Stiff Brake pedal???

[vtdeucedriver]

Hey all,

Here we go again. I finally took the mutt to work last night (2 mi) and I took the long way home (maybe 5). Thats the biggest trip I have done yet. As I got close to the house, when I hit the pedal, it was really stiff. I rolled into the yard with the right front smoking a bit. I took the fill cap off and I still have the stiff pedal. I am guessing that it has to be the master cylinder. I was told when I bought the jeep that it had a new one in it, any of you guys dealt with this????? Funny, just last year I had dealt this same thing with my M52A2. That I knew was the airpack. Thanks for the help.


BTW, rick...............thanks Bernie did still have NOS carbs!!! I scored one off ebay:) it should be on the way!!!!

[rickf]

You should have scored a full set of brake hoses also! Sounds like you have a collapsed Brake hose. Don't screw around with the brakes, Get four new hoses and wheel cylinders and call Saturn and get two brake kits. The kits include new shoes and adjusters plus the correct return spring for the bonded shoes. This way you have all new brake stuff and you do not have to worry.
Rick

[muttguru]

Hello Jeff,

if someone has rebuilt the master cylinder, it's possible that whoever did the job did not read Horst's comments on the WIKI board.

Use of the wrong reed valve can cause this exact problem. Have a look at:-

http://g838.org/wiki/doku.php?id=repair ... r_cylinder

Sorry if this means bad news (like pulling the master cylinder off).

[rickf]

Good call Ken, thanks Horst. The way you can check that is when the brakes are dragging go to a wheel cylinder and crack it open, if you get ashot of fluid then there is still pressure on the lines. I would personally try that twice with different cylinders to make sure it is not a hose problem.
Rick

[vtdeucedriver]

Well something is up. I went out to the garage after it sat all day and the pedal is still very stiff, not rock hard like this morning but with one inch of travel, I have a very solid pedal. Guess I will start ordering brake parts. I will bleed off the right front and see what happens. I checked the temps of the wheel hubs and only the right front was hot to the touch, so maybe thats where the line collapsed??? I will keep you guys posted on what I find.

[Horst]

still sounds to me that you might have an issue in the main brake cylinder. I would take it out and pull it apart to check if you have the wrong piston or if the bleeder hole is clogged. Reason why I had put this on the wiki as I had it happen to me that I ordered a M151 main brake cylinder with the wrong piston in it.

[vtdeucedriver]

hey guys, I jacked up the jeep. and the right front is dragging. I bled it off and it free's ok. I can pump the brake 3 to 5 times and the brake starts dragging again. The other 3 are not effected. Does this sound like a collapsed line???

[Horst]

Could be.

But have you pulled the brake drum and looked inside if everything is freely moving? That check is done within a few minutes.

[vtdeucedriver]

No I did not pull the drum. Being that once I bled off the wheel cylinder everything was freed up. Something is holding the pressure to the wheel cylinder and the master. I dont know how a collapsed line would do this but who knows how some stuff happens. I am thinking that the master has something to do with it. It was funny but when my brakes locked up on my tractor, only the middle axle on the right started to drag. I am still hoping that a collapsed line is it because I am 10 days out from attending a Vietnam Transportation Veterans reunion and time to ship and install parts is running short.

[miljeep]

when you opened the bleed vavle you released the pressure on the master cylinder also, drive awhile and see if it locks up again (gets stiff) if it does master cylinder is bad, I used to drive mine with that problem Id just take socket with me and bleed it off when it would start to hang up I dont know if Id want to try that on a trip though. Scott O&O

[vtdeucedriver]

when you opened the bleed vavle you released the pressure on the master cylinder also, drive awhile and see if it locks up again (gets stiff) if it does master cylinder is bad, I used to drive mine with that problem Id just take socket with me and bleed it off when it would start to hang up I dont know if Id want to try that on a trip though. Scott O&O

did that and it did not take far to get hot. I jacked it up and it was dragging, bled it and it was ok. pumped the pedal 3 times and it was dragging again.

[rickf]

Start spraying all of the fittings with PB Blaster or someting on that nature right now! That way they will hopfully be free when you do the job. Did you try bleeding any od=f the other lines when that one tightened up? As was said it could be the master cylinder. If that is the only one holding pressure then it is the line. What happens is that a flap of rubber comes loose in the line and lets fluid go out to the wheel but when the fluid tries to flow back the flap falls down and blocks it. I see this a lot on disc brake equiped vehicles where someone let the caliper hang from the line and damaged it but these are old lines and prone to degrading.
Rick

[vtdeucedriver]

Rick, and that will also cause a stiff pedal?????

[rickf]

It could because the brakes on that wheel are not releasing so the next time you hit the brakes there is no travel on that wheel. This is assuming that you only have residual pressure on that one wheel. If when it is dragging the front wheel and you bleed a back wheel and there is pressure then you have a bad master cylinder. The reason just one wheel is dragging in that scenario is because it is adjusted a little tighter than the others.
Rick