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BRAKE Question

My 54 Cavalier brakes have faded quite a bit. This has been over a period of time and I don't suspect a big leak but:

Car is equipped with the "Easimatic Power Brakes".

The symptom is, Pedal goes down almost to floor and then there is enough brake to stop the car, but no extra. Brake unit returns to top with a slight hissing sound. I believe the booster is working fine there is just no fluid. I have owned the car for two years and have never checked the brake fluid.

I don't believe it is possible to check this from the top and going to be difficult from the underneath.

I assume to remove the unit, it is bolted to the floor pan (four corners), brake line and several rubber hoses. Is there a pin at the pedal to detach it? Assuming fluid doesn't fix it temporarly.

The boot is intact does this come with the unit?

My car is clean underneath and I drive it regularly.

As I don't have access to a lift I plan to run the car up on ramps that allow me to slide under and check the brake fluid which I expect to find at empty.

I was able to squeeze under and get to the Ultramatic fluid check a while back.

I expect I need to do seal's in the master cylinder and I have printed the exploded view as well as looked at the rebuilt instructions.

If I can't get some improvement with fluid I'm stuck in the driveway on jacks until I have working brakes.

Jim

You can check from the top but is a long reach down. The cap is just slightly offset to the drivers side under the steering column.

There is a 5/16 pin or bolt on underside of the brake pedal to the operating rod.

You are correct in that there are 4 bolts to the floor plate, and the floor plate has 5 or 6 screws to the floor.

54 should have one rubber hose, two steel tubes, and the brake light switch wiring.

Boot usually does not come with any kits I know of.

If you haven't downloaded it, Ross did an excellent "how to". It is in the literature, how to section.

Just to cover the basics.....have you adjusted the brake shoes? They are not self adjusting like on modern cars, so as the shoes and drums wears, it takes more brake pedal distance for the shoe to make contact with the drum again.

Adjustment procedure is covered in the service manual.

Brake fluid should be changed every 2 years. I suck the fluid out of the master yearly in addition. You do not want to have problems with the Easamatic system, and clean fluid is cheap insurance. Not only for longevity of the system, but your safety as well.

That said, I suspect your problems might be a bit more involved than you suspect. If there is no fluid, you have to determine what the source is. The system is pretty much sealed, except for a pin hole in the master itself to allow pressure to escape. Look behind the wheels for the tell tale sign of brake fluid leaking from the wheel cylinders. Also check the three rubber brake hoses, these are the most likely culprits and should be changed out if you either see leakage or if they are of unknown age. NAPA has them in stock.

If your master is empty, then it's probably gunked up and rusted, and frankly, at that point I'd have it along with the booster rebuilt, too.

Second try:

Reservoir cap is just left of steering column, Brass plug with a baffle, not hard to reach under the hood.

It was empty. Fluid is slightly dark now that it is full.

A small funnel and the fluid was easy to pour from the can.

All rubber hoses and connections are good, no sign of brake fluid on tires, or ground.


I need to create a vacuum jar with hoses so I can perform the suckage and flush operation (I have a vacuum source).

The front wheel star adjusters took about a turn to tighten and on both front wheels I tipped the handle of my tool up which would be star down to get it tight. I ran it up tight, pumped the pedal a couple of time and went back about two clicks.

A test drive several miles around town and I can stop with figure pressure on the pedal

Tomorrow is rear wheel day. The emergency brake is never pulling tight enough to make shoe contact so I assume a good bit of adjustment is needed on the rear.

I realize all of this needs to be carefully inspected for safety. I have owned the car about two years and I'm working through a list.

Driving on - Jim

Jim - If this was my Packard I would remove the wheels and drums and take a good look at the condition of the brakes. The braking system would be the first thing I would get fully operational. The last thing you need is a car that will not stop. Just a suggestion...

(o{}o)

Master cylinder dry. NO indication of leakage.
If those are the facts then the major question is NOT condition of the rest of the brake system.

Based on the above facts then the most critical question is WHERW DID THE BRAKE FLUID GO!!!!!!!

Extremely far out of adjustment brake shoes mite be one answer.
The only othwr possibility is that the fluid was sucked into the POWER UNIT part of the BTV. A COMMONLY AND ALMOST EPIDEMIC REPOrted PROBLEM OVer THE LAST 15 YEARS!!!!!!!

All good questions:

I have owned and driven the car for the past two years. The previous owner was not mechanical and just drove around to car shows. I don't do car shows.

The lack of brake shoe adjustment and low fluid can be a total lack of maintenance which I aim to fix.

Now that I know how easy it is to check the fluid, I cam monitor that and see if it is actually going away at any kind of speed.

I thought brake fluid was a get under like the transmission fluid.

I was aware of the getting sucked into the brake unit problem.

Jim

After a weekend of brake adjustment I now have quite stunning "Easimatic Power Brakes"

All four wheels took a good turn or more of the star wheel adjustment.

The reservoir on the master cylinder took a complete fill up.

Wheels do need to come off for further inspection and the fluid level needs to be watched carefully for leakage possibilities.

As the fill cap is very easy to get to (now that I know), maintenance will be no problem.

The brakes seemed OK from the time I first drove the car but nothing like how it responds now.

I need to work up a vacuum jar with a couple of clear plastic hoses so I can suck out the old fluid and flush the reservoir. I don't want to push it through the lines at this point.

I had filled the reservoir so as I adjusted the shoes up fluid was pushed out through the vent in the cap.

After a weekend of driving stop and go and stop, I see no change in the fluid level which was left at full to the top.

Jim

Jim, good news on your improved braking. You can check the thickness of the brake linings without needing to remove the drums. There is a slot near the outer edge of the drums when turned will show the linings edge. It is a quick way to see how much wear there is on the linings. For peace of mind I would still remove the drums and inspect the brake mechanisms. Have a safe ride.

(o[]o)