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Brake problem

fstblk66

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2005
Messages
45
Location
Garage kept
Corvette
66 coupe,72 vert,
Took the 66 out yesterday and after driving on surface streets (stop & go) for about 20 minutes I noticed that the more I braked, the harder my pedal actually got over time...after a while it was almost hard as a rock and once I finally broke through the heavy traffic, I noticed that the vette seemed sluggish and taking more power to maintain speed...when I put it in nuetral to slow down for the up coming light, it was slowing down more than it should like the brakes were holding it back. After letting it sit for about an hour, it drove fine with no dragging of the brakes...I never heard anything that would sound like the brakes might be still holding, just the feeling of being held back...any suggestions?
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Common symptom of deteriorated rubber flex hoses - they deteriorate from the inside, swell internally, and become check valves; pedal pressure forces fluid pressure past the swelling, but when you take your foot off the pedal, not all of the displaced fluid can flow back toward the master cylinder, and some pressure remains at the caliper, causing the brakes to drag. Flex hoses should be replaced every ten years or so - they're dated on the hose portion.

:beer
 
Thanks for the info as this will be my first task to bring in the new year.
 
If ALL the brakes are dragging (rather than just one or two), you may have lost the pedal free play, which would keep the compensating port in the master cylinder from being uncovered - that stops the fluid from flowing back through the bore into the reservoir. The brake pedal should move 1/8"-1/4" before it encounters any resistance - the free play is adjusted with the clevis and lock nut where the pushrod attaches to the pedal arm.

:beer
 

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