Brake problem on 74 Super.

I'm going with a bad Master Cylinder, when removing it remember ther are to sleves inside the frame head that will drop if you poll the

I remove the lines then loosen the bolts to leave them inplace.

Hope this helps

Mario Vintage Werks resto.

lol Great little PlowBug!

Is the pedal freely moving? Most of the pedals here in Chicago rust up and when you step on the brake pedal, it stays down. This would also possibly cause the brakes to be applied at the wheels. With a lot of elbow grease to create heat from friction and some good spray lubricant, you can free up a rusty pedal. Removing the Master Pushrod makes for a better job too. ;-)

DuraLube, Marvel Mystery are two of my favorite lubricants, followed by motor oil.

Just a guess!

Hi Ryan,

I remember your plowbug from years ago!

Glad to hear it's still in service, wow!

First check the pedal rod clearance. There should be noticeable play before the push rod touches the master cylinder piston. Sometimes the piston may not be returning all the way in the master, and you get massive play. The piston may then block the fluid return passages and leave residual pressure in the lines.

The easiest thing to eliminate would be the flex hoses swelling up. Hi the brakes and confirm that the front tires are now hard to turn. Then open the bleeder screws in the front (I hope they don't snap). If the pressure is released and the wheel now turns freely, it was the hoses.

I put the bug in the garage to thaw out for the last 24 hours, and the pedal is still hard as a rock. I can push it somewhat, but the pressure is great enough to push the pedal back to its normal position. I'll crack the bleeders and see what happens. I did change the wheel cylinders 10 years ago or so, so hopefully the bleeders dont bust off. The outside of the hoses are starting to crack, but are not swollen. I've also sprayed the assembly with penetrating oil, but that doesnt seem to help, I'm pretty sure its either the master cylinder, or pushrod, or the hoses blocked up.

I'll head out there in a while and report my findings.

Thanks for the tips guys...

Ryan.

maybe both but I bet if you cut the hoses in two you would find them plugged. Dennis

Ok, here is what I found.

I cracked the bleeder on the pass side. Some fluid came out, but not much. At least I could turn the drum by hand, there was still some slight brake drag, but nothing like before. Then I cracked the drivers side and that wheel completely freed up and spun freely. With both bleeders closed I stepped on the brake a few times and the pressure would hold the brakes on again. I repeated this process three or four times with the same results, have to crack the bleeders to relieve the pressure. So, I think I'll pick up some new rubber hoses tomorrow after work and install them. If I still have problems, I'll do the master cylinder, as its a lot more work.

The pass side hose was way more cracked than the drivers side. That is the side that always had at least a little bit of brake pressure in my tests today. I suspect this is the one that is bad, but if both wheels are getting residual pressure, then both hoses may be going. The date on the hoses was 1973 ;-)

I suspect the -35 degree weather recently brought on this problem. I remember last year I had one front tire locking up in real cold weather, but the pedal felt fine and it went away after a while. That was in cold weather, and since it went away after thawing out the bug I never thought anything else of it.

As for the clutch, there is some freeplay that I need to take up, but the pedal does not go all the way to the floor. The stopper on the back of the pedal is probably 2 inches from the firewall when you fully depress the clutch. This isn't going to go away with a clutch adjustment, will it? I've never driven a beetle for very long without pulling the engine every so often, this one has been in there for 11 years so I havent had to mess with the clutch yet, and never seen a clutch pedal that wouldn't hit the floor.

Ryan.

e:

Ok,

I called my favourite parts place and they only had one brake hose in stock. Ok, I wanted to do both hoses, but what the heck, I'll try just changing one. So, I managed to remove the old brake hose from 1973 (car is a 74 model year) without breaking or twisting off the original metal lines. Heres a tip that has worked for me over the years EVERY TIME. Lightly heat the connections with a propane torch, put a vise grip on the 11mm side, and a 17mm line wrench on the hose side of the connection and voila! They come loose every time.

Anyways, there was a lot of fluid coming out of the line from the MC, so I plugged it while I changed the hose. By the way, the outside of the hose had some cracking, but after cutting it apart, I discovered that the hose itself was still perfectly fine inside. Amazing for a 34 year old hose. I had my 9 year old son help bleed the brakes (gotta start them young you know ;) and now the pedal feels normal, and there are no dragging brakes. Took the bug outside and plowed some snow for about 20 minutes, no problem.

Diagnosis: I'm still not sure if the hose was really the problem. I will cut it lengthwise tomorrow and see what it looked like, but I cut into the weakest looking part and it looked fine. I can only suspect that there was moisture in the brake fluid, and hopefully bleeding the brakes did the trick. Next time it happens I'll bleed the particular wheel that is causing the problem, and hopefully that works. Tonight the bug is parked in its unheated shed again, so I'll see how the brakes operate tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the tips, and I hope my tip using a little heat on the connections helps others too.

Ryan.

Hi.

I remember seeing your plowbug about a zillion years ago too.

You are already solving your brake troubles, so on to the clutch.

The pedal should hit its positive stop, so you need to diagnose this first. It is mostly external anyways. Check the bowden tube for correct slack between pan and transmission. It should have a dip in it so engine movement does not affect clutch operation(Think worn tranny mounts).

Then check the actuator arm on the transmission for possible damage(Bent/cracked around input shaft). Have the little tyke press the clutch pedal while you get down'n dirty to inspect the said actuator arm at full pedal. If it appears normal with several cm's of cable visible between arm and bowden tube you have and internal fluke, OR ->

This is where some brute force comes into play.

You need to determine whether it is the actual clutch pedal which stops, or the cable holding it back at the tranny end. If it is the pedal which stops(Again, here is where the little tyke comes in handy, have him depress the pedal while you manipulate the cable underneath) you need to take apart the pedal assy, not a trivial or comfortable job, cant even remember what it like on a super, Jan probably does.

On the other hand, if it realy is the cable holding it back you have serious clutch problem, as in engine removal..

There can be so many clutch combos in there, so one would need pictures or descriptions to be of further assistance.

Your milage may vary, avoid dehydration, a fridge helps..

J.

The only reason I used a super was because it was all I had at the time. In the end, I'm glad I didn't end up with a standard beetle for my plow as the shorter turning radius is excellent, and the front end is plenty strong enough for plowing. The blade is only maybe a hundred pounds, it drops the front less than two inches when the plow is lifted from the ground. In fact, it looks almost level as opposed to the normal high front end beetles and supers usually have.

I have a standard beetle I use for off-roading, and it is much better in rough terrain, but it would be nice to have a shorter turning radius on that bug too.

Anyways, I took the plowbug out tonight to test the brakes and they are not locking up anymore, even in the -25c weather. I do have to bleed them a little more, as I noticed the pedal is higher on the second pump. Might do all four wheels this time.

Also, the clutch cable is going all the way to the floor now. Wierd. But, if the clutch gets worse, I'll pull the engine and check the bowden tube and other stuff and make sure its all up to snuff.

Ryan.

Not only do you have an effective lowering kit in your car, you also have the biggest, baddest WING in town... ricers beware :)

e:

Ha ha. Funny you mention that. I took it out on the highway once and I could not get it over 100kph. That blade creates a huge drag aerodynamically. Its even slow to accellerate once you get past 60kph.

Lower the blade so it nearly touches the ground and try again! :)

J.

Well someone on ebay is selling a plow that is similar to yours. item # 160206425901

Glad you got your problem fixed! ;-)