[T3] Brake Bleeding Update

Dave Hall dave at hallvw.clara.co.uk
Wed Apr 20 13:16:37 PDT 2016


There is a vent hole in the reservoir cap - I've not found a need to loosen
it for bleeding.  

You must loosen the upper bleed screw - it can't be done without!  Get some
de-rusting fluid (liquid wrench eg) on the thread of the seized bleed screw
- not inside the hollow part.  Leave it a day and get a hexagon socket (?
7mm) that fits the bleed screw well.  Very carefully tighten the tiniest
fraction, then loosen a bit.  Do not force anything in case you break the
screw - it's very hard to remove a broken off bleed screw.

You may well find the cross-drilling near the bottom of the screw is rusty.
Clean it out - you may need to use a small drill carefully - or get a new
one.

The hoses can still act as if they have valves in them.  I couldn't blow
through the one I examined, and air goes though much smaller holes than
brake fluid.

There are simpler things to sort before you condemn the master cylinder, but
if you can get a new one for $35, could you get me one please?!  We have to
pay around $120 here in the UK for the dual circuit type. :-(  That's a good
reason to want to sort out other problems first!

As far as the brake pedal push-rod is concerned, if the pedal moves about
3/4" before the rod makes contact with the piston, you have no problem with
that.  Press the pedal with your hand, so you can feel when it does touch.

Dave
UK VW Type £&4 Club
===================

-----Original Message-----
From: type3-vwtype3.org [mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org]
On Behalf Of J. Jonik
Sent: 20 April 2016 17:55
To: type3 at vwtype3.org
Subject: [T3] Brake Bleeding Update

71  Squareback:
 
Brake pedal still can't be adjusted correctly, and still needs to be pumped
a couple of times to work OK.

The situation:  

- Made sure brake pads, front and rear, were good thickness.
- Freed up and greased one of the rear adjustment gear things. 

- No leaks anywhere.
- Reservoir filled to proper level. Cap loosened, and hand-brake off, when
bleeding.
- Top valve in a front double-valve caliper is frozen in place.
- Wheels, with car raised, all cannot be turned when brake pedal is pushed
down with a stick pushing against the driver's seat.


Still, only one of the front valves, when opened, produces a good squirt and
lets pedal go to the floor during bleeding.  The other front one (with the
frozen 2nd valve) does a little squirt.  None produce apparent air...just a
dribbling flow of fluid.  


(Doesn't that fluid, and the fact that brakes hold the wheels solidly, show
that hoses aren't blocked?)

I'd hate to just try a new Master Cylinder, just in case that's the problem.
Found new master cylinders on-line for about $35.  Worth a try?

Long shot:  What about re-adjusting...lengthening...the push-rod from pedal
to cylinder?  How bad must car rust be to make that go out of adjustment?
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