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Car Forum / Chevrolet / Chevrolet Corvette / March 2007

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c3 brakes

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G - 18 Jul 2006 19:13 GMT
Hello,

I'm having a problem with a 74 I picked up this spring.  The rear brakes are
practically not working.  The front brakes work great.  I get a lot of
travel in the pedal and it seems soft.  I replaced the rear calipers as one
of them was hissing and bubbling brake fluid.  I've bled the system both
with a vacuum pump and manually.  The master cylinder looks very new, but
I'm not getting much fluid out of it for the rear brakes when I crack the
line open and depress the brake.  Could this be a booster problem, I think
it's the original?  Or is a bad master cylinder more likely?  Any insite
would be helpful.

G
BeNNeT - 18 Jul 2006 21:21 GMT
> Hello,
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> G

I would check the brake lines all the way down the line.  I am not
really farmilar with the brake system on your year car, but  there are
junctions of the brake lines that spilt the line into two lines or a
balancer somewhere in the front of the car,  it is not uncommon for
them to get clogged with dirt.  check all these connections and then
see it the line it free then.  Now if the rear end system goes into one
side then out and goes to the other.  if that is the case check to make
sure the preesure going into the main side line is correct because it
could be the spilter inside the rear that isn't part of the calipers
that send the preesure over the the other wheel.
Tom in Missouri - 19 Jul 2006 06:49 GMT
Vacuum bleeding of C2 and C3 disc brakes can draw air into the system by
sucking it past the piston seals.  Avoid using this method.

Manual bleeding I assume is having you bleed the calipers while a buddy
pumps the pedal.  This can generate air bubbles by pumping too fast or hard.
With patience, it works ok.

Gravity bleeding is my preferred method.  Fill the master cylinder, crack
open a bleeder on a caliper and let it run until no air bubbles are seen.
Very slow.

Front calipers have only one bleeder each, on the inside up high.

Rear calipers have two bleeders each, on the upper end, both inside and
outside.

All SIX must be bleed.

If the car has not been restored or had the brake system reworked, then
check the brake hoses. They can deteriorate and act like a check valve to
mess up the braking.  Visibly, they look ok.  The safe way is if they are
old, just replace them.

> Hello,
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> G
G - 19 Jul 2006 13:10 GMT
I did bleed all 6 bleeders, outer first on the rear.  By manually bleeding I
do mean having a buddy press and release while I open and close the bleeders
(slow even strokes) I tried gravity bleeding, but nothing comes out (yes I
waited an hour).  I'm not sure if I have a clog, or another problem.  When
opening the line at the master cylinder and pressing the brake pedal, barely
anything comes out, as I said though, the master cylinder is fairly new (and
it is a Delco, so are the new calipers).  Also, what is the valve/device for
about 2 feet from the master cylinder on the rear brake line?  Should I look
to borrow a pressure bleeder to take care of this?

G

> Vacuum bleeding of C2 and C3 disc brakes can draw air into the system by
> sucking it past the piston seals.  Avoid using this method.
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
>>
>> G
Dad - 19 Jul 2006 15:14 GMT
>I did bleed all 6 bleeders, outer first on the rear.  By manually bleeding I
> do mean having a buddy press and release while I open and close the bleeders
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> G

That's a proportioning valve to, guess what, restrict flow to the rear to avoid
over braking the rear. Could be your culprit, clean, rebuild or replace it, good
thing to do anyhow. Bleed the lines while you have it off with a jumper to see
if you have proper flow.

Signature

Dad
05 C6 Silver/Red 6spd Z51
72 Shark Black/Black/4spd

G - 19 Jul 2006 15:31 GMT
Huh, ok it is a proportioning valve then, only the rear line goes to it, the
front line goes to a different valve.  I'll give it a try and see what I
come up with.

G

>>I did bleed all 6 bleeders, outer first on the rear.  By manually bleeding
>>I
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> replace it, good thing to do anyhow. Bleed the lines while you have it off
> with a jumper to see if you have proper flow.
W. Moore - 19 Jul 2006 23:18 GMT
Old rubber flex lines deteriorate inside, swell up, and will block fluid. I
had to replace them on my '75 because they were causing the brakes to hang
up.  A cheap fix.  Good luck.

> Huh, ok it is a proportioning valve then, only the rear line goes to it, the
> front line goes to a different valve.  I'll give it a try and see what I
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> > 05 C6 Silver/Red 6spd Z51
> > 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd
Nick Cleghorn - 23 Jul 2006 12:11 GMT
If you happen to solve your problem please post how you did it.  I have a 74 with the same problem.

Nick
 Huh, ok it is a proportioning valve then, only the rear line goes to it, the
 front line goes to a different valve.  I'll give it a try and see what I
 come up with.

 G

 "Dad" <knockers@fisher.net> wrote in message
 news:76SdnQ1Hn9CxoyPZnZ2dnUVZ_vidnZ2d@bright.net...
 >
 > "G" <na@na.net> wrote in message
 > news:wipvg.148326$mF2.87073@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
 >>I did bleed all 6 bleeders, outer first on the rear.  By manually bleeding
 >>I
 >> do mean having a buddy press and release while I open and close the
 >> bleeders
 >> (slow even strokes) I tried gravity bleeding, but nothing comes out (yes
 >> I
 >> waited an hour).  I'm not sure if I have a clog, or another problem.
 >> When
 >> opening the line at the master cylinder and pressing the brake pedal,
 >> barely
 >> anything comes out, as I said though, the master cylinder is fairly new
 >> (and
 >> it is a Delco, so are the new calipers).  Also, what is the valve/device
 >> for
 >> about 2 feet from the master cylinder on the rear brake line?  Should I
 >> look
 >> to borrow a pressure bleeder to take care of this?
 >>
 >> G
 >>
 > That's a proportioning valve to, guess what, restrict flow to the rear to
 > avoid over braking the rear. Could be your culprit, clean, rebuild or
 > replace it, good thing to do anyhow. Bleed the lines while you have it off
 > with a jumper to see if you have proper flow.
 >
 > --
 > Dad
 > 05 C6 Silver/Red 6spd Z51
 > 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd
 >
BDragon - 02 Sep 2006 20:18 GMT
> I did bleed all 6 bleeders, outer first on the rear.  By manually bleeding I
> do mean having a buddy press and release while I open and close the bleeders
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> G
I realize your post is old, so maybe you have solved this, but, along with
the breakdown of the lines themselves (if they are the original rubber) the
suggestion about cleaning out the proportioner valve (which may be the unit
2 feet from the master you refer to) is the next best bet.

On my '77, I kept trying to solve the problems by replacing one piece at a
time.  Each piece that I replaced helped some, and by the time I had finally
replaced darned near all of the system, it began to function well.  Every
problem mentioned here by others was one I had in some degree.

There is a brake line cleaner that you can run through your system as well.
If you do that and come up with rubber fragments in the discharge, replace
the lines for sure.

Testing the booster is a simple operation of pressing the pedal and seeing
if it holds or descends to the floor.  It it outlined in all the manuals for
the car.

Good luck.  Poor brakes keep you off the road (I hope) and that's no fun.

> > Vacuum bleeding of C2 and C3 disc brakes can draw air into the system by
> > sucking it past the piston seals.  Avoid using this method.
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> >>
> >> G
dave - 03 Sep 2006 18:04 GMT
'Testing the booster is a simple operation of pressing the pedal and
seeing if it holds or descends to the floor. It it outlined in all the
manuals for the car.'

REPLY:  On my 1970,  this is happening all of a sudden ; pedal goes down
to nearly floor level. No brake boosting at all. What else besides the
Booster being defective could cause this ? ( Vaccuum is at 11 in. w.c.
at idle,  but has always worked fine in the past.). Thanks.
Tom in Missouri - 05 Sep 2006 15:40 GMT
If the pedal goes all the way down, check your master cylinder.  The booster
simply makes it hard or easy to push the pedal.

> 'Testing the booster is a simple operation of pressing the pedal and
> seeing if it holds or descends to the floor. It it outlined in all the
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Booster being defective could cause this ? ( Vaccuum is at 11 in. w.c.
> at idle,  but has always worked fine in the past.). Thanks.
Maddog - 05 Sep 2006 19:31 GMT
Replace the master cly..it has an internal leak...boster is not the problem..
Eugene Blanchard - 06 Sep 2006 04:47 GMT
If the pedal goes all the way down, you have a leak in the brake line
somewhere. If you can pump up the brakes, then you have a worn master
cylinder and it needs rebuilding. Fluid is leaking around the seals.

Check each wheel to see if the brake cylinders are leaking. A common problem
with Vettes that are stored for the winter and you use normal brake fluid
is that with the temperature changes, the fluid absorbs moisture. The
moisture pits the inside of the cylinders and you lose pressure. The
solution is to use silicon brake fluid but a lot of people find it gives a
mushy feel to the brakes. The other solution is to replace the cylinders
with stainless steel ones.

Check to see if the brake hoses to the wheel cylinders are leaking. Check to
see if a brake line has got pinched or ruptured.

Good luck!

> If the pedal goes all the way down, check your master cylinder.  The
> booster simply makes it hard or easy to push the pedal.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>> Booster being defective could cause this ? ( Vaccuum is at 11 in. w.c.
>> at idle,  but has always worked fine in the past.). Thanks.
dave - 06 Sep 2006 16:54 GMT
'If the pedal goes all the way down, you have a leak in the brake line
somewhere. If you can pump up the brakes, then you have a worn master
cylinder and it needs rebuilding. Fluid is leaking around the seals.
Check each wheel to see if the brake cylinders are leaking. A common
problem with Vettes that are stored for the winter and you use normal
brake fluid is that with the temperature changes, the fluid absorbs
moisture. The moisture pits the inside of the cylinders and you lose
pressure. The solution is to use silicon brake fluid but a lot of people
find it gives a mushy feel to the brakes. The other solution is to
replace the cylinders with stainless steel ones.
Check to see if the brake hoses to the wheel cylinders are leaking.
Check to see if a brake line has got pinched or ruptured.
Good luck!'

REPLY:  Its going in for diagnosis this friday a.m. to my vette
mechanic.  He said over the phone that its either the Master Cylinder or
possible a caliper . In any case its been ages since the brakes were
examined since i drive it 2000 miles max. per year (April thru Oct) . I
do have silicone brake fluid in the car . I can pump up the brakes and
get them to work good . Ill let you know what the problem is by friday.
Thanks for the info  and tips.   Dave.


Tom in Missouri wrote:
If the pedal goes all the way down, check your master cylinder. The
booster simply makes it hard or easy to push the pedal.
"dave" <Fast1970Vette@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:29560-44FB0B23-1055@storefull-3234.bay.webtv.net...
'Testing the booster is a simple operation of pressing the pedal and
seeing if it holds or descends to the floor. It it outlined in all the
manuals for the car.'

ME: On my 1970, this is happening all of a sudden ; pedal goes down
to nearly floor level. No brake boosting at all. What else besides the
Booster being defective could cause this ? ( Vaccuum is at 11 in. w.c.
at idle, but has always worked fine in the past.). Thanks.
BDragon - 07 Sep 2006 07:15 GMT
> 'If the pedal goes all the way down, you have a leak in the brake line
> somewhere. If you can pump up the brakes, then you have a worn master
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> get them to work good . Ill let you know what the problem is by friday.
> Thanks for the info  and tips.   Dave.

In the course of a few months, I lost the rubber seals in two calipers.  (If
you fix one side, front or back, you need to fix the other.)  Looking back,
it would have been no more difficult to have replaced the calipers to begin
with, because that is what I did eventually.   I tried a rebuild, but I
never had 100% faith in them after that.  I felt better when I put new
calipers on all four wheels.  Now I can do those jackrabbit starts and stops
with complete confidence.

> Tom in Missouri wrote:
> If the pedal goes all the way down, check your master cylinder. The
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Booster being defective could cause this ? ( Vaccuum is at 11 in. w.c.
> at idle, but has always worked fine in the past.). Thanks.
dave - 08 Sep 2006 18:47 GMT
Got the brakes diagnosed.  Two out of the four calipers have leaking
seals (most likely due to my very infrequent use of the car at 2000
miles per year with storage for 5 months). I elected to have all four
calipers replaced along with pads.  Booster is fine as are the rotors
and brake lines, .
Randy - 09 Sep 2006 17:44 GMT
> Got the brakes diagnosed.  Two out of the four calipers have leaking
> seals (most likely due to my very infrequent use of the car at 2000
> miles per year with storage for 5 months). I elected to have all four
> calipers replaced along with pads.  Booster is fine as are the rotors
> and brake lines, .

DILV can't even fix his own brakes?
He must like wasting money
A booster takes 30 seconds to check for proper operation
Did the Xtian maroon have the rotors checked for run-out?

Randy
dave - 09 Sep 2006 20:33 GMT
'What a maroon
'

REPLY :  Maroon is a dark red color.  Please take the day off tomorrow
from stalking me , and,  go shopping for a Corvette.
Randy - 10 Sep 2006 02:56 GMT
http://www.nonstick.com/sounds/Bugs_Bunny/ltbb_052.wav


Randy the Rump Ranger
Vettman@corvettefun.org - 28 Mar 2007 03:46 GMT
Might I suggest a power bleeder from Summit Racing
www.summitracing.com  for about 65.00 or so and then bleed from the
right rear then left rear then right front then finish left front. I
had the same problem with my 78 and it works great now since last
year. I got these intructions from someone in this group ( Dad maybe)
but they where correct about the way C-3 Vettes are to be bleed. Best
of Luck to you

>Hello,
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
>G
 
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