Quick brake MC question

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Lifelong40Fan

Lifelong40Fan

Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Threads
210
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2,363
Location
Tennessee
I’ve installed a 60 brake booster and MC on my 45. All parts are new: booster, MC, brake lines, front calipers and rotors and rear wheel cylinders. I have a very soft pedal and can’t get rid of it. I’ve adjusted the rear wheel cylinders, bled the brakes multiple times and adjusted the rod coming out of the booster. What I can’t seem to find an answer to is what port of the MC goes to the front brakes and what goes to the rear. I’ve tried it both ways with little effect on the pedal, but end up with rear brakes that don’t work great. So, can someone look on the stock 60 and quickly tell me how the MC is plumbed?

Thank you,

Mike
 
do you have a LSPV or whatever it's called that controls the rear brake pressure? If you do, did you bleed it also? I have read that it is an instrumental step in the process.
 
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When bleeding, did you adjust the rear brakes all the way tight where you can’t even turn the wheels/drums? I adjust them that tight, we’d, then set the rear adjustment where I want it afterward.
 
Good question. I didn’t go that far. I adjusted them so there was mild resistance turning by hand with the wheel off, ie turning by the lug nuts. I can go further and see if that helps.
 
Well, this is a total pain. I’m so frustrated with this 45. It fights me every step of the way.

I’ve adjusted the rear brake wheel cylinders so that I can barely rotate the axle with the tires on. I’ve bled the brakes multiple times and get a good stream coming out. No leaks anywhere. The booster rod is adjusted so that the front pads rub on the rotors and provide some resistance on both sides. And my pedal is still just as soft as ever. I’ve tried a different FJ60 MC as well. I don’t know what to do next except declare defeat and swap on the rear discs to have in my attic and spend more time and money on this stinking rig that should have been in the road weeks ago.
 
Here’s a thought. The front cylinder I’m pointing to only has travel in the bottom piston whereas for the back cylinder, both pistons travel. That means that the back pistons travel half as far. So, I need to make sure that the resistance to rotation of the drum is due to the back cylinder and not the front. So, I believe I need to set the front wheel cylinder all the way down, adjust the rear to give me significant resistance to rotation and then run the front cylinder up to compound that resistance. Make any sense? We’ll see if it bears any fruit.

IMG_6166.webp
 
If I understand what you’re saying, yes? Need to adjust both cylinders tight, bleed, then back them off so the wheel can turn and retighten until each takes up an equal amount of slack. Tighten one of them until it drags too much, back off a click or two then tighten the other until too tight, back off a click or two, etc.
 
Boom. That did it. Now I have a firm pedal.

So, the lesson here is that there’s an order to adjusting each drum brake wheel cylinder. Adjust the wheel cylinder that both pistons travel first to get resistance to rotation. After achieving that resistance with that single cylinder, adjust the one where just one piston moves to compound the resistance. Be sure and set them finally where there’s resistance to rotation with the tire mounted.
 
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