how do i adjust the brake pedal?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
how do i adjust the brake pedal?
my brake pedal goes down a lot farther than it used to...i already checked my brake fluid, vacuum to the booster, i replaced my pads, and i bled the system twice. my wheels lock up a lot easier since the pedal goes down to the floor. how can i re-adjust this?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 7,032
Likes: 2
From: Newburgh NY
I'd bleed it some more. If you are using original style parts then you shouldn't need to adjust the pedal. Check the Master Cylinder also. Sometimes they leak from behind but you don't see it anywhere. Pop the two 9/16" nuts off and pull it forward (you don't have to disconnect the lines in most cases to do this) and see if there is any moisture behind the M/C. Might need to rebuild or replace it.
My .02.
My .02.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 190
Likes: 0
From: shrewsbury Pa.
If pedal has "spongy" feel to it, then goes way down before stopping begins, sounds like just a GOOD bleeding of the system will do the trick. However if pedal goes way down with no resistance, then brakes grab all at once when your almost out of pedal, problem a little more serious, like possibly brake booster or vacum leak to it. Make sure you THOROUGLY check for leaks EVERYWHERE in the system and keep it FULL of brake fluid when you bleed.
Last edited by squirrelguy; Mar 16, 2008 at 08:48 AM. Reason: Add info.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
I will have to *** u me you know how to bleed a brake system, and know where there is air in there or not.....and it's really not quite nearly as hard as some guys feel it is....really....
so once that is established, replace the vacuum booster with a Hydroboost setup, and then the hydraulics settle down and all the air outta THAT sytem...leave it overnight just like power steering, the foam settles out of the oil n the reservoir, then it's all solid oil in the lines.....
you will IMMEDIATLY feel the car actually STOP for the first time in it's life.....shark will stand on it's NOSE and yours will go into the steering wheel....
2+ years ago, after a decades of being pissed at those brakes, I finally broke down and put in a HB system, pulled the m/cyl mount bolts loose, swung it forward on the lines without touching a THING in the brake system itself....put on the HB system, fired it up, and hit the brakes about 4-6 times, even with foam in the hydraulics....
that shark stopped on a dime with very little pedal travel, and when it grabbed, it grapped STRONG, none of the squishey mushey feeling to the pedal.....
you will have to learn how to remodulate the brakes all over again, the feel is total confidence , not indecision....
so once that is established, replace the vacuum booster with a Hydroboost setup, and then the hydraulics settle down and all the air outta THAT sytem...leave it overnight just like power steering, the foam settles out of the oil n the reservoir, then it's all solid oil in the lines.....
you will IMMEDIATLY feel the car actually STOP for the first time in it's life.....shark will stand on it's NOSE and yours will go into the steering wheel....
2+ years ago, after a decades of being pissed at those brakes, I finally broke down and put in a HB system, pulled the m/cyl mount bolts loose, swung it forward on the lines without touching a THING in the brake system itself....put on the HB system, fired it up, and hit the brakes about 4-6 times, even with foam in the hydraulics....
that shark stopped on a dime with very little pedal travel, and when it grabbed, it grapped STRONG, none of the squishey mushey feeling to the pedal.....
you will have to learn how to remodulate the brakes all over again, the feel is total confidence , not indecision....
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,560
Likes: 439
From: Wellington, FL
St. Jude Donor '11 thru '25
I agree that air is more than likely the problem and that bleeding is the solution. I would in no way attempt to adjust the pedal and wouldn't drive the car until it's fixed. 
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
the car stops fine...i'm just really worried when the roads are wet...it seems like the car slides a lot. it may be my tires too. but i can tell the brake pedal is not as difficult to push down as it once was...
