So I put some air in the two flat tires of my project T2 just to run it up and down my road a little bit...

And the brake pedal went right to the floor. Funny, it worked fine when I parked it in November.

Should I just assume I have a small leak somewhere, or am I screwed? I already have new rotors and pads to put on, but I wasn't planning on doing any more than that.

 

Is this a real question? Look in the wheels the firewall under the MC. Is the MC empty? Leaks are easy use some common sense to track it down, and replace what needs to be replaced, or maybe some one wants you DEAD!!!!! Just something to think about LOL

 

Hmm, could be.

I'm sure the neighbors don't appreciate me running the car with no exhaust...

 

Air in the system? A nice fat air bubble will drop that pedal to the floor with the quickness.

 

quite true,i had air in just one of my lines(rear drivers side) and the pedal would go to the ground before they engaged, i bled em, and bam, insta stopping.

 

pour some new fluid in the res. and pump the pedal a bunch of times untill you feel pressure, then look for wet spots around the insides of the wheels. if you find a wet spot you have a blown seal or you need new crush washers.

 

Mine didnt have leak problems since I got the car (around 6 months) then I let it sit for a month while I was doing some engien work. Go to drive it the first time and have no pressure. Ended up having a leak around the master cylinder. Still havent fixed it, I just have to watch my fluid level.

 

You need a new brake master cylinder, and obviously bleed/flush the system afterwards. Not that big a deal really, you need a couple bottles of quality brake fluid, vise grips and a 8, 10 and 12mm wrench, and a "one man brake bleeder" bottle/hose from autozone (5 dollars, trust me it is worth it). Of course this is the time to do any caliper checking/swapping/rebuilding that may be necessary, and do rotors/pads too. No use in doing a halfass job, especially when all this work can be done in a day's time or less. The front calipers are EASY to rebuild, provided you can get all the pistons out of them. The rears are often stuck and it is sometimes easier to just buy replacements from the store. This is also the case if you have a badly stuck front caliper/piston that you can't get out. When I went to rebuild the calipers on my t2, one was stuck so badly that 160psi of air pressure, vise grips, and a prybar could not get it out, so I just picked up a rebuilt "cardone" unit from oreilly's for $32 and change (core required). Trust me, it was worth it to save the time of trying to get that stuck piston out.

Or, you could just drive around and use the e-brake. It makes the *** end of the car squat, making onlookers think you have massive horsepower under the hood that's about to pull the front wheels off the ground. IT is also easy to DRIFT that **** y0!

 

Also paint the calipers while they are out.... Nothing worse then a fresh brake job with rusty calipers.......

Or jsut spray them with oven cleaner after a 10 mile drive..... That cleans them up nice..lol

 

Eh, I powdercoated mine, and then ground the "mazda" back down to bare metal to make it look nice. I know the PC will never fade or dull, and a bit of degreaser and pressurewash will make them look new again.

T2 front calipers can't rust, they're aluminum. The rears are steel, though.

 

i just masked mine off and hand painted them. spray paint doesnt stick very well in my opinion but brushed paint does.

 

Hi-temp engine paint over red primer does wonders.

Side Note: Where can you buy caliper rebuild kits at a reasonable price? Everyone I find wants as much as a reman caliper for the kit($75 per caliper!).

As for your braking issue.........I would agree that you need to fill the BMC and pump the pedal. See where it is leaking from.

 

I believe advance auto sells the rebuild kits, as well as mazdatrix. They are nearly the same cost as the above mentioned caliper.

IN my experience as long as your pistons move freely you do not need a rebuild. In fact, I saved the seals and orings from my stock calipers for future use before turning the cores in (since they dont need that **** anyway). I also had to take the rebuilt calipers apart in order to powdercoat them, and the seals looked the same as the originals I'd taken out of the first calipers. So I would say they do not really wear, they either work properly and can be reused, or do not move, and need rebuilt.

 

Bah. I used Rustoleum High Temp Black from a spray can on my calipers without trouble. They looked the same after 2 years of DD as they did when I put them on the car.

 

black would be fine, but red seems to drip off too easy... dunno why...

 

I know when a caliper is in need of replacing/rebuilding. Mine are functional, but the boot seals are showing wear. I too was thinking of powdercoating my castings. If I am going through the hastle of disassembling them though, I would rather put fresh seals in while I'm at it. I will check with Mazdatrix about pricing. Thanks!