Horrible Braking & Pedal Feel

In the past few weeks my brakes have progressivly gone down the drain.. My braking distance is dangerously long and I have a strange pedal feel.

When I first go to press on the brake, it is like pressing against a deadpedal. I get minimum braking, and if I press really hard feel or braking does not dramatically improve, they start to squeel and I get some pull (left or right). If I keep moderate steady pressure on the pedal, it 'frees up', and feels normal and I can depress the pedal fully with much better brake response. However, once I let up on the pedal and go down again (whether imediately or next time I need to brake), back to extreme stiffness.

I think my lines are at fault. I can see some flattening of the steel line that runs along the rear axel and there is some leakage at the rubber line to steel line at the rear axel (1/8" from the M/C in a month). I can see that a ring of rubber on the outside of my front left line, where it meets the steel line is gone, and I see the white fibers beneath, but no leaking.

There is pretty good drag on the front wheels, but not enough that I need a BFW to turn the hubs, the rotors are have minor scoring , and my drums are adjusted properly

How can I check to see if my front calipers are not seized, that it is just bad lines? New stainless steel hoses all around and a new steel line on the axel would be a lot cheaper than new rotors/shoes/pads/rebuilt calipers/wheelclys

Front brake flex hoses??? That is where I would start!!

Hi,Ho John

I am going thru the same thing right now with Zippo. . I ordered remand calipers from Brit-tek and are ready to install. To check if you have a frozen piston on a caliper remove and have the wife or one of the young'ins slowly depress the pedal both pistons should move, if not they are frozen.

Zippo was all over the road when I "stood" on the brakes. I also have a pinched rear rigid steel tubing but have not made it back there to check it out just yet.

regards
greg

John,
You're talking about your brakes here, so don't cheap out. Replace all the visually faulty components you listed above -- the hoses, the crimped hard line, the leak.... All that needs to be done whether or not it's causing the current symptom.

You say you've got drag on the front wheels -- by your description, it sounds like too much. It would be odd that both calipers would begin sticking simultaneously, but a sticky caliper can cause the brakes to drag. AFTER you've replace the hoses et al, you might be able to get more of a fell for their condition by expercising them some. With the calipers mounted on the car (i.e. don't remove them for this), push the pistons in, then pump the pedal until they pistons are back out. Repeat many times. You might find that after a little of this, the pistons become easier to move.... Let us know!

HTH

I could be wrong, but I think that it is possible to have a good caliper and have only one move when not installed (path of least resistance). When installed, the second piston will begon to move when the first begins to meet resistance, ie., the rotor.
And John, you didn't tell me you had "some flattening" on the rear hard line. Some can still work, but too much and you do cut off fluid movemnt.

Just reread my earlier post. Seems I've forgoteen hou to speell... ;-) Embarrassing!

Or like the sig I once saw:
"i'm a gud speler, but a louzy typpistt."

Rob... is that process of pushing hte pistons in/pumping etc with the pads taken out? I can't think of any other way to push the pistons back in..