Brake Question.. - Troubleshooting - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• Brake Question.. by sju on 05 Feb, 2007 17:58
• So i did a search, and everyone is complaining of soft or squishy brake problems. i just picked up an 82 diesel that sat in a field for like a year,  all hoses need replaced it looks like, it starts and runs fine, but when i went to move it yesterday i about ran the thing into my garage, i can stomp on the pedal as hard as i can, and it barely stops it. My buddy mentioned some pump maybe not functioning?
  
  Any help would be awesome.
  thanks.
• #1 by somolovitch3 on 05 Feb, 2007 18:57
• Brakes are "power" brakes.  Booster is the big black drum between master cylinder and firewall.
  It needs a source of vacume to work.
  There is a vacume pump where the distributer would be on a gasser.
  Check and see if you have vacume at the pump, Booster and possible for your AC/Heating controls, if you have AC.
• #2 by sju on 05 Feb, 2007 19:03
• much thanks
• #3 by jtanguay on 05 Feb, 2007 20:19
• dont forget to bleed your brake system because after a while it turns corrosive and starts eating hoses etc...
• #4 by sju on 25 Feb, 2007 19:29
• about how much vacuum show i bee seeing out of this pump..?
  a buddy made it seem like  i shouldnt be able to put my thumb on it and pull it off easy, he said he thought maybe 20 inches of vac or something.... does that sound right or even close?
• #5 by jtanguay on 26 Feb, 2007 06:36
• supposedly the vacuum pump is able to pull a full vacuum... that should be enough to make it a bit painful for your thumb  :lol:
• #6 by burn_your_money on 26 Feb, 2007 08:39
• TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!
  
  
• #7 by sju on 26 Feb, 2007 20:30
• Quote from: jtanguay

  supposedly the vacuum pump is able to pull a full vacuum... that should be enough to make it a bit painful for your thumb  :lol:

  
  
  well its definitely not working the way it should then, ill have to pursue this a little further.
• #8 by hipifreq on 27 Feb, 2007 20:49
• If your vac pump isn't pulling hard enough to take some effort to remove your thumb, then you should pull it and get a diaphragm kit and a valve kit for it. It's an easy job to do, especially with the Bentley. Just be sure you put the valves in the right way! Also, you'll need two o-rings that don't come with either kit. One is small, and is inside the pump, and the other is large and fits between the pump and the block. I recently did my own VP, so ask if you've got questions.
  
  Your other problem may be in the booster. If you're leaking vacuum in the booster diaphragm, then you'll need to replace the whole thing. It's much more expensive to do that than the vac pump, so do the pump first.
  
  I also second the flushing of fluid throughout the whole system. If the cars been sitting then you should replace the caliper seals and wheel cylinders.
  
  I can't stress how much more important it is to be able to _STOP_ the car than it is to get it going.
• #9 by BlackTieTD on 28 Feb, 2007 05:10
• good advice hipifreq.
  
  i second the diaphragm advice. when i got my '82 rabbit diesel, one of the first things that broke on it was the vacuum pump. so i bought a diaphragm kit and good as new. easy job to do, if you get stuck let us know. if its not producing vacuum then that's the first place to start IMO. get that sorted then move on to the booster if you think that is also shot. good luck.
• #10 by sju on 28 Feb, 2007 18:34
• thats what my buddy suggested i do, and know youve confirmed this
  thanks and im sure ill ask some questions, as ive yet to get a manual for the diesel yet.
  
  basically i got this car for free, they quit driving it, probably do to the brakes not working. Spent only a couple of hours tooling with it, after reading your forums  i got it started,  i just need to do some work to it now, diapham kit, new fuel filter, new oil filter, flush and change all fluids, replace the hoses that go from injector to injector, and back to the IP, timing belt..
  
  Any info on sites that are good for buying, hose and stuff, would  be awesome too.
  
  and here is a photo of the bucket your are helping me revive.
  outside is fairly clean, inside is mint. not even a saggy headliner
  
  
  [/img]
• #11 by hipifreq on 28 Feb, 2007 21:50
• You guys have biodiesel out there in Spokane? I'm in Bellingham, and it's readily available all up and down Puget Sound. If you're into using it I would recommend a Viton hose kit from greaseworks.org. They've got all the specs for the hoses, and for just over $100 you can get the full kit. Complete kit to replace all fuel lines, and it has the clamps.
• #12 by sju on 28 Feb, 2007 22:48
• Quote from: hipifreq

  You guys have biodiesel out there in Spokane? I'm in Bellingham, and it's readily available all up and down Puget Sound. If you're into using it I would recommend a Viton hose kit from greaseworks.org. They've got all the specs for the hoses, and for just over $100 you can get the full kit. Complete kit to replace all fuel lines, and it has the clamps.

  
  
  i think we have 3 or 4 biodiesel places.
  ill definately look into that thanks.