Front Disc Brake problems

[OLD GEEZER RICHARD]

On my new 78 Camino I just got , the brakes were alittle spongy , so I bled those little suckers all the around twice just to make sure .... I had a lot of air came out of the left rear and left front but but not as much air from the right rear and right front but there still was some air coming out .... Soooo after putting the tires back on and going for a test drive to check out the brakes and they were not spongy anymore and they worked Great , UNTIL I started smelling something getting warm up front , so when I got home , the brakes were real warm to the touch but not hot .... Soooo the next nite , I decided to replace the brake hoses , brake pads , calipers and turned the rotor down 30 thou. just to make sure I had a nice flat surface to work with and re-grease the bearings .... Well now that I have replaced everything with new parts , I still have the problem with the pistons not going back all the way so the pads are still rubbing the rotor .... Soooo I have bled the brakes again and a little air did come out .... Sooo now when I spin the rotor the right side has released and is free wheeling BUT the drivers side is still stuck .... Soooo what next to do ??? .... I'm Stymied , next idea is that proportional valve must be dirty ...

[Rally169]

If you only have a problem on one side, I'd say you don't have a porportional valve problem. Try opening the bleed screw to see if that relieves the Pressure. If it doesn't, it could be the caliper or the mounting blots need lubrication. If the bleed screw does relieve the pressure, bleed fluid from the other side of the hose. If the pressure is relieved, replace the hose. I've had the hoses act as a check valve. Usually after naming the caliper from them.

[woody31]

sounds like you have a left front caliper sticking,,,you need to replace them in pairs though....

[OLD GEEZER RICHARD]

Hey Woody , do you really think their sticking ?? I never would have guessed .... I replaced both calipers together Woody , along with the New Brake Hoses right out of the package , new Brake Pads and had the Rotors turned , everything I replaced I bought at the same time and mounted at the same time with the help of our new member Mr. Magic (John) .... This young Fellow is a Mechanic's mechanic he's purdy sharp ... Hey Rally if you read my earlier post , both sides were holding on to the rotor at first and they were tight and hard to spin the rotor , on the 2nd time we bled the brakes all the way around the right side started ( Pass. side ) to let go and we could spin the rotor freely , but the drivers side is still holding on to the rotor ..... Soooo for right now the left side is still tight ... Thanks the Geezer

[woody31]

even new or reman parts can be bad,,,,i would replace that left caliper,,make sure the mounting hardware is clean and free of rust and lube with some high temp brake ware grease,,,if thats not it try another line,,was it sticking before you did all this?? let us know

[OLD GEEZER RICHARD]

Hey Woodrow , as of today I have Re-placed both Calipers AGAIN TOGETHER , OK .... I bled the lines 3 times just to make sure and so far the Rt.side caliper is loose and spins fairly free like 2 turns and then stops , the Lt.side caliper is still draggin and not spinning free at all .... I did put a little Hi-tem grease on the smooth sides where the brake pads slide ..... Soooo I think I am going to re-place the Master Cylinder with a Brand New One and see what happens .... Woody I made sure EVERYTHING was real clean & No Dust or anything .... I'm thinking that the piston in the Master Cylinder might be stuck so this I hope fixes the sticking caliper .... I'll see tomorrow ... Thanks the Tired Old Geezer

[DONE DEAL DONNY]

Hey Richard, the master cylinder wouldn't affect one brake.When you say it's dgagging this time to you mean by spinning it by hand? If so drive it around the block and work them.
Just a thought but are sure it's not the wheel bearings?
Donny

[woody31]

man that is strange,,,you sure the wheel bearings are not over tightened???
worth a shot,,,,maybe try a different hose,,,was it doing this prior to your repalcing these parts???

[LOCKJAW]

Coot, I had a brake draggjng problem with both front wheels after changjng out booster. It turns out that not all pusher pistons between booster and mc are the same length. I had to remove. 020 " from it to fully relieve all pressure. They were dragging enough to lock jp when parked hot.
If you have done anything to booster or mc check go make sure the mc is releasing completely.

[IDMiller]

This is an interresting thread. I just went through the whole brake system due to the spong and the rock. I replaced the booster, MC, both front calipers, both front brake lines, both rear wheel cylinders, rear brake line, new pads, new shoes, new rotors, new drums, new front bearings. oh and new tires Mine are still squishy if anything are worse than they were before. I'm hoping i will see a better vaccum tomorrow when I finally get the timing set right and can start up the "regasketed" upper engine, as it was only 14hg previously and that only when it was in tip top shape.

[pauledwards]

I had a problem with little stopping power on my front disc/back drum El Camino. The guru at Sachse Rod Shop found the problem. The bore in the master cylinder was too big and so he put in a smaller one. 1/1/8" down to 1". He said that the front pressure should be 1000psi for the discs to work properly. Also, I had 14hg vacuum at idle and 18-21hg at speed so a vacuum canister cured that problem.

[SsUpPoErRt]

My problem was the brake line internally messed up. It was working like a check valve. New brake hoses problem gone.

[JPJenny]

Curious, where are you buying your brake parts?

[OLD GEEZER RICHARD]

OK Sports Fans , I got my brake problem fixed as of last Sat. .... I went back to Advance and was talking to a lady from Australia who has turned a wrench with her dad for years and did some racing also .... Soooo right off the bad she asked me IF I had off any of the factory glazing off the braking pad surface & I said no , she told me to file off just a smidgen off the brake pad surface and then put them back in and HOLY MOLIE it worked and the rotors spin free with no rubbing , growling or nothing ... I remember a bike riding friend of mine told me the same thing when I put new brake pads on my Honda Valkyrie and I did not think this would have applied to car brake pads DUH So now the braking system works , stops and NO PULLING TO EITHER SIDE .... You guys can take it or leave it , it worked for me ..... Thanks the Geezer

[Rally169]

Thanks for posting the final fix. I learned something that might be useful.