Will 'brake' For Beer.

Gearoholic

Member
Sep 19, 2014
30
8
18
Texas
I will brake for beer...but NOTHING else! I'm the only thing braking around here!

I've tried all the usual suspects...car will still not stop. 69 sportsroof 302 2v. Manual brakes. All drum.

After looking at great documentation that came with this car I researched and figured out a power master cylinder was installed a couple years ago. I thought..."well there's the problem!". Nope. Still no brakes.

I have brakes but you have to matt the hell out of it to get it to do any braking at all. It's still like braking a power booster system with no vaccum to the booster.

What I've done: New (and what I believe to be the correct) MC. (Part #M1485 Femco Reman). Lots of material on shoes. All 4 adjusted up. All 4 wheel cylinders 'working'. Bled 64 oz of brake fluid through the system. Solid pedal. No dash light. No leaks. (Brakes seem to be a little bit stronger in front than rear). No brakes.

Can anyone here help lead me in the right direction? Something tells me I still have the wrong MC? Like the parts stores have the wrong part numbers or something. Or porpotioning valve issue? Just doesn't make sense to me...
 
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Yes. Everything...front and rear seems to be correct. Everything is practically new all way around and seems to be installed correctly. Before I started anything I peeled off all the drums and put eyeballs on everything. Sprayed the shoes and drums down and did a surface inspection. No lips, grooves, everything was really nice and no fluid anywhere...all dry.

What do you mean 'trip' proportioning valve? I've seen those posts but I don't understand. Does that usually trip the brake light on the cluster?
 
Yes. Everything...front and rear seems to be correct. Everything is practically new all way around and seems to be installed correctly. Before I started anything I peeled off all the drums and put eyeballs on everything. Sprayed the shoes and drums down and did a surface inspection. No lips, grooves, everything was really nice and no fluid anywhere...all dry.

What do you mean 'trip' proportioning valve? I've seen those posts but I don't understand. Does that usually trip the brake light on the cluster?
The proportioning valve is in the junction block where all the brake lines connect on the inner fender apron .It is a piston valve that will move to the front or back brake to shut off a leak or broken lines ,depends on where a leak may be . It can also move when bleeding brakes . The light should be on if tripped ,but the light could be bad or even the fuse .The light sender is the white plastic thing at the top of the valve . The sender can be removed ,it will not leak . It may be hard to see inside it but it should look like a V if the piston is centered . There is a tool for holding the piston centered while you bleed the brakes to keep from tripping the piston.
 
Ahhhh. Okay. The switch is out and you're looking at a pic through my mirror. This is down the switch port. The switch pushrod moves when I push it with my finger.

Do you see anything odd? I just don't know the difference between what I'm supposed to be looking for and what I see.
 

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I found pics of the block
2.jpg

This is a cut away
3.jpg

This is what the piston looks like , i could not find a pic of the tool .It is a thumb nut with a pin on the end ,it screws into the block through the sender opening and keeps the piston centered while bleeding the brakes .It is removed after bleeding and the sender is replaced .
1.jpg
 
Ahhhh. Okay. The switch is out and you're looking at a pic through my mirror. This is down the switch port. The switch pushrod moves when I push it with my finger.

Do you see anything odd? I just don't know the difference between what I'm supposed to be looking for and what I see.
I cant tell by the pic ,i see the piston but cant tell if it is centered .My last pic that shows the brass piston ,the one with the V in it .The V is where the light and the tool would be if it is centered .
 
I see what you're talking about. Since the information in the manual I have don't say nuttin bout no propotioning valve tool while bleeding...I would imagine this definitely is a possibility I need to focus on. I can't tell if the 'V' is centered or not without taking it all apart and seeing where the piston is situated.

Is there a way to reset it? Or just install a new one. Get a tool and re-bleed? How do I solve this issue...if this is my issue.
 
If you want the valve to move forward you open the front bleeder and step on the pedal until it fills like it is solid ,a slight push more will move the valve .Reverse the procedure to go the other way ,but that is where it becomes a pain in the butt as it may move to far and go past center .That is where a second person is needed .Thread the tool in until it touches the piston ,have someone step on the brake pedal until you feel it drop in the center V .Snug the tool down and bleed the brakes ,replace the sender and you should be good .
 
Oh good Lord. Seriously? LMAO! I just wanted to bleed my damn brakes! I'm the biggest Ford fan on earth...but this is totally a not 'Brighter' idea from my Ford dudes!

Okay. Now I just have to call the stealership and see if they can get me a stupid-ass tool. Money says $50 and they'll climb right on board!
 
Oh good Lord. Seriously? LMAO! I just wanted to bleed my damn brakes! I'm the biggest Ford fan on earth...but this is totally a not 'Brighter' idea from my Ford dudes!

Okay. Now I just have to call the stealership and see if they can get me a stupid-ass tool. Money says $50 and they'll climb right on board!
It is just a small thumb nut ,been a while since i bought one but it was not much .Seems like i had a tough time locating one though .Do you have a shop that specializes in brakes ?There was a thread not long ago that showed the tool but i dont what the thread was called :shrug:
 
I will do a search and see if I can find it. I will definitely find it and figure this out.

Your advice is awesome! Thank you so much for taking time out of your night for the lesson! It's awesome how you can work on every kind of car all your life and still learn. Even lessons to be learned from 45-year old technology. Freakin LOVE cars!
 
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I had two problems. 1) The brake light (dash idiot) switch was so dirty it wasn't grounding. I cleaned it. Brake light stayed on. This was my clue the valve wasn't moving.
2) Valve wasn't sliding in the block housing. Took the block off. Valve was frozen. Drilled the body to punch it out (no other option). Cleaned it. Plugged it with an allen set-screw and thread sealer. Put it back together. Bled it. Dash brake light came on while bleeding. Followed shop manual to set and center the valve. Worked like a champ. Beautiful. No leaks. Bled the system. Still no brakes. WTF!?!? All 4 cylinders, master cylinder, distribution block, everything seems spot on...still have to kill the pedal to get it to stop. Any more ideas?
 

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I dunno bro. I looked at the drums and shoes before i did anything. Yes. They could use turning...just because they're 'smooth' and have a glossy finish. (I look at most rotors and think they need to be turned). No grooves or lips at all...shoes or drums. I would like to see a 'dull' turned surface. But they look and feel like they would still stop the car. The way I have to matt the pedal is insane. Do you think turning the drums would make that much difference? Just seems like there's some other issue.