Caliper seized...maybe

Do you have a hydraulic handbrake? does it firm when you apply?

The best bleed technique I have found: Put a hose on a rear bleeder and loop it up then down into a bottle. Open the bleeder and leave open the whole time. Pull the hydraulic handbrake and hold light pressure on it and pump the brake pedal letting the handle return with pedal pumps. Repeat 5 -10 cycles, keeping fluid in the master. Repeat at the other rear wheel.

For the front, do the hose and loop thing, and give the pedal 15-20 pumps with the bleeder open. Repeat at the other side.

The MC is almost brand new as of last year, so either I effed it up by accidentally flipping an internal seal, or it's not bad.

I do have a handbrake, and I hadn't done that method, Sean. So I'll give that a try tomorrow and see what happens. The handbrake doesn't firm up even a little when I pull it back, so that might have been the issue.

Also, does anyone know, is there any reason I SHOULDN'T be able to successfully rotate the vacuum booster 90 degrees to accommodate a newer Nissan MC? In the event I have to replace it, (210 ones are harder to come by) the "newer" 200 and 240SX masters would fit perfect, except that, with the VB as it is, it'd be installed sideways. In case I'm not getting what I'm saying across, the 210 MC has a top/bottom attach bolt, and newer MC's have the left right.

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1fastben
The MC is almost brand new as of last year, so either I effed it up by accidentally flipping an internal seal, or it's not bad.

I do have a handbrake, and I hadn't done that method, Sean. So I'll give that a try tomorrow and see what happens. The handbrake doesn't firm up even a little when I pull it back, so that might have been the issue.

Also, does anyone know, is there any reason I SHOULDN'T be able to successfully rotate the vacuum booster 90 degrees to accommodate a newer Nissan MC? In the event I have to replace it, (210 ones are harder to come by) the "newer" 200 and 240SX masters would fit perfect, except that, with the VB as it is, it'd be installed sideways. In case I'm not getting what I'm saying across, the 210 MC has a top/bottom attach bolt, and newer MC's have the left right.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

At that point, just eliminate the booster and run a more aggressive pad. You will probably find the brakes work very well.

But I would say there should be zero problems with rotating the booster.

Quote
phlat65
At that point, just eliminate the booster and run a more aggressive pad. You will probably find the brakes work very well.

But I would say there should be zero problems with rotating the booster.

You pretty sure that it'll be vacuum tight?

And there won't be any vacuum leaks.

Cause if the vacuum leaks out the boost ain't gonna work


And its a bitch to wipe up, too!

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Quote
john vanlandingham

Quote
phlat65
At that point, just eliminate the booster and run a more aggressive pad. You will probably find the brakes work very well.

But I would say there should be zero problems with rotating the booster.

You pretty sure that it'll be vacuum tight?

And there won't be any vacuum leaks.

Cause if the vacuum leaks out the boost ain't gonna work


And its a bitch to wipe up, too!

as long as the master seals to the booster, he will be fine.

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phlat65

Quote
john vanlandingham

Quote
phlat65
At that point, just eliminate the booster and run a more aggressive pad. You will probably find the brakes work very well.

But I would say there should be zero problems with rotating the booster.

You pretty sure that it'll be vacuum tight?

And there won't be any vacuum leaks.

Cause if the vacuum leaks out the boost ain't gonna work


And its a bitch to wipe up, too!

as long as the master seals to the booster, he will be fine.

What do you normally use to wipe up vacuum that drips out when you have vacuum leaks?

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Quote
john vanlandingham


What do you normally use to wipe up vacuum that drips out when you have vacuum leaks?

I usually Hoover it up.

Alright, I tried this with the handbrake involved in the process, and it did squeeze a few more bubbles out, and the handbrake is tight to pull back when pulled with the pedal, and causes a ton of pressure in the pedal as well, so at least that works.

However comma, the brake pedal pressure is not there when the handbrake is released.

do you have the handbrake plumbing correct? anything keeping the handbrake from releasing all the way?

The plumbing is correct, and the handbrake releases just fine, but there's just no pressure to it if I don't push in the brake pedal first. And there's no pressure in the brake pedal if I'm not simultaneously pulling the handbrake. Not-winning.

Ben if push rod is goung this way-------> the the cup of the seal MUST be this way<
OK?
Check you master cylinder.
Rememebr the old rule of thumb:
If it worked, then you "fixed" it and then it doesn't work the problem is between your ears.

Also, please post a photo of your handbrake indicating in and out.
I don't know how often guys plumb 'em backwards, but at least 64% of the time. Or less often right than sheer guessing (which would be 50% chance of getting right since there's only 2 choices).

Any time I see 64% error then I know it's the result of 'reasoning".

So check master ,post photo.
We'll get this sorted, don't worry.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

With the rear system all opened and dried up (fluidwise), you could well have air in the MC; I think that is more likley than a seal issue for a relatively new MC. I would start 'from scratch' and bleed the MC into itself (bench bleed) first; that can be done in the car. The re-bleed the whole rear system.

With air in the MC rear half, it would act as you describe, with the handbrake eliminating most of the fluid-flow space in the rear system (by blocking off the rear system from the MC in essence) and allowing the air in the rear half of the MC to fully compress and give you some pedal pressure.

Mark B.

Quote
starion887
With the rear system all opened and dried up (fluidwise), you could well have air in the MC; I think that is more likley than a seal issue for a relatively new MC. I would start 'from scratch' and bleed the MC into itself (bench bleed) first; that can be done in the car. The re-bleed the whole rear system.

With air in the MC rear half, it would act as you describe, with the handbrake eliminating most of the fluid-flow space in the rear system (by blocking off the rear system from the MC in essence) and allowing the air in the rear half of the MC to fully compress and give you some pedal pressure.

Mark B.

Mark, this needs clarification:

Quote

1fastben
The MC is almost brand new as of last year, so either I effed it up by accidentally flipping an internal seal, or it's not bad.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Here's the handbrake plumb in/out:



And tomorrow I'll do a bench bleed on the master then re-install it and see what happens. (Yeah, I took it out, hoping to see if I could see the alleged seal that may or may not be the right direction. Didn't see it, it's buried inside.)