Topic: 95.5 Dual Diaphragm Booster

[sharpxmen]

So, I installed the new setup, but stll the brakes are crappy...  They are actually worse, in fact.  I have not bled them yet, but I doubt it will fix THAT much the brakes.  also, I think my boosteer spacer is wider than stock, as the brake lights stay on all the time; Im thinking of using a set up like the old system (with threads) to adjust for this.

is the pedal soft and going way down or hard? did you replace the MC - in that case you should bleed them. the dual diaphragm should be better but don't expect miracles (won't put you thru the windshield).

[Jeffy]

So, I installed the new setup, but stll the brakes are crappy...  They are actually worse, in fact.  I have not bled them yet, but I doubt it will fix THAT much the brakes.

You didn't bleed the system but you're reporting their crappy?  You need to get all of the air out of the system or else they will be crappy, it's a given.  Once you have everything adjusted and properly bleed, they should be fine.  Remember to bleed from the passenger rear first, then teh driver rear then the passenger then last the driver side.

[jfrabat]

Well, I did not have time to bleed them (the wife was going to a baby shower, and the kids needed tending to), but I will.  But what I have is basically:

1. Mushy pedal feel
2. Pedal goes all the way to the floorboard
3. If you keep the pedal down, you can feel the brakes loosing grip
4. The stop lights stay on even when the pedal is not touched

My plan is to bleed the brakes during the week, and start from there.  I will probably take the booster to the guys that fixed the old one, and weld some threads to the pedal pushrod, and use the old connector so that I can adjust the pedal travel (so that the lights will come off).  Then I will adjust the pushrod that goes into the master so that it pushes a bit more (right now it's threaded all the way in; maybe a few turns out will fix the issues).

Regarding the fittings, I had to replace both of the ones that go into the master.  One if them I could not find the exact fitting, so I'm using an adapter, but it's working and it is not leaking (the one without the adapter was the one that took a couple of tries to get it to stop leaking, but it is not leaking anymore).  Here's a couple of shots of how it looks now with the new master and booster:





Here are the fittings:



Here's a shot of the troublesome fitting (I took it off an dput it back on 4 times; I thought I would have to replace it, but it seems to be holding on fine now:



Anyway, I'll report after I bleed the brakes....

[drunkencityworker]

Of all of my wasted time on the internet you are the only one I see with the 95.5 drama..lol  good luck amigo

[jfrabat]

Well, I just found out yesterday how much under pressure I am to get this fixed, as there is a wheeling trip this coming Saturday!  I'll bleed the brakes tonight, take the booster off, and adapt a thread to use the threaded pedal connector from the old booster.

[Jeffy]

So the 95.5's booster doesn't have a threaded rod for the master side?

[jfrabat]

So the 95.5's booster doesn't have a threaded rod for the master side?

For the master side, yes.  For the pedal, no.  I have to adjust the master side, but I need to bleed the brakes first to see how it feels.  The reason I want to thread the pedal side is so that I can adjust the travel and the brake lights dont stay on all the time.  I could also adjust the button on the back, but I prefer to thread the rod on the pedal side so that the brake pedal and the clutch pedal sit at the same height (if I adjust the button, then the brake will be a bit lower than the clutch, and it just feels weird driving it like that, especially since this is no longer a daily driver).

By the way, one question; I assume there is A LOT of air in the system, since I took the old master out and put in a new one (and the new one was empty of brake fluid, so it's even worse), but if I bleed the front brakes only, will that get rid of all the air, or will I need to bleed the rear brakes as well?  The reason I ask is because I have brake bleeders on the front, making that operation a one man deal, but I never got them for the rear, which means I need to ask someone to get on the cap and press the pedal for me...  I wish I had gotten one of these type of pressure systems to bleed the brakes while in the US!

[Jeffy]

For the master side, yes.  For the pedal, no.  I have to adjust the master side, but I need to bleed the brakes first to see how it feels.  The reason I want to thread the pedal side is so that I can adjust the travel and the brake lights dont stay on all the time.  I could also adjust the button on the back, but I prefer to thread the rod on the pedal side so that the brake pedal and the clutch pedal sit at the same height (if I adjust the button, then the brake will be a bit lower than the clutch, and it just feels weird driving it like that, especially since this is no longer a daily driver).

By the way, one question; I assume there is A LOT of air in the system, since I took the old master out and put in a new one (and the new one was empty of brake fluid, so it's even worse), but if I bleed the front brakes only, will that get rid of all the air, or will I need to bleed the rear brakes as well?  The reason I ask is because I have brake bleeders on the front, making that operation a one man deal, but I never got them for the rear, which means I need to ask someone to get on the cap and press the pedal for me...  I wish I had gotten one of these type of pressure systems to bleed the brakes while in the US!

Hmm, strange that the pedal to booster rod isn't adjustable.

As for bleeding, you need to do all of them in the correct order to make sure there is no air in the lines.

[sharpxmen]

For the master side, yes.  For the pedal, no.  I have to adjust the master side, but I need to bleed the brakes first to see how it feels.  The reason I want to thread the pedal side is so that I can adjust the travel and the brake lights dont stay on all the time.  I could also adjust the button on the back, but I prefer to thread the rod on the pedal side so that the brake pedal and the clutch pedal sit at the same height (if I adjust the button, then the brake will be a bit lower than the clutch, and it just feels weird driving it like that, especially since this is no longer a daily driver).

By the way, one question; I assume there is A LOT of air in the system, since I took the old master out and put in a new one (and the new one was empty of brake fluid, so it's even worse), but if I bleed the front brakes only, will that get rid of all the air, or will I need to bleed the rear brakes as well?  The reason I ask is because I have brake bleeders on the front, making that operation a one man deal, but I never got them for the rear, which means I need to ask someone to get on the cap and press the pedal for me...  I wish I had gotten one of these type of pressure systems to bleed the brakes while in the US!

front and rear brake circuit are independent and separate, so it won't work.

there's couple of ways you can do it, one would be with a hose in a jar with fluid in it, have the hose on the bleeder just barely open and pedal away, works better if the jar is elevated compared to the bleeder and the hose as short as possible. keep the pedal down for 2 to 5 seconds after each pressing - you will still have to do a final bleed , you could use a piece of wood to keep the pedal down, then go in the back and tighten the bleeder, release the brake pedal, losen the bleeder and repeat the process a 5-6 times. it's pain work but you would eventually get them air free.

[sharpxmen]

Hmm, strange that the pedal to booster rod isn't adjustable.

i have the same one and there's no adjustment, pulled it out myself so that's just the way they made them.

[Jeffy]

i have the same one and there's no adjustment, pulled it out myself so that's just the way they made them.

It's also strange that it would need adjustments, if the pedals are YJ.

[jfrabat]

It's also strange that it would need adjustments, if the pedals are YJ.

My booster was not stock, so it is possible the spacer is not the same as the stocker, which would explain the need for the rod to the pedal to be adjustable (the original one I replaced in Miami also was not threaded to the pedal, and I gave that one away - complete with spacer - when I moved out of Miami).

As for bleeding, you need to do all of them in the correct order to make sure there is no air in the lines.

So what was the correct order?  I'm being lazy here, as I am sure it's on either the Chilton or Haynes, but both of those are in a box somewhere in my house!  (probably faster to look it up on the FSM, which I have in digital form)

As for the bleeding, I also have the brake bleeders for the back; I just never got around to installing them, and I have NO CLUE where I left them, so I´ll look  for them, and if I find them, I'll install them and do a propper bleeding.  If not, I guess one of the maids will have to do the pedal honors (oh, yeah, did I mention it's about $200 a month for a live in maid here?) 

[neale_rs]

When I replaced my rear brake cylinders I just let it gravity bleed.  It worked really well.  I did do a final bleeding using the pedal (just to make sure...the brakes were working fine) but it did not make any difference.  So gravity bleeding can work amazingly well and it is low effort!

[jfrabat]

When I replaced my rear brake cylinders I just let it gravity bleed.  It worked really well.  I did do a final bleeding using the pedal (just to make sure...the brakes were working fine) but it did not make any difference.  So gravity bleeding can work amazingly well and it is low effort!

How do you gravity bleed them?  Open the fittings and let them drip out?  Excuse the ignorance, I just have not tried this before...

[Jeffy]

So what was the correct order?  I'm being lazy here, as I am sure it's on either the Chilton or Haynes, but both of those are in a box somewhere in my house!  (probably faster to look it up on the FSM, which I have in digital form)

As for the bleeding, I also have the brake bleeders for the back; I just never got around to installing them, and I have NO CLUE where I left them, so I´ll look  for them, and if I find them, I'll install them and do a propper bleeding.  If not, I guess one of the maids will have to do the pedal honors (oh, yeah, did I mention it's about $200 a month for a live in maid here?) 

You want to bleed the longest lines first then work your way in.  Passenger side rear, Driver side rear, passenger side front, driver side front.  Make sure the reservoir never runs dry.

You might also look into getting a Mity Vac.  These make bleeding brakes a breeze.  You can suck fluid through the lines without having to have someone pump the brakes.