floppy clutch pedal and problem bleeding brakes

[nikalele]

Hi,

In need of help, iv got about nearly 2inches of floppyness in my clutch pedal by this i mean there is no pressure (apart from that of the spring that keep the pedal at the top) until the pedal is pressed about 2 or so inches down. iv felt around and it feels like the rod that goes from the top of the pedal into the cylinder. as there is quite a gap between the end of the rod and the cylinder, easily enough to fit my finger between the two. is there a way of adjusting this rod to come out more? or is it a case of knackered master cylinder?
Iv tried bleeding the clutch with no effect.

iv also just recently done all the pads and cylinders in the brakes. when coming to bleeding them i snapped the nipple flush with the caliper on the driver side front. Then to go one step further, i went and bough some stud extractors and you guessed it, snapped the friggin thing flush with the rest of it. although it looks very neat its a real pain in the a***. I hear you can ensure all the air is out of the caliper by squeezing it with a gclamp but not really sure what im doing.

If anyone can offer any help i would be very thankful. Im supposed to be driving her down to biarittz in a couple of weeks

[HarryMann]

What is the model, early or late, Aircooled/water cooled/diesel ?

Did you empty the master cylinder reservoir at any time whilst you were 'doing' the brakes... ?

Have you tried finangling the easi-out back out of the thread (using a finanglerworztraminer)

[kevtherev]

Is the clutch a problem?
Having trouble selecting gears?

The bleed screw will have to come out there is no other way to bleed air out of the line... Despite what you have heard.

[tcfengineering]

Dont know if its the same problem, but I cant get the brakes bled right. I drained all of the fluid out to do a disc conversion. I have put a new master cylinder in. Clutch has bled up no probs, but brakes still have no pedal no matter how much I seem to bleed them.

Is there a common problem ?

[kevtherev]

You need to supply more information than that
what conversion is this you post?
What year is the van?
ATE or girling calipers?

My crystal ball is bust y,see

[tcfengineering]

Good point !

Holman Engineering conversion using Sharan Calipers, I will have to check which calipers it has on the front when I go to the workshop tonight. Van is a 1983. I just saw the question earlier on about emptying the master cylinder and wondered if there was a common fault, or a method to get any air out of the master cylinder other than normal bleeding.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have literally bled about 2 litres of fluid through the system and still no pedal without pumping like crazy.

[nikalele]

mine is a 1y diesel 1.9 engine. its the later model think its late 1985.

i havnt emptied the reservoir fully but it was loosing fluid from a wheel cylinder before replacing them.
The Clutch isnt too much of a problem it just feel horrible under your foot as you have to push it right down to the floor to change.

As for the easy-out iv had a little go at it with a punch n hammer trying to tap it back round, but its just not budging. if its possible to bleed the caliper with the nipple stuck closed il be willing to leave it for now as im getting pushed for time, But not really sure how.

If the bleedin nipple has to come out its gonna have to be a dremle tool jobbie isnt it? Its i bit of a pain becuase i work office hours so by the time i finish work everywhere has closed.

[kevtherev]

For me I'd be fitting new calipers... Available from Brickwerks.
Quick, simple and no hassle.
After 20 odd years service I think its not a daft idea.

[kevtherev]

Good point !

Holman Engineering conversion using Sharan Calipers, I will have to check which calipers it has on the front when I go to the workshop tonight. Van is a 1983. I just saw the question earlier on about emptying the master cylinder and wondered if there was a common fault, or a method to get any air out of the master cylinder other than normal bleeding.

Common fault?
Just a common reservoir.
The clutch and brake cyls are completely separate if thats what you mean?
it is not a fault with VW brakes.
...they were designed to stop a 2.5 tonne van safely.
So fitting some other brakes off a car seems mad to me.. Still as to your problem
if they wont pedal then there's an issue with either the master seals popped or the caliper bleed process?
I would suggest you contact the makets of the shazzam calipers and ask whether they can be bled normally

[nikalele]

yeea that was a consideration, but to be honest im skint

iv just got back in from experimenting. seems to have worked so far. What i did was, took the caliper off and using a Gclamp squeezed the piston back in, i then cracked open the union between the flexi and the caliper and as i did i heard spluttering and saw a few bubbles then just fluid. so i nipped it up. then i slackened off the clamp a tad, pumped the pedal and wedged it down, did the same as before and cracked off the union to find a few bubbles. i repeated this a couple of times whist loosening the clamp each time until it was close to being a snug fit with the pads and disc and nothing but fluid coming out. i then reassembled the whole caliper with pads in place and pumped the pedal one last time, wedged the pedal down, cracked off the union, a bit of fluid came out. nipped it up and now it seems fine. pedal feels a heck of a lot better now, still perhaps a tad spongey but still a lot better.

couldnt seem to figure the clutch floppyness out though...

baffled. it seems strange that theres such a gap between the operation rod from the pedal and the cylinder, its like the cylinder is stuck inside. is there supposed to be abit of free play inthe pedal?

[California Dreamin]

It still sounds as though you have air in the system....even now. Pressure bleeding (at a garage with the correct equipment) would sort this out straight away, as it is old fashioned 'pedal bleeding' isn't getting rid of all the air.

If this system has been professionally adapted using VW 'Sharan' calipers I can't see any reason for swapping back..

Like I said, this could easily be resolved using a professional power bleeder that forces through the new fluid.

Martin

[nikalele]

is this in response to my problem with the floppy clutch or to tcfengineering's problem of brake problem. Ill ask a couple of garage tomoro about pressure bleeding see what they say.

[Oldiebut goodie]

I have used an Eezi-bleed for donkey's years - the easiest way to do it.
like this. Far easier than wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/oik from the street corner.

California Dreamin
Your reply is the result of someone jumping in the thread instead of starting their own.

[Oldiebut goodie]

You answered two posts at once - that's all - and confused them. The odd calipers were in the interloper's post (tcfengineering). Hence nikalele's query.

[California Dreamin]

I see...two posts getting mixed up....thats me speed reading and skipping through the replies lol

Martin