81 brake findings
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 26
Likes: 2
81 brake findings
Ok guys. I made a post a while back about my brakes after I got the car home from purchase and the brakes all but failed completely. Here’s what I found and have done. I’d appreciate some opinions on my findings. I’ll try and post a few pics. Having a new born and trying to get a brake job done in the garage is not easy by the way.
I originally posted that the mc had fluid but it didn’t. In the middle of the night in between baby duties I peeked under the lid and saw fluid in the foreword most chamber but upon properly removing the lid I found no fluid at all in the rear chamber.
After getting the car up on jack stands and checking calipers I found that visually none looked like they should work but the rite front seemed to be kinda working. The others except one had clearly leaked, peeled paint, grew brake moss around the seals and most were seized. It looks like the only caliper(front rite) that had any function was the only caliper that had o-rings. The dirtiest, driest caliper with no fluid going to the caliper was also the cleanest and had a lip seal rebuild kit that looked like it was done very very recently.
As I removed all the calipers to decide what the next step was I was getting very dirty fluid out but it seems to have a slight bluish tint and separated in the mixing cup I drained it all into with clear fluid on top and dirty funky bluish on bottom. It also looked like it may have had water or again maybe a different fluid that didn’t mix well because I could see other globs/spheres of unlike fluid floating in It but they were faint, not as bold as I would think water would be. I wondered if it had silicone or another fluid in it but I just can’t tell, I’ll try and post pics later(phone is full of thousands of car and baby pics now).
I purchased a full set of calipers with o rings from lone star and after completely ruining three bleeders due to them installing them with what seems to be a half inch impact and replacing those with new ones they’re installed. Oh and best I can tell the system is flushed with new dot 3 now. I began bleeding after a bench bleed on the master but had doubts about its performance. I started with a hand pump and it seemed to work to a point then had to acquire the wife between her baby duties or during. You can breast feed and pump a pedal at the same time. That went on and on but it was a lost cause. While under the car doing a visual I found the brake warning light on the distribution block was unhooked and Thought great the switch blocked the rear off and they unhooked the light after they gave up. I went ahead and got a new Orielys master, quick bench bleed then installed and that helped a lot but still nothing at the rear. I put the fine needle point rubber fitting on the hand pump,stuck it in the holes inside the master and removed fluid and large amounts of air. I did that in the front and rear chambers of the mc off and on for the next couple hours in between baby duties and it seems to have changed the game. When I started the traditional pedal pump bleed again I noticed pedal firmness unlike the rest of the time. I had the wife press the pedal and hold it as if she was at a stop sign, grabbed a pry bar and tried to turn the rotors with low force and could not so now I know I have clamping force for the first time but of course no idea how much since I’m not going nuts with a pry bar on my wheel studs while on jack stands. Before that I could never get any activity from the rear calipers.
I’ve custom bent complete brake systems on hot rods and customs here and there over the years with true prop valves, check valves due to calipers being higher than the mc, and the whole deal. I’ve never done a bleed that didn’t want to shoot fluid out in a solid stream if you let it once there was solid pedal. Not one bleeder on the car will do more than a little trickle down the bleed hose but has very firm almost instant pedal. Is that normal?
I’m thinking I should set it down and go for a quick test run but the brake light is still on now that I plugged it in and I’m wondering if I should get a new switch. It’s my understanding from reading tons on here and general brake knowledge that when the distribution block is tripped one way or the other it will block out use of the front or the rear completely. Since I have use of both front and rear as far as I know does that mean I accidentally re centered the switch but the switch is just bad and the light is hanging on? I’d rather not take it off stands if you guys think I’m not done yet or have more advice.
Oh I should also say that after removing the calipers and reading more than I wanted to know about corvette brakes, I checked the run out on the still riveted rotors and not one is more than .003 out, no scars or ribs and one is almost zero runout so that is a win. This was a 17k mile car that sat in a small collection not to long ago until the guy I bought it from took it to the 25k point and think He did it on no brakes.
Thanks ahead of time guys. If it wasn’t for searching and reading here this would’ve been a different outcome for a guy that knows his way around basic mechanics but I’m a paint and body guy after all…
.
I originally posted that the mc had fluid but it didn’t. In the middle of the night in between baby duties I peeked under the lid and saw fluid in the foreword most chamber but upon properly removing the lid I found no fluid at all in the rear chamber.
After getting the car up on jack stands and checking calipers I found that visually none looked like they should work but the rite front seemed to be kinda working. The others except one had clearly leaked, peeled paint, grew brake moss around the seals and most were seized. It looks like the only caliper(front rite) that had any function was the only caliper that had o-rings. The dirtiest, driest caliper with no fluid going to the caliper was also the cleanest and had a lip seal rebuild kit that looked like it was done very very recently.
As I removed all the calipers to decide what the next step was I was getting very dirty fluid out but it seems to have a slight bluish tint and separated in the mixing cup I drained it all into with clear fluid on top and dirty funky bluish on bottom. It also looked like it may have had water or again maybe a different fluid that didn’t mix well because I could see other globs/spheres of unlike fluid floating in It but they were faint, not as bold as I would think water would be. I wondered if it had silicone or another fluid in it but I just can’t tell, I’ll try and post pics later(phone is full of thousands of car and baby pics now).
I purchased a full set of calipers with o rings from lone star and after completely ruining three bleeders due to them installing them with what seems to be a half inch impact and replacing those with new ones they’re installed. Oh and best I can tell the system is flushed with new dot 3 now. I began bleeding after a bench bleed on the master but had doubts about its performance. I started with a hand pump and it seemed to work to a point then had to acquire the wife between her baby duties or during. You can breast feed and pump a pedal at the same time. That went on and on but it was a lost cause. While under the car doing a visual I found the brake warning light on the distribution block was unhooked and Thought great the switch blocked the rear off and they unhooked the light after they gave up. I went ahead and got a new Orielys master, quick bench bleed then installed and that helped a lot but still nothing at the rear. I put the fine needle point rubber fitting on the hand pump,stuck it in the holes inside the master and removed fluid and large amounts of air. I did that in the front and rear chambers of the mc off and on for the next couple hours in between baby duties and it seems to have changed the game. When I started the traditional pedal pump bleed again I noticed pedal firmness unlike the rest of the time. I had the wife press the pedal and hold it as if she was at a stop sign, grabbed a pry bar and tried to turn the rotors with low force and could not so now I know I have clamping force for the first time but of course no idea how much since I’m not going nuts with a pry bar on my wheel studs while on jack stands. Before that I could never get any activity from the rear calipers.
I’ve custom bent complete brake systems on hot rods and customs here and there over the years with true prop valves, check valves due to calipers being higher than the mc, and the whole deal. I’ve never done a bleed that didn’t want to shoot fluid out in a solid stream if you let it once there was solid pedal. Not one bleeder on the car will do more than a little trickle down the bleed hose but has very firm almost instant pedal. Is that normal?
I’m thinking I should set it down and go for a quick test run but the brake light is still on now that I plugged it in and I’m wondering if I should get a new switch. It’s my understanding from reading tons on here and general brake knowledge that when the distribution block is tripped one way or the other it will block out use of the front or the rear completely. Since I have use of both front and rear as far as I know does that mean I accidentally re centered the switch but the switch is just bad and the light is hanging on? I’d rather not take it off stands if you guys think I’m not done yet or have more advice.
Oh I should also say that after removing the calipers and reading more than I wanted to know about corvette brakes, I checked the run out on the still riveted rotors and not one is more than .003 out, no scars or ribs and one is almost zero runout so that is a win. This was a 17k mile car that sat in a small collection not to long ago until the guy I bought it from took it to the 25k point and think He did it on no brakes.
Thanks ahead of time guys. If it wasn’t for searching and reading here this would’ve been a different outcome for a guy that knows his way around basic mechanics but I’m a paint and body guy after all…
.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 26
Likes: 2
I just took it for a spin and have that a shot. Brakes work real good but I have nothing to compare it to and the brake light went off after trying what you said. There jabs and no light!
