I have a problem with the front brakes on my 5ktq.

[Bernard Littau]

Hi Jörgen,

If it was me who you thought suggested the pedal, then we mis-communicated.
It was not the pedal assembly I had suggested you check.

The plunger I was referring to is the threaded member that comes out of the
Master Cylinder.  The end of this plunger is what the rest of the brake
assembly pushes on when you activate the brake.  If this plunger is adjusted
with too much length, it can prevent the ports in the master cylinder from
opening when you let off the brake.  Lack of opening these ports is usually
what is the cause of hanging brakes due to heat.  (The water in the brake
fluid makes the brake fluid expand more readily due to the heat, and is a
contributing factor.)

Master Cylinders generally do not fail in a way as to cause hanging brakes
in the way you described.  Pay attention, people!!! Master cylinders do not
generally fail and apply the brakes.  When they fail, they usually make the
brakes  harder to apply.

Sure, if you replace your master cylinder, which involves a new alignment of
the new plunger, and bleeding of the brake fluid, your problem will almost
certainly go away.  I would check the adjustment of the plunger per Bentley
specs (mind you, this is almost as much work as replacing the master
cylinder) and bleed the brake fluid per Bentley specs.

Best,

Bernard Littau
Woodinville, WA
'88 5ktq
----- Original Message -----
From: Jörgen Karlsson <jurg at pp.sbbs.se>
To: Audi Quattro List <quattro at audifans.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2000 2:13 PM
Subject: RE: I have a problem with the front brakes on my 5ktq.


Thanks for the help with the brake problems.

The general opinion is that it is my mc that is shot, one suggested that I
should check the adjustment of the pedal assembly, that sounds familiar...
One suggested that I should start with cleaning the canister before I do
anything, most of course mentioned that water in the brake fluid probably
has caused the problem.


I will test the mc from the parts car, I am sure that it will solve the
problem.

If it is simple to get rid of the ABS I will loose it while I am at it, it
has caused very dangerous situations a few times for me. The ABS on our cars
don't work very well on very bumpy gravel, or rather the car won't brake at
all till the ABS is turned off. The Bomb is ok and the cheaper Volvo 850
models has the same problem, a friend demostrated this to me after I
mentioned my killer ABS.

The brakes are released when the wheel bounce off the ground and is not
activated until the wheel is up to speed again, but at that point the wheel
has once again bounced off the ground again... With the ABS turned off the
locked wheels at least brake when the wheel is on the ground, it also seem
like they follow the contour of the bumps better. The roads are really bad
here in Gothenburg and I am pretty good at threashold breaking.



Thanks again!

Jörgen