My brake pedal goes about 3/4 of the total travel before the brakes start to grab. They grab good and never have a problem stopping. changed the pads and bled the whole system so I know there is no air in there. Plenty of fluid and no leaks.
Thinking its probably the brake booster but Im not totally sure so I figured Id ask if anyone else experienced this and found the cause. As I write this Im starting to think maybe the rear drums just need adjusting.
Any advice??
Any one know how to test the booster?
I would start with the rear drums.
If the parking brake is used regularly, they should self adjust, but so much dust builds up on the adjuster mechanism that sometimes that doesn't do it, so you need to adjust them manually.
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'88 Corolla, AE92 SR-5, 7A-FE swap/GT-S suspension
'87 Corolla, AE82 FX-16, 4A-GZE swap (autocrosser)
'03 Tundra 4X4 Access Cab, (FX tow vehicle/Home Depot runner)
Modification: Changing something to what you thought it should have been from the start!
I would start with the rear drums.
If the parking brake is used regularly, they should self adjust, but so much dust builds up on the adjuster mechanism that sometimes that doesn't do it, so you need to adjust them manually.
Yea the e-brake is almost never used but it does catch all the way up. Im going to check the drums tomorrow if it's nice again.
Look at the wheel cylinders while you're in there. :-p Use some brake clean and clean off all of the dust and old dirt, works really good. Brake clean is my best friend. :-p
Excessive brake pedal travel is most likely not a symptom of a bad brake booster. The most likely problem is, as stated above, the rear shoes not adjusted out toward the drum far enough. Since you already bled all four corners we can rule out air in the lines.
I bought a Corolla with excessive brake pedal travel for cheap about 4 years ago, and I did everything mentioned above and it did not solve the problem. While I had the front wheels off, I had an assistant press the brake pedal and noticed the calipers would close on an angle when pressurized. The problem turned out to be that the slider on one side of the caliper was frozen up. I removed the caliper from the vehicle, freed up the slider, replaced the rubber grommets, and the brakes were perfect from then on.
Excessive brake pedal travel is most likely not a symptom of a bad brake booster. The most likely problem is, as stated above, the rear shoes not adjusted out toward the drum far enough. Since you already bled all four corners we can rule out air in the lines.
I bought a Corolla with excessive brake pedal travel for cheap about 4 years ago, and I did everything mentioned above and it did not solve the problem. While I had the front wheels off, I had an assistant press the brake pedal and noticed the calipers would close on an angle when pressurized. The problem turned out to be that the slider on one side of the caliper was frozen up. I removed the caliper from the vehicle, freed up the slider, replaced the rubber grommets, and the brakes were perfect from then on.
Thanks for the insight Ill check the calipers out also. sux I wanted to deal with this today but of course on the way home my grand marquis had to shit out on my corner so I have to get that running as my first priority.
Ill post all progress as things develop.
Best way to get drums off, use hammer and smack them right between the studs on each side. Don't worry, it wont hurt it. Those bastards get rusted on there and some times you just gotta beat the crap out of them haha. Done it to many cars. Also it doesn't hurt to spray some good lubricant in there as well.
And yeah with the front Calipers, it doesn't hurt to pull em off and pull the slide pins out one by one and re-grease them with some good brake silicone. And once again, brake clean is your friend! :-p
The brake drums are probably stuck on because the shoes have worn a groove in the drums over time. After you get the drums off, make sure to grind down the groove around the entire diameter before reinstallation.
I've usualy found that if the calipers are in question and it been ages since the brakes have been done to just replace them, less time messing around.
The rear drums have two threaded holes on the face. Use, if I remember correctly, two 10mm bolts and slowly thread them in. The drum usualy comes off, thats what these are for, but just thread them in equal amounts.
Heres a pic, not the right drum but you get the idea.
So I went a little crazy today and bought new moog lower ball joints, front wheel bearings, rotors, pads, drums, shoes, oil and a wix filter and I may buy new front struts and calipers tomorrow...
I figure if Im taking it all apart I mine as well fix everything and eliminate that nasty vibration I get at high speeds under heavy braking and anything else that might need replacing. Ill post pics of it all if I remember let you guys know how it pans out.
anything else front end wise that could cause vibration in your opinion?? (did MOOG inner and outer tie rods less than a year ago)
there is no beefy caliper from something else that would bolt right up is there? like a 2 piston caliper like on the old pickups?
Haha that nasty "vibration at high speeds while braking" is most likely warped front rotors. It happens when they get too thin, or if the brakes went metal to metal at one point. Just gotta replace them. I bet that will fix your problem. :p Seen it happen a lot. But damn, out spending a buncha $$$? Buy me some shit too!
So I went a little crazy today and bought new moog lower ball joints, front wheel bearings, rotors, pads, drums, shoes, oil and a wix filter and I may buy new front struts and calipers tomorrow...
I figure if Im taking it all apart I mine as well fix everything and eliminate that nasty vibration I get at high speeds under heavy braking and anything else that might need replacing. Ill post pics of it all if I remember let you guys know how it pans out.
anything else front end wise that could cause vibration in your opinion?? (did MOOG inner and outer tie rods less than a year ago)
there is no beefy caliper from something else that would bolt right up is there? like a 2 piston caliper like on the old pickups?
Are the CV axles in good shape? As far as brakes and rotors, you could switch everything over to AE101 stuff.
Are the CV axles in good shape? As far as brakes and rotors, you could switch everything over to AE101 stuff.
Cv's are probably origional but don't click ever and the boots are still in decent shape(no real tears).
Are the ae101 brakes bigger? Will I need new hubs/brackets? Portioning valve?
Any one here have them or something similar?
Cv's are probably origional but don't click ever and the boots are still in decent shape(no real tears).
Are the ae101 brakes bigger? Will I need new hubs/brackets? Portioning valve?
Any one here have them or something similar?
Here's one link from here. I know a few guys have done it and it's not to much trouble. Also google ae92 to ae101 brake swap and you get a lot of posts.
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88 sr5 100k Stock.
Linear Mode
