I got front and rear drums... when i press the pedal it goes mad close to the floor w/o resistance... then the last inch gives resistance and brakes the car.. but when i press really hard... the rear tires lock up if it's wet out... i changed the shoes and bled the brakes but it's still a death machine.. what's the deal
it's a 71 nova btw
Why don't my brakes work? they're drums and the rear only work?
sounds like the front shoes needs adjusted a little bit tighter against the drums.
Why don't my brakes work? they're drums and the rear only work?
Did you check the master cylinder ? Did you try pumping the brakes to see if they would hold better ? If so , when pumped and you got a little better pedal did it still go slowly to the floor ? If yes to last question , bad master cylinder . Also look at proportioning valve .
Couple of options.
1.) Leaking brake lines. A cracked brake line will spew out fluid when you press the pedal and the pedal will drop to the floor.
2.) Air in the lines, if you let in air by having low fluid levels the air pocket can be way up the line and you might need to bleed them more.
3.) Failed wheel cylinders. If the wheel cylinder is leaking or has a failed seal it will spew brake fluid and cause the brake to not function and your pedal will drop to the floor.
Sounds like you need to adjust them. If the self adjusters are working properly you can back up and brake hard then go forward and brake. Do this several times (don't hit anything) and they should adjust otherwise you'll need to do it manually.
Car has a %26quot;shuttle valve%26quot; that shuts down one side of %26quot;dual circuit brakes%26quot;! It could be stuck, -- or you could have bad master cylinder, - air in lines, (no fluid), - broken brake line or hose to calipers, -or calipers seized! Years ago cars only had the one circuit system, -- when you lost fluid you had a %26quot;neutral pedal on right side of steering column, -- quite messy if the emergency brake didn't work, or you had an automatic transmission, -- gears slow you down somewhat, and if you have enough space you can shut off the engine and let engine finally stop car! If that doesn't work, find something %26quot;cheap and soft%26quot; to hit! In almost 60 years of driving I have been down that road a number of times!! Actually I drive as if they aren't gong to work anyway, -- my brake pads last in excess of 40,000 miles most of the time! And no I don't drive like %26quot;an old lady%26quot;!!
I naturally assume that you have adjusted the front brake shoes with adjuster at bottom of housing, -- if they have to travel too far, they may be needing more fluid than one push on pedal can move! If you can pump up with for or 5 jabs quickly on brake pedal it is a pretty good indicator that shoes need adjusted!
