ChristianJDavis1

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but I could not find anything online.

I have a 1954 98 sedan that less than a year ago I had the bendix treadle vac refurbished. The brakes work, but seem to need a lot of force to work well. If I slowly apply pressure to the pedal, it rolls to a stop over what I feel is a very long distance. If I stomp on the pedal, I will usually get a good response, but sometimes it still takes a while to stop. In some instances, I will depress the pedal then have to come off of it and press it again to stop.

What I am looking for is what I should be checking. I know the dipstick for the brake fluid is above the steering column under the hood, and I checked it and did notice fluid in it, but could not find anything as to just how high the fluid should register on the stick. This leads me to believe I may be low on fluid or possibly air in the system?

Another thought I had was maybe one or more of the wheel cylinders is going bad. Either that, or the drums. In all honesty, I do not know much about brakes.

I know this is a big, heavy car with drum brakes, and it will not stop on a dime, but I just feel I should ask before assuming I have a problem and throw more money at it. I have already had the brakes fail once, and I do not want that to happen again (in that case, however, the brakes felt "spongy," whereas now it just seems to take a while to stop).

Thank you in advance and I hope you can help diagnose my problem (if any).

Olds Scott

What condition are the brake shoes? Have you adjusted them since installing rebuilt Treadlevac ? Pull wheels to check for leaking wheel cylinders? Are the lines bled correctly? What is the condition of the vaccum tank and hoses? Is the vaccum valve to working correctly? Have you had your brake drums checked for wear? What is the condition of the rubber brake hoses?

ChristianJDavis1

I am not sure what condition the brake shoes are in. I have never had the wheels off to check, and I never thought to check until recently.

I myself have not adjusted them, and I am not sure the mechanic who installed the treadlvac did either.

I did not pull the wheels, but that is something I have since thought about doing.

I did not install the treadlvac, so I am unsure if the lines where bled correctly.

I am not sure of the vacuum tank or hoses. I do remember my mechanic cleaned out some of the vacuum lines and fixed some leaks. This was at the same time the treadlvac was installed and before I began doing my own work.

I do not know if the vacuum valve is working. Would you happen to know where it is located and how I could check that?

Having the drum brakes checked for wear is one of the first things I thought to do. I figured I would ask the forum first before I did that just in case. I will likely have them checked this week. Would you have a recommendation for a chain, or shoes I be looking for a mechanic or brake specialist? I would try and check them myself, but I am not exactly sure what I would be looking for.

All of the brake lines and hoses have been replaced. Shortly after the treadlvac installation, one of the hoses failed so my mechanic replaced them all.

Thank you for the reply and I apologize for my ignorance. I have just recently started working on my own car, so I am a little unsure of where to begin on some things.

oldcutlass

I agree with the above, start with pulling the wheels and drums and see how much brake show is left. The adjustment is very easy and minimal tools required.

Olds Scott

The check valve is on the top of the engine, has rubber hose connected to it that runs to Treadlevac.

redoldsman

There is a solenoid near the treadlevac that is actuated by the break light switch. You might check to see if it is working.

Tedd Thompson

Let your engine run for a minute or more to build up vacuum ,Turn off engine. You can now check the vacuum valve by removing the large hose coming off the booster tank (located next to the frame rail left hand side) you can't miss it it looks like a second muffler. There should be a fitting on this tank secured with a conventional hose clamp and when loosened there should be the sound of air sucking in to the tank. if no sucking sound valve, hose or tank is bad.That should eliminate about half of the potential problems. Let us know what you find..... Tedd

ChristianJDavis1

Thank you to all who have replied so far. I will be trying these over the weekend.

I do have one question, though. Where is the appropriate level on the brake fluid dipstick? The dipstick is a thick metal tube that screws on, and I can see brake fluid on it, but I am not sure where the "full" line is. If someone could enlighten me as to where the correct fluid level is, it would be a great help for future reference. I have checked online and could not find anything. Will check manuals later.

Thank you all again, and in advance if someone can answer my question regarding the dipstick.

redoldsman

I thought there was a mark on the dipstick. I think if you have fluid on the end of the dipstick you are probably ok. Most of the dipstick is actually in the tube above the reservoir which would not really need to have fluid in it anyway.

Tedd Thompson

If you have fluid 1/2 way up the stick you should be good to go. I believe it's mostly there so you will have a reference to tell if if you are loosing fluid or not..... Tedd