Bloody brakes!

[max]

Hi all.
Picked the car up from having the engine swap, drove it home drove great. But I forgot about its brake problem! It could have been done while it was in the garage at the same time. Doh!
Anyway what it's doing is: In traffic the brake pedal gets more and more sticky?
Driving is fine, but in traffic you notice that the brakes are binding, and it gets worse and worse. But you can lift the pedal up with your foot and you release them.
Could it be servo, or the master cylinder?
I have bought a m/c from America. I just hope it's the right one!?

[nas80]

master cylinder. Rob0r had this problem a year or so ago when his car was on the road.

The lhd drive master wont work as the ports are on the wrong side. but you can take the internals out and swap them into your old master.

[max]

Aah, thanks Nas. Can you still get overhaul kits then?

[nas80]

Probably from the dealers mate.

[jimbob]

Try bigg red they have rebuild kits ,or they did when i got one.
I rang them and they are very helpfull

[Jeroen]

Good one, added them to our Directory as well

[max]

A little up date.
I bought a rebuild kit from Bigg Red, (very helpful guys), I bought 2 as they weren't sure which was the right one, but I can send the other one back. Cost about £20.
So today I set about rebuilding the the MC. Not done it before, and was a bit a fiddle but did it. Although it did surprise me by first being stuck, then springing apart showering me with bits!
I did get it back together, with the help of the Penske Parts site.
When it came apart the bits that screw together compressing one of the springs was separated? I screwed it back, after fitting the new seals. But it make me think maybe that had been the problem?
So I got it all back together, bled the brakes. Had a very soft petal, with loads of travel, but could pump them up. So bled again and got lots of air out. Hooray!! Good pedal now. Took It for a drive, and guess what......it's doing w
Exactly the same thing!!?? The pedal is staying down and brakes sticking on.
So I thought "it must be the servo", so disconnected the vacuum pipe from the manifold the blocked it with a sump bolt! Took it round the block and its still doing it!
I'm really confessed now, what else could it be? The rear wheel cylinders are new, the front calliper s have new seals, and now the servo has new seals.

Help! Oh I'll post pics when I cane get my stupid laptop to work!

[nas80]

take the pads out and see if you can push the caliper piston in easily, maybe you have a stuck caliper?

[mr edd]

I had the same problem a few years ago while going through the blackpool lights where the brakes stuck on but could be released by lifting the pedal with my toe....turned out to be the pivots on the remote linkege to the master cylinder ..easy way to tell is to loosen the bolt that go,s through the pivot by a full turn and if the brakes release ok then take the sleeves out that the bolts go through to the pivots on the levers/arms clean with wet and dry and grease with copper grease before putting the whole lot back together .favorite is the one just behind the head light as it is most likely to catch the weather....sorted my car this way and it never did it again...edd

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=34&fg=25

items 15 and 16 on diagram

[max]

Thanks guys, ill try both those!
Got to be honest, the car is doing my head in! I was close to growing the towel in the other day, and selling it! But I'm going to plod on.

[nas80]

Never give in. I was going to suggest the linkage but then I thought how would he have pumped the brakes to bleed them? Maybe the big return spring has gone on the pedal? Good sugges tion to lubricate and not over tighten the joints.

[e21-Mark]

I'm also pretty sure it'll be that bloody linkage. (I'm sure there's another recent brake thread with the same problem?) I had the exact same on my e12, which had also had a full brake overhaul. Being auto, it was easy to tap the pedal with your left foot, but because my Mrs was going to use it I hooked a bungy strap around the pedal and up over the steering column as a temporary return spring. I took it off a few days later and the problem had cured itself. I guess being forced back each time had got rid of the corrosion / dirt in the linkage pivot points? Either way, it's sorted now. I seem to recall there being some plastic or nylon bushes, that can break down with age?

[max]

I used an Easybleed so didn't pump the pedal!

[Jeroen]

OK well let us know if the above suggestions, including inspection/lubing the linkage, were useful!