No Brakes

[Guest Robbie73w]

Hi guys im new to the forum having purchased a 2B yesterday.

My problem is that the brakes on my car are virtually non existent. I mean really poor. I scared myself to death driving the car home. As far as i can see the car has discs front and drums rear

[tractor]

also you may find the servo has been removed so the pedal will need more pressure applied but after a little while of driving it you will get used to it

[kevin the chicken]

If it's been standing for a while maybe the pistons on the front are seized. You should be able to lock up all four wheels no problem with some firm pressure on the pedal. If not there's a problem but don't panic all parts are readily available and fairly cheap. If you have somewhere safe to do it see if all the wheels will lock up. Doesn't have to be a high speed exercise and it may tell you where to start.

[Big Jim]

check the front calipers have been fitted the correct way up, bleed nipples on the top, if they're at the bottom then swap over LH to RH. As Smiffy says, first thing to do is bleed the system until you have a nice hard pedal, (Manually adjust the rear drum brakes first)

If the servo has been removed and the standard sierra master cylinder has still been used, then it's not the best without a servo, but we'll come to that after more information from you.

[Guest Robbie73w]

I took the vaccuum hose off the servo with the engine running and there's no vaccuum there. The hose appears to have collapsed at the engine side. If cut the ends back and it appears to be a bit better. On another note how much oil should this engine be breathing. I drove the car 200 miles to bring it back and when i stopped at the services there was oil everywhere. It may have looked worse due to the rain but not being familiar with the car i was concerned.

[cb750]

What engine is it? Sounds more like oil leaks than breathing. If it's a pinto engine the usual areas are: cam cover gasket, front and rear crank oil seals, sump gasket. You need to clean the engine thoroughly, go for a short drive and then look/touch to find where the oil's coming from.

As regards the brakes, you need to check that the calipers are moving correctly and the rear drum auto adjust mechanisms are working. My brakes were rubbish when I bought mine but I rebuilt them with all new parts. Removed the servo and changed the master cylinder to suit and it's perfect now BUT it's not like the brakes on a production car

[maccavvy]

so obviously it has a servo.. ??

new pipe to servo if its collapsed. see if it holds a vacuum then.

quick simple strip and clean of sliders and what not to make sure everythings in good working order. and a rough up of pads to make sure theyre not glazed

 

what engine is it and how is breather system piped up ???

[Peter Bell]

There is a non return valve in the vacuum hose from the engine, has it been fitted the wrong way around?