Brakes problem! Help needed!

Hi all, I own a Mk2 Golf GTi 8v and need advice with the brakes.

In a nutshell the problem is that a rear caliper started leaking, the pedal hit the floor and the brakes were almost non-existant. The caliper has been changed with a new one and the system bled but the pedal still goes to the floor.

Does anyone have any ideas on this???

Cheers Si

Have u checked whether the load bias valve thingy is working? Did you use a pressure bleeder (Eazibleed) or the good old fashioned way?

It sits just in front of the rear axle beam on the passenger side of the car and adjusts the amount of pressure to the back brakes depending on the load on them (ie how low the back end is) and is prone to seizing on Mk2's.
If you bleed the back brakes with the car on a jack and the back suspension at full droop (ie no load) the load valve is not allowing any brake pressure through and will not bleed. Ideally you need to bleed them with the car sat on the floor (difficult I know) - the easy way round it is to sit the car on axle stands and put the jack under the beam and jack it up until the car is almost off the stands.

Hope this helps.

Jacko

Cheers mate, I'm not sure how the brakes were bled, it's at a garage in Bardney (VW Classics) at the mo where it's had it's clutch changed, I was just repeating what I was told over the phone about it and was hoping to be able to give the mechanic a few ideas of why they weren't working. He thinks it could be the seals in the master cylinder now so looks like I'll be spending more money on the bloody thing

hmmmm. Tbh, nd no offence to anyone here who is family or knows thre guy, I've not had great reports about vw classics. He does know his air cooled, but has tried to fleece quite a few of my mates. We went round looking for a good bug shell a yr or two ago. Tried to sell us a rotten shell for £600 lol. one poke at the sills and a ton of filler came out. I mentioned it, and he sed "well, 600 for a shell that ONLY needs 1 new sill isn't bad?" we laughed and drove off.

I would take it to an mot station, as if they cant get it right no-one can lol. or of course, theres Volkskraft at friskney, who do definately know their sh*t.

Jon.

Shouldn't that be Volkskraft at Fiskerton??

If u need a master cylinder I've got a 2nd hand 8v GTi one that was ok when I took it off when I put the 4 pots on (and I'm in Bardney!)

jackovw wrote:

Shouldn't that be Volkskraft at Fiskerton??

Thats them .

i said friskney didn't i lmao

I knew what I meant (fiskerton lol)

I have spent the last week under the beetle lol

Jon

Can't comment on the cost of the beetle mate since I know very little about the aircooled world, but Steve (VW Classics) has done a cracking job on the clutch and he tracked the brakes problem down to the bias valve.

I've got no complaints about him, replaced my clutch cheap and didn't charge me for any of the brake work, seems like a good deal to me!