924Board.org

[Bloatedsturgeon]

Greetings to all.... As a relative newb (1978 924 acquired in August), with limited knowledge of the 924 brake system.... I pose this question...

After having replaced all major components of the brake system (new front calipers and pads, rear wheel cylinders and shoes AND the master cyl, AND thoroughly bleeding the system twice....why am I not getting better pedal feel...?
There is, in my opinion way too much pedal travel, but it is not going all the way to the floor.

Just not real confidence inspiring pedal hardness. I have driven it this way, but I am cautious.

Someone...not on this board suggested to me that old 924/old Audi pedal feel was not good in the first place..

Please advise...

Signed,
Bloatedsturgeon

[ideola]

The 924 rear drum brakes are not self adjusting. You have to adjust them manually about every six months. This contributes significantly to poor pedal feel.

For proper brake pedal, you need to adjust the rear brake shoes as well as the handbrake. The procedure is adequately described in Haynes. Hopefully, your adjusters are not frozen solid...they sometimes do that.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[Bloatedsturgeon]

The adjusters are not frozen... I adjusted the shoes to a point just starting to drag the drums...and then backed them off a bit so as to not cause drag..

All of the parts mentioned were replaced and system bled just within the last 3 days

Parking brake adjstment is related to pedal hardness ?

Thanks

[ideola]

[Bloatedsturgeon]

Oh, sorry.... all of the rubber lines have been replaced with the steel braided covered type.

I should look back in Haynes if that is the best place to find the rear adjusting procedure with the handbrake ?

[ideola]

Haynes or Factory Service Manual (FSM) if you have one.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[Bloatedsturgeon]

No manual.... I'll try Haynes, and re-address the rear adjustment ..

If there is anything else to look at please let me know...

Thanks,
Bloatedsturgeon

[wombat]

I feel this question, because hours of endless effort and my brakes still feel shitty like this soft in my opinion and I am starting to wonder if it is something in the new master cylinder i used coz i cant find any other reason for it and I am sure that the brakes should feel better than they do. I will be really interested in your solution so keep us uptaded.
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1977 924 2.0 Auto

[CorsePerVita]

What about the brake booster?
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- 1977 Porsche 924 2.0 N/A (Trackday Project)
- 1979 Porsche 924 2.0 N/A (The other daily)
- 1980 Porsche 931 (Daily)
- 1987 Lamborghini Jalpa
- 1999 Ducati 900SS

[Bloatedsturgeon]

Seems this may be something other people may be experiencing...

I believe the booster is operating ok... I think that if it were not, there would be stiffer pedal feel since it would not be "boosting" anything. So I think that it is doing its thing....

I will keep updating as I find out more

Thanks,
Bloatedsturgeon

[CorsePerVita]

Roger that bloated sturgeon.

Shiny zebra out.
_________________
- 1977 Porsche 924 2.0 N/A (Trackday Project)
- 1979 Porsche 924 2.0 N/A (The other daily)
- 1980 Porsche 931 (Daily)
- 1987 Lamborghini Jalpa
- 1999 Ducati 900SS

[v8carreragts]

If the brakes feel spongy there is air in the lines or the hoses are swelling. Since you said that you have braded hoses it is probably not the proble, So you have air in the lines.

You may not be able to remove the bleeder screws without heat. If you need heat you will need to rebuild the wheel cylinders or replace them.

As far as pedal travel there are many thing that can cause this. As was already said, the rear shoes need to be adjusted properly. The shoes need to be dragging slightly. Also the e-brake needs to be adjusted. To check for these two you can pull the e-brake handle up and then press the pedal. If the problem is less, you need to adjust them.

Another thing that can contribute to this is loose front wheel bearings. If they are loose the looseness will cause the pads to push the caliper pistons in more. This will cause the pedal to travel farther before the braked to work.

You can also check the play between the booster rod and the back of the master cylinder. If this is too much it will also contribute to the problem.

[gohim]

Rear brakes need to be adjusted so they will drag at three clicks on the hand brake, and lock the rear brakes up by five clicks.

You do realize that there are two adjustments on the rear, one for each brake shoe, right?

How much brake fluid did you use while bleeding the brakes? I plan on using 2 quarts (almost two liters) when bleeding the brakes when the system has been serviced. If you used less than that, the odds are that you still have air in the system.

When the brake shoes are properly adjusted, and there isn't any air in the system, the pedal will become rock hard before you reach 1/2 of pedal travel.

[wombat]

[!tom]

It's better to error a bit on the tight side than a bit on the loose side when it comes to wheel bearing adjustment, as loose wheel bearings don't distribute the load in the bearing as well, which contributes to premature failure.
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78 924 NA
5-lug