re. brake system lockup, all 4 wheels

[ben swann]

Brett,

I have experienced this on at least 2 cars with this braking setup.

Replace the master cylinder(mandatory), and thouroughly bleed the
entire braking system including clutch cylinders (recommended) using
power bleeder.

Ben

[Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:46:55 -0500
To: quattro at audifans.com
From: Brett Dikeman <brett at cloud9.net>
Subject: brake system lockup, all 4 wheels

So I go on Pizza Hunt for dinner(very good hunt, pizzas plentiful
this season) and as I'm about 2/3rd of the way home, the car start
slowing dramatically between shifts; I look down and realize manifold
pressure's a lot higher than normal for cruising, etc....#$@!, must
be the rear brakes.

It gets worse. And worse.  And worse.  I get home, pop out, yep, nice
warm something-is-roasting smell.

I walk around and do the old chunk-of-snow-at-the-wheel test, and,
not one, not two, not three, yes all four, that's right, all four,
rotors are broiling hot.  As I watch, the car(ebrake off, tranny in
1st) creaks a little and rolls backwards slightly.  Does this again a
few seconds later.

Last time I had a problem like this, it was the cap on the reservoir
on my 5000, it was extremely loose.  I haven't checked this time, but
I'm pretty sure the cap is just fine, I was in the engine compartment
yesterday.

Master cylinder failure?  It's slightly below the min line(there's
been some fluid leakage very recently, didn't get a chance to figure
out where it went yet).  Also, recently, on one drive just a day or
two ago, the pedal sunk half way very suddenly- hasn't done that
since, although on the way home, the pedal got -really- soft.

Gotta go out and move the car a foot or so back so I don't have
massively warped rotors...

So I guess the plan is to top it off and bleed the system...

Sigh.  Happens without fail- right before an NEQ event or meeting.

B]