86 URq with no barkes

[Steve Marinello]

Ian:

Consider yourself very lucky.  A few months ago, I had just picked up my '83
urq from the dealer where a friend had been doing a little free work on
it...and I had them replace the brake pressure switches/sensors just to keep
the dealer happy.  no other brake work.  Brakes were fine going in, although
I had intended (before being laid off six weeks ago) to upgrade the brakes
all around.  Anyway, picked it up, drove the interstate here in New Orleans
and had to slam on my brakes as traffic jammed up unexpectedly.  Stop and go
for the next 2 miles or 20 minutes.  Stopped to get gas after I got off at
my exit.  Filled up and pulled around to leave the station.  Brake pedal
went to the floor just as I braked to go into traffic.  had it towed back
and ordered an MC.  Funny thing was, after 30 minutes of waiting for the
tow, the pedal got relatively hard again.  I had been pumping it
periodically just to see what was going on over that time.

More bizarre thing...hydraulic fluid spraying out of the reservoir one of
the times I was pumping the pedal with the hood open.  And the pedal was
going to the floor.  Why would I get fluid out of that reservoir?  Never
duplicated, by the way, and the brakes were hard back at the dealer.  The
tech who works on the car can only assume the reservoir was overfilled
(maybe, I had topped it off a few days before), but as to why it blew
out..???

New MC going in, but I've been waiting for new SS lines to put on just
because I figure I'll do, or have them do, a full flush with the new MC and
I figured the lines needed replacing.  Just glad the pedal was hard when I
hit the traffic on the interstate.  No brakes at 70+ mph would NOT have been
fun at all.

Steve

> From: "Iain Atkinson" <iain.atkinson at tesco.net>
> Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2001 09:21:51 +0100
> To: <one at humanspeakers.com>
> Cc: <quattro at audifans.com>
> Subject: RE: 86 URq with no barkes
> 
> Huw
> 
> think i am gonna replace the MC, the car had been sat around for 4 years and
> done 400 miles only in that time, so i think maybe the seals have rotted
> out, just glad it didn't happen on the road, that would have been scary.
> 
> 
> Iain
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Huw Powell [mailto:audi at mediaone.net]
> Sent: 08 August 2001 08:51
> To: Iain Atkinson
> Subject: Re: 86 URq with no barkes
> 
> 
> yes... if the MC is leaking internally (which is the usual failure mode)
> they do not "push" the brakes but there is also no external leak.
> 
> also see the post by the guy who said you may have sucked air in if you
> closed the caliper pistons w/ a pliers (or etc.).  which I doubt you did
> but...
> 
> as I said and as you say, start with a nice simple bleeding experiment.
> 
> Iain Atkinson wrote:
>> 
>> Where to start is the prob, like i say i have no fluid loss, will try a
>> bleed tonight.
>> 
>> Thanks
>> 
>> Iain
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Huw Powell [mailto:audi at mediaone.net]
>> Sent: 07 August 2001 23:57
>> To: Iain Atkinson
>> Cc: quattro at audifans.com
>> Subject: Re: 86 URq with no barkes
>> 
>> this is a long shot, but maybe when you pushed the calipers in, the
>> fluid going "against" the cups in the master cylinder wrecked them?  Now
>> they do not "squish" the fluid when you press the pedal, they just move
>> thru it?
>> 
>> I would try opening a bleeder and pumping, such as you can, to see what
>> happens.  Even the prop. valve bleeder, since it's easier to get to, to
>> start with.
>> 
>> Iain Atkinson wrote:
>>> 
>>> Jim
>>> 
>>> no nothing was undone regarding the lines etc, only reason i tok it
> apsrt
>>> was check that pistons were not stuck and put some copperslip on the
> pads
>>> and carriers. I undid the the cap on the brake fluid res, to allow the
>> fluid
>>> to go into res, like i have always done when i have changed pads etc on
>>> other cars. Pumping pedal and turning s.wheel makes no difference,
> brakes
>>> eng running no difference. What have i done????
>> 
>>>> i have a big problem, i took the pads and the caliper carriers off the
>>> front
>>>> brakes tonight and regreased them with brake grease pushed the pistons
>> of
>>>> the brake calipers back into the bores and pushed them out again, re
>>>> assembled everything and the brake pedal is now on the floor and no
>>> brakes.
>>>> Any ideas on what the hell the prob is?????
>>>> 
>>>> No fluid loss either.
>>>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Huw Powell
>> 
>> http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/
>> 
>> http://www.humanthoughts.org/
> 
> --
> Huw Powell
> 
> http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/
> 
> http://www.humanthoughts.org/
> 
>