Popular Mechanics http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_to_central/automotive/1272501...

Saturday Mechanic: Dealing With A Low Brake Pedal

Illustrations by Russell J. von Sauers and Ron Carboni
Published in the January, 2003 issue.
Click here for the Saturday Mechanic archive.
"Honey, can I borrow your car?" No problem. She tosses you the keys. But at the first stop sign you draw a startled breath--the pedal's going,
going, almost gone! There's even a little dent in the carpet under the pedal. Didn't she notice? Well, no she didn't. Typically, low-pedal trouble
develops so gradually that people don't realize it.
Hydraulic brakes have been around since Duesenberg introduced them in 1921, but apparently a long history is no defense against troubles. And
professionals and do-it-yourselfers alike are often guilty of misdiagnosis--they blame the master cylinder, though it is seldom the culprit.
There are only two plausible reasons for a low pedal: air in the system; and excessive movement between linings and rotors or drums (due to lack
of adjustment, an out-of-round drum, or a wobbly disc that's knocking the pistons back so that there's extra space to take up before braking action
begins).
Isolation
You can find out all you need to know about the master cylinder by removing the lines, screwing brass or plastic plugs into the outlets, and then
applying the brakes. If the pedal's high and hard now, the master has been properly bled and its seals are okay. The pedal would sink gradually if it
were bypassing--that is, if fluid were finding its way around the sliding seals. You've also confirmed that the booster is okay. Reattach the lines.
Continue the process of elimination by clamping hoses to isolate each wheel. Use a suitable rounded-jaw tool, either the locking-pliers type or one
of those inexpensive J-hooks with a knurled screw. Releasing one at a time should locate the problem.
Use That Parking Brake
If you never engage the parking brake, self-adjustment of the pads and rotor simply won't occur, and that means a low pedal. Another impediment
to adjustment is corrosion and contamination of the piston, cylinder and self-adjustment hardware. So, change your habits and start using the
parking brake every time you leave the car, and overhaul or replace those calipers if they're not just right. If the parking brake isn't used regularly,
one of these days a parking lot attendant will apply it and your car will be immobilized until those corroded cables and other seized parts are
replaced.
Beat The Drums
Rear drum brakes can cause a low pedal, too. Seized star-wheel screws and otherwise inoperative self-adjusters are practically an epidemic, and
you're risking trouble if you don't replace the hardware when replacing shoes. At the very least, clean the star-wheel threads and treat them to a
coating of antiseize compound.
There's another factor that's usually not recognized: drivers who never stop aggressively enough in Reverse to ratchet the self-adjusters. It's a good
idea to stomp on the brake pedal every week or so while backing up--preferably in a deserted lot or other safe place.
What about the drums themselves? They're frequently out of round, leaving excess shoe-to-drum clearance and, of course, causing pulsation.

The old-fashioned, low-tech way to bleed brakes is

to use a jelly jar half full of brake fluid, a short
piece of hose, and a patient helper to depress the
brake pedal.

1 of 4 24/09/2006 9:32 AM
Popular Mechanics http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_to_central/automotive/1272501...

Depress the tab while you rotate the star wheel to

close up the clearance. When the wheel scrapes
lightly, go back one click.

Brake drums will be marked clearly as to how far

they can be machined safely to remove out of
round.

2 of 4 24/09/2006 9:32 AM
Popular Mechanics http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_to_central/automotive/1272501...

Bubble Trouble
For all practical purposes, brake fluid is incompressible. Air, on the other hand, can be squeezed down into a smaller-than-natural volume, and its
presence will disrupt the operation of any hydraulic system. It promotes internal corrosion, too. Ergo, it must be expelled.
The most common cause of pedal problems is failure to bench bleed a new master cylinder. Screw the supplied fittings into the outlets and place
the tips of the tubes in the fluid in the reservoir. Clamp one of the master's mounting ears in a vise--don't grip around the cylinder--so the unit is as
level as possible. Use a rod or drift to stroke the piston slowly. Wait at least 15 seconds between strokes to allow the low-pressure chamber to
release all its bubbles and fill completely. Keep stroking until there's no more evidence of air at the ports and tube tips.
If the car has a replacement cylinder that somebody didn't bench bleed, you might be able to do it with the master in place, provided you can jack
the rear of the vehicle high enough to get the cylinder to be level. Again, pump slowly and allow time between strokes.
An important precaution to observe during any bleeding procedure that involves pumping the pedal is to limit pedal travel. You don't want the
delicate lips of the master cylinder's piston seals to ride so deep in the bore that they encounter rough corrosion or deposits, which can scratch
them. Just throw a chunk of 2 x 4 on the floor under the pedal.
When it comes to the bleeders at the wheels, most people just open them and let the fluid squirt. Not only will this result in slippery puddles on the
floor, the fluid can shoot farther than you might expect--think about the 2500-plus psi of line pressure on some ABS-equipped cars. Brake fluid is a
pretty effective paint remover, and it really burns when you get it in your eye. Wear eye protection.
One convenient setup is a tube and transparent bottle kept half full of fresh fluid. There are also inexpensive 1-man bleeder hoses that contain a
1-way valve to eliminate the possibility of air being drawn back in when you release the pedal.
The bleeder cups and hoses that are often included in manual vacuum pump kits, such as those from Mighty Vac, work well. Once again, you can
see what you're getting, and you don't have to keep climbing into the seat to pump the pedal.
You should also be aware of special procedures. For example, on Teves Mark II ABS systems, you can't get fluid to the rear brakes unless you turn
the key on and then apply the pedal slightly. Be sure to check the shop manual if your vehicle has an antilock braking system.
Finally, there's the bleeding sequence. Since you're supposed to do the longest line in the circuit first, the traditional order is right rear, left rear,
right front and left front. But with the diagonally split systems you'll find mostly on fwd cars, the order is right rear, left front, left rear then right
front. ABS-equipped cars may have special procedures to follow.

Bubbles collecting in high spots in the brake

system need to be removed by opening the
bleeder valves to flush them out.

Bench bleed a master cylinder to get air out before

installing it into the vehicle.

3 of 4 24/09/2006 9:32 AM
Popular Mechanics http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_to_central/automotive/1272501...

How It Works: The Dual Master Cylinder

Whether you call it the dual, split or tandem master cylinder, it has been used on every
car sold in this country since 1967, although Cadillac had it in '62. Even so, most people
don't understand its construction and operation. A typical modern specimen is of the
composite variety--aluminum with a plastic reservoir--but iron 1-piece units are still
around on older vehicles. Two pistons ride in the bore, and here's where we encounter
some potentially confusing terminology. The rear piston is the primary, the one in the
front is the secondary. This apparent misnaming resulted because the rear piston is the
first to receive the signal from the brake pedal, so it does make a certain amount of sense.
Kind of. Each piston has a primary cup seal at its front and a secondary at its rear. In
normal braking, the pushrod from the booster forces the primary piston forward. No
pressure is created until the primary seal covers the compensating or vent port from the
reservoir, but once it does fluid is trapped in the chamber between the pistons and it
becomes a solid column. Pressure is routed from this chamber to two wheels. A
combination of the trapped fluid and the primary piston coil spring bears on the
secondary piston, to which the line to the other two wheels is attached. The replenishing
ports allow fluid to move freely between the chambers behind both pistons' primary cups
and the reservoir, determined by demand and expansion and contraction from temperature
changes. If a hose lets go or a saboteur has sawed through one of the brake lines, the other
half will still provide a means of decelerating the vehicle, albeit with a lower pedal and
reduced stopping power. This protective function is, of course, the dual master's reason
for being.

4 of 4 24/09/2006 9:32 AM