1 inch of free
play on the brake pedal and they work great. After I drive it about 20
minutes the free play goes away to the point where there is none
and the brakes seem to come on to the point where it is noticable. I'm
pretty sure it's the front brakes only as they smell hot when I stop.
It's not pulling to the right or left.
Note: this did sit unused for 5 years before I acquired it.
I've had autos before that the freeplay gets longer and fixed it by
replacing the master cylinder but never seen it get shorter like this.
Anybody seen this before?
Any help is appreciated

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Dan_Thomas_nospam@yahoo.com - 27 Jul 2007 15:05 GMT

> I have a 1986 Toyota Dolphin RV. that has a brake Problem.
> Problem is when I first drive it the Brakes have about 1 inch of free
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Anybody seen this before?
> Any help is appreciated

The master cylinder might not be returning all the way
and the relief ports aren't opening into the reservoirs. As the brake
calipers drag a bit (and they are likely rusty/stuck so that they drag
too much) they heat up, the fluid in the caliper cylinder expands and
puts pressure on the system because it can't push back into the
reservoir. The more pressure it puts on, the hotter it gets and makes
even more pressure.
There's sometimes an adjustable stop for the brake
pedal, and its locknut can come loose and it rattles forward and holds
the brake master down a bit.

Dan

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