Brake question

[lumpydog]

Red flag #2.

Agreed. Danger Will Robinson. Any part that has to do with the safety of you or others. No blue bags.

[DGG]

So I redid all the brakes. Got them adjusted until I couldn't turn the wheel, and then backed off a notch or two until I got some movement. I still get a pedal that requires 6-10 pumps to get firm. This is so frustrating. Do I need to bleed the brakes again? What is going on?

[SafeAirOne]

Other common problems that will cause your woes:

Air in the system; Front 109 brakes are notoriously terrible to bleed due to plumbing that is not conducive to getting air out of the system by bleeding the "normal" direction, by pushing fluid from the master cylinder to the top wheel cylinder to the bottom wheel cylinder. I understand that people have had better results by rerouting the lines so that the bottom wheel cylinder gets fluid first, then the top, but I have no personal experience doing this.

I also know of an individual who has had to take the brake backing plate (with the whole brake assembly) off and lay it flat during bleeding to get all the air out (he strapped the shoes in place so the wheel cylinder pistons wouldn't pop out).


There have been more than a couple of owners reporting lately, that their master cylinders have had internal leaks that pumped air into the brake hydraulic systems without any evidence of fluid leakage from the MC.

Also check that your MC pushrod is the correct length.

I don't do this because I never had the need, and I believe it damages the flex lines, but there are brake hose clamps that you can buy (see images, below) to pinch off the flow through the rubber brake flex lines in order to isolate the problem. Pinch off the rear flex line and you still have a problem? The issue is upstream of the rear brakes, etc...

[DGG]

will those work on these

[SafeAirOne]

will those work on these

Probably not without causing damage.

[Gilberto]

Your master cylinder might be keeping air, try bleeding the system with the front part of the vehicle raised, as to allow air to flow from the master cylinder. Good luck.
Cheers from Tampico, Mexico

[erik88lr]

This thread is almost two months old. Has the brake problem been resolved?

[DGG]

No! The truck is at my local mechanic. They cannot figure it out. One mechanic thinks it's the master cylinder, the other thinks its a wheel cylinder. They are calling another guy who specializes in older foreign cars.

[Les Parker]

These 109" Front brakes are a continual problem.
Ever thought of fitting front discs :-
http://www.forbynbros.com/disc-brake-conversion-kits/

RN offers the Companion fitting kit (Pads, rotors, seals , gaskets and bearings ):- PLK6116 Kit.

[DGG]

If I didn't just spend a fortune on all new brake components then maybe yes.