Brake woes!!!

[Guili]

Hi to all,

I had this brake poblem for quite some time now, and finally I decided to do something about it! I first asked around in the alfa club I intend to join as soon as I get cash, but the main answer was that the brake system needs to be bled correctly!!!

Then I spoke to some mechanics who then said that they must first have a look at the car to give it a diagnosis??? I took the car to reputable brake and clutch people, and they came up with an answer I was not going to accept.

They told me I need to overhaul my booster and the vacuum pipe, then I need to overhaul the rear calipers as well!!! And it came to a hefty amount, i got my Guili out there asap!!!

The thing is, the car does brake, but the first push of the go slow pedal sees the thing fall right to the floor, then on a second attempt the car brakes fine, not perfect, but it gets me to a stop! I know the brake booster is tip top because it came off my dad's gtv 2.0, when I installed the booster from his GTV, the car braked perfect for a day, then it went back to the 2 stomp method. I am now going to get a rear caliper kit, and then get some brake people to do an overhaul on the rear calipers then im going to tell them to bleed the system, then I pray the woes are over!!!

Will keep the posts coming!!!

[msiert]

Sounds like the brake master cylinder to me.

[Gary Williams]

Murray notes a likely suspect. It's always helpful to know the model and year of Alfa. On the other hand, several generic causes come to mind, including the MC.

These are not listed in order of importance:
1. Rotors. Are they warped? Put a dial indicator against them and see. A warped
rotor will push the pads into the caliper and they won't come out until you tap the
brakes.
2. Master cylinder leaking internally
3. Loose wheel bearing. Same effect as #1
4. Sticking caliper piston(s)
5. Air in the lines. Use a pressure bleeder to suck fluid through the lines, rather than
using the normally reliable pump the pedal method.
6. Depending on your car and how the linkage is connected to the brake master,
it could be worn linkage and pin, which allows slop in the pedal. This car sounds
like it has a more extreme problem, though.
7. Flexible brake line collapsing internally.

What else am I missing? I hate working on brakes and can only recite the above from my own, sad personal experience, gained while trying to hunt down a similar issue with my GTV.

[conedriver]

Hi Guili,

Welcome to the BB. You might want to consider a different route; join the local Alfa club and cultivate some members who will help you to learn some skills so you can do more work on the car yourself. If you buy a workshop manual, start with simple tasks, and get some help, you might be money ahead and find some new friends in the process. Many experienced Alfa owners are only too happy to help someone with Alfa work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guili Hi to all, I had this brake poblem for quite some time now, and finally I decided to do something about it! I first asked around in the alfa club I intend to join as soon as I get cash, but the main answer was that the brake system needs to be bled correctly!!! Then I spoke to some mechanics who then said that they must first have a look at the car to give it a diagnosis??? I took the car to reputable brake and clutch people, and they came up with an answer I was not going to accept. They told me I need to overhaul my booster and the vacuum pipe, then I need to overhaul the rear calipers as well!!! And it came to a hefty amount, i got my Guili out there asap!!! The thing is, the car does brake, but the first push of the go slow pedal sees the thing fall right to the floor, then on a second attempt the car brakes fine, not perfect, but it gets me to a stop! I know the brake booster is tip top because it came off my dad's gtv 2.0, when I installed the booster from his GTV, the car braked perfect for a day, then it went back to the 2 stomp method. I am now going to get a rear caliper kit, and then get some brake people to do an overhaul on the rear calipers then im going to tell them to bleed the system, then I pray the woes are over!!! Will keep the posts coming!!!

[whagan]

I had a VW Passat that did this did this from the day I bought it used from a gal. She gave me receipts showing $500.00 in recent brake work including master cylinder, after pulling my hair out replacing booster and bleeding profusely, I replaced the "new " MC -FIXED! Couldn't believe a shop would let her go out the door with those brakes. Silly me-