[Vwdiesel] Volvo brake question

[Gerald Hughet]

Hi Dave,

 

I heard you loud and clear about winter, an unheated garage and bleeder screws that are more likely to break than to unscrew.  With that being said, I'll tell you about a brake repair I did on my Quantum.  Maybe you can apply some of the principles to your job.

 

I changed the Master Cylinder and then began the traditional form of brake bleeding, starting with the rear passenger side brake cylinder.  The bleeder screw broke.  So did the drivers side.  When the bleeder screw broke on the front caliper is did say "Oh Darn!"  I needed the car running for the next day.

 

The brake lines, all four of them, came out of the Master Cylinder angled up about 30 degrees before a bend taking them on to their respective destinations.  I theorized that there wasn't too much air trapped in the line so I pulled the brake pad holder off of the front caliper and used a C Clamp to depress the piston.  That depressing of the caliper piston bled that particular line.  I did put in a new pad here and there.

 

I repeated the process on the other side and that took care of the front.

 

When I started on the back, after pulling the brake drum, I used some bailing wire to restrain the brake cylinder spring (internal) from pushing the ends out.  I did replace the shoes on one side.  I did have a pair of locking welding pliers with the plier portion shaped somewhat like a C, that allowed me to depress each end of the wheel cylinder, with the wire still in place to guard against the cylinder coming apart from the internal spring pressure.

 

Not counting the time in replacing the Master Brake Cylinder, the job took me a couple of hours and I never did have to sweet talk the better half into coming out into the cold to activate the brake pedal for a bleed job.

 

Not being familiar with Volvo's I don't know if any of this information will be helpful or not.  I can't advise you on your particular repair but I do know that quite often, there is more than one way to coax a few more miles out of a vehicle while still having safe, dependable service from it.

 

I also know, after reading some of the email coming out of this group, that there are a few good mechanics out there writing those emails.

 

Question:  If you only replaced the pads in the front brakes, is there any reason you would have to bleed the brakes?

 

Another question:  Does any part of that metal tab that contained the hole for the pin come into any real pressure when the brakes are applied?  It sounds to me like that pin is just softly and casually holding a pad in place.

 

Good Luck to you Dave,

 

Gerry

Indianapolis

 


 
> Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:36:30 -0800
> From: vwzoo at yahoo.com
> To: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> Subject: [Vwdiesel] Volvo brake question
> 
> Hi,
> 
> This isn't a VW question, but I thought I would ask your advice. I replaced the brake pads on my daughers 1990 Volvo 240. The front brakes are Girling type brakes. I don't know if any of you are familiar, I remember my 81 Vanagon had them. I was trying to remove the pins to replace the pads. The passenger side no problem, the drivers side the bottom just wouldn't come out. I tried heat, liquid wrench and kept trying and then I realized that the corner of metal that the whole that the pin slid through cracked and fell off. Here is the question. My daughter doesn't have the money to take this to a mechanic. She only paid $500 for the car. I rightfully should replace the caliper, but it looks tougher then what I want to do with it being Winter with an unheated garage and then trying to bleed the brakes with old rusty bleeders that I have had snapped off other times I have attempted on other old cars. So I was thinking of putting JB weld on it to hold
> it in place and drive it to someone that can weld it. Do you guys think that would be safe and would I cause more damage.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> 
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