Ben 0 Posted January 2, 2008 Hi guys, The brake pedal on my car ('92 1.6) has always been a little spongey, the brakes work fine just the pedal feel dopesn't inspire alot of confidence. I've recently fitted braided lines and bled the brakes and hoped the later would solve the spongeyness but it hasn't. I've also noticed that during the first spongey inch or so of travel I can hear a hissing noise, I had a similar noise on my astra when the master cylinder went so is that whats happened here? One other thing I've noticed is the tube that connects the inlet manifold to the brake servo joins to a tee peice first and then the servo. What is this tee for? and would it improve pedal feel at all if it was removed? Cheers and sorry for all the questions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fenton 1,541 Posted January 2, 2008 205 GTI's are known for master cylinders failing, personally if it was me I'd replace it just for peace of mind, the last thing you want is to plough into the back of another car as your master cylinder chooses an inopportune moment to fail on you. Have known this happen to 2 or 3 GTI's, it usually spells their end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 2, 2008 205 GTI's are known for master cylinders failing, personally if it was me I'd replace it just for peace of mind, the last thing you want is to plough into the back of another car as your master cylinder chooses an inopportune moment to fail on you. Have known this happen to 2 or 3 GTI's, it usually spells their end. How do i know which size i have 19 or 20.6 mm? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fenton 1,541 Posted January 2, 2008 Usually it is cast into the body of the cylinder when it is made IIRC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 2, 2008 Usually it is cast into the body of the cylinder when it is made IIRC. Cheers, any idea about the tee piece on the servo tube and where it goes/what it does? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anthony 1,003 Posted January 2, 2008 If it's a GTi then it'll be a 20.6mm MC. The T-piece on the servo vacuum hose is for the factory fit sunroof Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 2, 2008 If it's a GTi then it'll be a 20.6mm MC. The T-piece on the servo vacuum hose is for the factory fit sunroof Cheers, was thinking it could be for the sunroof. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted January 2, 2008 What brake pads have you got fitted? also what shoes? I have found that non-o.e pads dont give such a solid pedal feel, I have no experience of uprated pads though. the handbrake mechanism if seized can cause odd things to happen in the rear drums as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anthony 1,003 Posted January 2, 2008 the handbrake mechanism if seized can cause odd things to happen in the rear drums as well. Agreed - the self-adjusters on the drums are the usual cause of excessive pedal travel on 1.6's in my experience Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 2, 2008 (edited) What brake pads have you got fitted? also what shoes? I have found that non-o.e pads dont give such a solid pedal feel, I have no experience of uprated pads though. the handbrake mechanism if seized can cause odd things to happen in the rear drums as well. TBH i dont know what pads and shoes are fitted but surely the hissing i can hear when first breaking isn't a good thing and would indicate master cylinder probs? Edited January 2, 2008 by Ben Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
de Noir 0 Posted January 2, 2008 I had spongy brakes on my beloved red 306.. Car did brake rather well, but pedal feel and travel was disaster. Replaced everything - pads, brakelines, mc, new brake fluid and bleeded the system, all to no effect. I sold the car with problem not solved, but when thinking of it I suspect on brake booster vacuum hose, it's the only part (and the cheapest one too!) I actually haven't checked or replaced. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 5, 2008 Little update: I changed the master cylinder today and the problems still there, if anything its got worse! Also the hissing noise I could hear when braking is still there which leads me to think its a servo problem, is this a common fault? I know for a fact there are no fluid leaks but the fact that I can hear air escaping makes me think of the servo. Anyone got any ideas before i waste more money on un-needed parts? Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Miles 331 1 Cars Posted January 6, 2008 Is the M/S seal OK as this can leak or the seal where the manifold pipe goes in? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 6, 2008 Is the M/S seal OK as this can leak or the seal where the manifold pipe goes in? Not sure what you mean? the little rubber o-ring that goes into the servo from the master? If so it should be as the master is brand new. And when I disconnected the manifold pipe loads of air escaped so i'm guessing it is air tight when connected? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest PaulTheWall Posted January 8, 2008 (edited) I have Exactly the same problem on my '87 1.6 GTi, Hissing / phsssssffft sound for about 1 1/2" of pedal travel then a nice firm pedal. New brake lines New fluid New rear shoes New Ferodo DS2500 pads S2 106 ATE swinging calipers. no fluid leaks over the whole system. Its ruining what is a cracking car to drive. Edited January 8, 2008 by PaulTheWall Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 9, 2008 FINALLY FIXED IT!! Well kind of, bled the brakes again and got a load of air out but the pedal was still crap. My mate then mentioned that when we were changing the master cylinder the rod that comes out of the servo looked like it could be adjusted, a quick look in haynes showed this was right. We whipped off the master cylinder and adjusted the rod, Eureka! The pedal felt 100x better but the brakes were now binding, slaken of the rod a little and the jobs a good'un. Strangely enough though when i left work this evening the pedal was solid and the brakes binding again so it seems its un-adjusted itself, which is very odd? So to those having a similar problem give it a try, a little faffing with the rod adjustment will hopefully make a world of difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest PaulTheWall Posted January 10, 2008 brilliant! - Had a look at the haynes manual and came to pretty the same conclusion about the rod last nite. glad to know it actually works lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 10, 2008 (edited) brilliant! - Had a look at the haynes manual and came to pretty the same conclusion about the rod last nite. glad to know it actually works lol. Yep definitely works, just takes some fiddling to get it right! Edited January 10, 2008 by Ben Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 10, 2008 SOD IT, BLOODY CAR! Re-adjusted the servo rod today and thought we had it set perfect. Went for a drive and the pedal felt really good but then it went almost solid again and the brakes were binding Im lost for ideas now, think its the front left caliper binding so il have a look at that tomorrow but how can the pedal be fine one minute and completely different the next? Dam french cars! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 12, 2008 Anyone got any ideas? Brakes seem to stick on after about 5-10mins of driving. I took the pads out and calipers still move freely etc. Ben Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rippthrough 98 Posted January 12, 2008 Anyone got any ideas? Brakes seem to stick on after about 5-10mins of driving. I took the pads out and calipers still move freely etc. Ben You've still got the rod adjusted too much, the fluid can't return fast enough and the brakes are dragging slightly, warming up and expanding and taking the clearance to the rod up, then the brakes bind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted January 12, 2008 you have to be VERY precise when adjusting the rod, check the dimensions specified in your haynes manual. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben 0 Posted January 12, 2008 Dam, more adjusting needed then. Its nigh on impossible to measure with the master cylinder still attached and i was hoping to avoid having to bleed the brakes AGAIN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spiky 37 Posted March 15, 2008 how did you adj it??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
