brakes and booster1978

Suspension related stuff goes in here.
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psg

brakes and booster1978

Post by psg »

A few months ago my power assist booster failed so I put a bolt in the vacuum line and drive sans assist. A few days ago I installed a new booster and had forgotten how easy it is to stop these little go carts but then.... While driving in stop and go traffic I noticed my brakes dragging and then dragging big time so I pulled over and stopped because there was too much whoa and insufficient go. A pedestrian... or angel, had a 10mm wrench so I opened up the 3 nuts on the master cylinder to bleed off any pressure, let the engine compartment cool and after a half hour and the sun was down I drove home with no problem. Thinking I had not bled the brakes and had air trapped in the engine compartment brake line and it was expanding I bled the brakes and removed some bubbles. It worked fine, until the engine compartment heated up and the brakes severely dragged as they had the day before but made it back to the garage.

When I installed the booster I noticed I have little to no play at the peddle. The brakes grab at the slightest touch. Thoughts about what I may look at. I have thought maybe the plunger in the booster is not set correctly (is there a correct setting?) but wondering if there is anything else I am over looking. psg
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aj81spider
Patron 2020
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Posts: 1526
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 9:04 am
Your car is a: 1974 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Chelmsford, MA

Re: brakes and booster1978

Post by aj81spider »

It may be your acorn nut adjustment. Here's a writeup on it.

http://www.international-auto.com/fiat- ... lation.cfm

I got a real chuckle out of you finding a pedestrian that had a 10 MM wrench. I'm guessing you could ask 100,000 pedestrians before you found another walking around with a 10MM wrench!
A.J.

1974 Fiat 124 Spider
2006 Corvette
1981 Spider 2000 (sold 2013 - never should have sold that car)
psg

Re: brakes and booster1978

Post by psg »

I find it isn't if you are going to break down but where you break down... I really think the plunger and setting must be the issue. However, IAP need not talk about brake failure, but brake lock up.

I eye-balled the setting from the old booster and know I left it a little large but didn't know it to be that sensitive. Thanks. psg
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