Im extremely tired of working on brakes on my pintos. It is a constant fight. I have bled, and bled and bled and bled the brakes and they always work great for a few days and then I am back to a low pedal again. There are clicking noises from somewhere up front every time i hit the brakes, or most times i should say. A pump or two of the pedal makes the brake pedal higher. Master cylinders are remans and were bench bled. Wheel cylinders and brake hoses are new. No apparent leaks anywhere. Often times if you push on the pedal hard you can hear a click and even feel it in the pedal. The brake feels very firm then. Any idea whats going on here? Proportioning valve maybe? On my 76 even the hard steel lines are new in the back.
Do you have to add fluid?
I went through the SAME garbage (all new parts, hoses, real cylinders, front cylinders, prop valve) with similar problems until I bought my master cylinder NEW. As soon as you said that, you hit the nail.
Remans have to be rebored, meaning a looser tolerance, and poor seal. Spend the xtra few bux and get a NEW master cylinder, it pays for itself IMMEDIATELY.
BTW - glad you understand the value of bench bleeding prior to installation. It is a MUST. Good luck!
Chris
Ihave to agree with Chris on this one... brand new original is best. I've been burned too many times paying a little less for remanufactured (and ultimately defective) parts. :-\
I wasnt able to get a new one for my 74. The 74 uses a different size fitting on the rear line. :( I put the same reman on my 79 and it works good.. i think i just got lucky on that one tho. I tend to agree that it is the MC.
Master cylinders come in all types of outlet configurations (usually determined by manufacturer), yet all work the same. All you have to do is modify the brake lines with the proper fittings for the outlet. I bought three different master cylinders for my '76, and each was set up differently on the outlet sizes.
If you go to an auto store or go online and order a master for your '74, you can't expect it to be the same as the factory unit, because it has been 35 years, and the manufacturers have changed.
Maybe you don't want to go that direction, or you are trying to save money, but you'll either have to search a number of different manufacturers, or modify your brake lines. Spend a few $$ to get a bending tool, some line, maybe a flare tool, and some fittings for the master cylinder that you purchase, and you'll save yourself a lot of trouble.
Chris