[T3] Brake Pedal Sticking...

[Jim Adney]

On 30 Jul 2013 at 12:46, J. Jonik wrote:

> Sqbk 71 Std FI--
> 
> Twice or so yesterday, the brake pedal stuck in down position....as if
> some suction was holding it. That didn't happen again right away, but
> a few miles later (in stop-and-go city traffic). 

There is a return spring for the pedal, so if it's not coming back, 
either the spring is broken or the pedal bearings need lubrication. 
It has nothing to do with anything in the hydraulic system, but it 
CAN cause problems if it doesn't return easily, and ALL the way. 
Since yours apparently returns correctly sometimes, it sounds like 
the spring is okay.

These cars are now old enough that the OE grease is getting to the 
end of its life. In most of our cases the pedal is okay, but if it's 
been getting wet (leaky windshield gasket or clogged vent drains) 
that would make this into a problem sooner.

You can try pulling up the carpet and removing the fake floor plate 
there (1 screw) and dripping some oil on that joint. In a worst case, 
you would have to remove the pedal cluster and take it apart. If this 
is an MT car, that's a fair amount of work; on AT cars it's easy. On 
one car that I had completely apart, I added a Zerk fitting there, 
but that was overkill; it won't need relubrication for another 40 
years.  

-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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