No Brakes

[gwilli]

I bought my bucket, I didn't build it and I'm not a brake guy, engines yes but brakes are a no. Wildwood disc on the front and drums on the rear. Went for a cruise the other day and coming up to a red light I had to literally stand hard on the pedal with a death grip on the wheel to slow down and it wouldn't stop. Had to limp home taking back roads and was lucky I didn't run into any traffic because the car wouldn't come to a complete stop. Several blocks from home the brakes came back and worked as normal. Too busy with hurricane cleanup to give it a hard look but there are no leaks on the garage floor. What is your best guess is failing?

 

[Spanky]

Check the stroke of your pedal-to-m/c rod. You may have over-stroked resulting in uncovering the port in the M/C.

(Also, pedal ratio comes into play; if wrong, it can lead to a very hard pedal.)

 

[gwilli]

Pedal moves maybe 1/2" at best.

 

[oscar1955]

Some questions,
Was the bucket a recent purchase?
Is the braking concern a new problem?
Has the car been sitting for a while?
I recently worked a car, not a bucket, the rear wheel cylinders were froze,(solid rust) absolute no rear brakes fronts doing all the work.
Check the brake pedal pivots and linkage for no bind or rust.
Another check, jack the car up and have somebody apply the brakes , spin the tires check brakes for holding.

 

[gwilli]

Some questions,
Was the bucket a recent purchase?
Is the braking concern a new problem?
Has the car been sitting for a while?
I recently worked a car, not a bucket, the rear wheel cylinders were froze,(solid rust) absolute no rear brakes fronts doing all the work.
Check the brake pedal pivots and linkage for no bind or rust.
Another check, jack the car up and have somebody apply the brakes , spin the tires check brakes for holding.

Bought in July 2023, yes this is a new problem, car had been sitting 2 weeks. Will check for rust and try to get someone over here to help.

 

[HenrysT]

The rear brakes MIGHT need adjusting, I believe if they are self adjusting, you have to backup and apply the brakes you might have to do this several times

 

[Randy Steel]

In addition to the comments above...I would put the car up on jack stands and have someone slowly push on the brake pedal while checking each wheel separately. You may have a front caliper or possibly a rear wheel cylinder that's frozen and not working properly. Verify that each wheel turns freely and then stops when when pressing the brake pedal.

Also, Wilwood calipers are considered top of the line. I would verify your proportioning valve is adjusted correctly (if it's a manual adjustable type with a turning knob). If it's a standard "brass type" proportioning valve it could be sticking or have a small blockage. You can try removing the valve and determine if the valve needs cleaned and is working properly.

Pressure gauges are the best way to diagnose a failed proportioning valve. There will be a gage installed into the front and rear hydraulic circuits. Apply the brake pedal with heavy pedal pressure to duplicate a panic braking situation. The front and rear pressures should be different for the front (disc and caliper) and the rear (drum and cylinders). If there's no pressure change, there may be a blockage in the line or the valve could be culprit.

 

[LongJohn]

It bothers me the brakes worked then didn’t then worked again. I would take a good look at the master cylinder for linkage slop or binding and rust in the bore. Then bind in calipers and wheel cylinders.

 

[fletcherson]

I agree with longjohn... the fact that they worked good, then didn’t, then did is puzzling. Check master cylinder and also verify that the stroke is correct. If it only physically travels a short way, is it because of the pressure or because it’s bottoming out or the linkage doesn’t allow a full stroke? Bleeding them would answer a couple of those questions.