'74 Beetle pulls left in hard braking.

...fix the brakes...

...glad I could help

..Gareth

Egad! I've been waiting 6 bloody months to spring this one:

Cheers, Speedy Jim

It can certainly be an adventure when your car tries to change lanes when you stab the brakes real hard, especially in traffic. Whoa, hang on! Probably just an adjustment or maybe brake fluid soaking in to the linings. Look through any of the popular service manuals (Haynes, How to Keep Your VW Alive, etc.) for the proper procedure. If it only happens when you brake hard the adjustment is probably close but not quite.

Press the pedal harder on the right hand side? :o)

Seriously, you probabally need a brake adjustment - but VW brake parts are cheap, so why not rebuild them?

New shoes, cylinders, flexi pipes and MC shouldn't come to more than UK£100. And your brakes will be perfect :-)

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

After a Qtr-Century, most everything needs replacement. Oil-soaked shoes aren't likely on a '74, so I would be thinking maybe a frozen wheel cylinder.

Get new shoes, wheel cyls, Master Cyl (unless you know how old it is). Don't forget the rubber brake hoses; if original they are all swelled up inside. You'll also need grease seals for the front spindles and the little locking plates. Good time to grease the bearings.

In the back you need the big-ass wrench to get the axle nuts off. There are rubber brake hoses back there too.

Plan on spending a solid weekend.,.

Speedy Jim

Yup.

Yup.

Yup.

I've just gone through the entire system on my '66... didn't need new pads or rear wheel cylinders since they were new 10,000 miles ago, but I replaced the front cylinders and cleaned up the rears. Also ran fresh new fluid through the pipes. Flexi pipes front and rear were replaced in '97.

When I first rebuilt the rear brakes when I first got the car in 1998 I was shocked to find the ORIGINAL brake shoes and cylinders! They were marked with tiny VW logos, and stamped "3/66".

If you don't know the history or age of your brakes, play safe and replace the lot :-)

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

Thanks, I think the linings may have gotten contaminated somehow. Maybe a wheel cylinder has a tiny leak? I'll pull the right front wheel tomorrow and inspect. Maybe replacing a set of shoes will do the trick. It only pulls when I slam the brakes.

Should I clean the inside of the rim with anything if I find the linings are contaminated?

Counter-steer to the right. ;-)

Jim .... You really know how to make someones day (a solid weekend - oh the joys of owning a classic )!!

Theres a saying ...... Its hard to drive a bargin !

John

Either tighten the right front or loosen the left front brakes.

-- the Grokdoc Tom Malmevik all that groks is god

67 Baja "marti"