89 E350 Brake Troubleshooting
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89 E350 Brake Troubleshooting
Hi-I've been wrestling with a brake issue on my 89 E350 cutaway van. I've replaced the master cylinder, rear brake hydraulics, front calipers, pads, brake hoses and rotors, but still seem to be having the same issue time after time. When I take it out on test runs, after 6-8 miles of driving the front brakes overheat, and my pedal gets really stiff-almost no play. When it cools off, it's back to normal. I thought I'd cured it last week-I adjusted the push rod going into the master cylinder because it was keeping constant pressure on the master cylinder, but after a short test drive this morning, it tightened up and started to overheat again. Any theories out there? It would seem that about all that's left is the power booster, and I've gotten mixed input on whether or not that could be the culprit. Any thoughts, input, theories would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Thanks!
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Joined: Aug 2010
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Sounds like a pinched or damaged brake line or the master cylinder push rod isn't adjusted properly. There should be 1/2 to 1 inch of free travel in your pedal before it actually starts to move the master cylinder piston. The brake booster should not cause this as it only assists (using vacuum) in creating more pressure at the master cylinder itself. If you have a pinched line, the pressure created by stepinjg on the pedal will force the fluid through the pinched spot, but the is really nothing on the other end to force it back, resulting in locked up brakes.
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Katula-thanks for your response. I've actually already adjusted the push rod once, but haven't measured the distance that it takes to engage the master cylinder. It was clearly adjusted out too far initially, but I don't think I gave it the "play" you mentioned. I adjusted it so that it is just shy of touching the hydraulic piston inside the master cylinder. Perhaps it does need more adjustment. That's a relatively quick and easy thing to do, so I'll give that another shot. I've looked all over for damaged lines, but found nothing so far. That's probably worth another good look too-we did replace a section of brake line leading to the back brakes, but didn't do anything to the lines going to the front brakes.
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Joined: May 2006
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Had that problem on a 84 Buick. Replaced everything piece by piece it was the flex line (hose) to the caliper. Looked great but the rubber inside was deteriorating. Replacing the hose eliminated the problem.
Cheers
Willey
Cheers
Willey
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