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Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:42 am

I have had 2 master cyl installed on my car for the last 2 weeks and still have no brakes. My mechanic told me that the supplier told him that there is 1 more MS in the US for my car and is in Tennessee. I've ordered that one.

Has anyone experienced this type of problem and what is/was the solution?

Thank you,

Nick

matt · Post by **matt** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 5:41 pm

Geez Nick i think by the time you get MC # 3 something else is the problem???

Maybe method of bleeding the brakes not correct? (Of course this will be difficult to ask you're mechanic without offending him

)

Did he say why the other 2 MC's are faulty? where they second hand or reconditioned or NEW ? Did they leak? Was any brake pedal firmness achieved?

There's number of different ways to bleed the brakes. The info here on how to bleed the brakes using pressure from the spare tyre worked well for me.........check it out

The odds of 3 bad master cylinders in a row too unlikely i reckon, something else at fault here

Sometimes its hard to get the last bit of air out of the system, i've had this, bled the brakes for long time & still not happy with pedal. Drove the car 1 day (i Don't recommend this) and then bled the brakes again got last bit of air out, pedal feels like new.

The first GTV i had in'94 i had rear caliper replaced and when i picked up the car the pedal feel was crap, they made excuses blah blah. The pedal feel improved slightly over the week(maybe some air can work its way up into resovior + out??) but it still wasn't perfect

I would have great concern as a buisness owner handing a car to a customer having just worked on the brakes and they're not 100%

When MC 3 arrives do the pressure bleed method and in the mean time find out why MC 1 and 2 faulty.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:19 pm

Thank you for the reply.

When I got the car back the pedals felt OK, at the beginning.
However, after repeated brake application, the pedals started to become somewhat mushy. I then kept driving and applying the brakes more often and after 10 minutes I basically had no brakes at all, even after repeated "pedal pumping". The mechanic replaced the MC a second time and after repeated braking he also experienced the same results I did. He kept the car and ordered a 3rd one. I will keep you updated on what happens when the 3rd MC arrives and is installed.
The MC are all new by the way and so far I have only paid for the original service/part.

Thank you for the photo, I will show it to the mechanic.

Nick

matt · Post by **matt** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:34 pm

Thats interesting, good thing you only paying for one!

Doesn't sound like anything to do with bleeding the brakes then !

if you're starting with good brake pressure........Air is getting in somewhere later.......if its not pulling left or right when braking maybe a leak somewhere to the rear calipers?

keep us posted

shures · Post by **shures** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:15 pm

Losing the pedal after the brakes heat up sounds like the fluid is old and has taken on moisture. A professional mechanic should be using new, right out of a just opened bottle, fluid. He should also have a preferred method of bleeding the brakes that he is comfortable with.

I can't imagine a scenario where the brakes start off OK and then end up going away and that does not involve moisture. Does he know Alfas? There are two bleed screws on each rear caliper, something that is not unusual.

Could a caliper be seized and overheating?

Do you need a steer to an Alfa mechanic? This part of the car is quite straight forward.

dcefali · Post by **dcefali** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:52 am

You might try replacing the proportioning valve next to the MC. Mine was seeping fluid, and giving me lower braking pressure in the front calipers. Brakes have been much better since then. Larry at APE told me when he is taking the late gtv6s and milanos apart they are always failed.

constantinemacris · Post by **constantinemacris** » Wed May 03, 2006 5:51 pm

I am having some brake issues. I have a 1985 GTV6 and just put some "performance pads" on the front and rear. I took the car out and didn't bleed the bakes well enough. Did this whole process about 3 tiems but they where never as good as they where before i replaced the pads... So this is what it feels like. I start the car up and the brakes sometimes have a "power feel" with pretty good braking action. After a first pump the vacuum is broken and the power is lost. So untill i really rev the engine up to get some mad vacuum it will not have power brakes. I checked for vacuum leaks and everything looks ok, new silicone lines and everything. Is there a vacuum check valve that would be gone? If so why would i have the vacuum assist as startup. So that makes me think there may be some obstruction with brake booster or in the master cylinder or something... It is really weird. Before i messed with it brakeing was like pulling my eyes out of my head... I just want that back...
PS i had done brake work on that car before and it had gone well, no issues like this with bleeding or anything.

Any help would be GREAT
Thanks so much.
Dean

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Wed May 03, 2006 8:43 pm

softer pads? i was so used to my carbotech xp10 that when i changed back to ferodo pads i was like, "whoa, where did the brakes go!?"
vittorio
if thats not the case... maybe you do have a mc that is letting fluid pressure seap out.

constantinemacris · Post by **constantinemacris** » Thu May 04, 2006 4:33 am

Sport Tuner,
I am also in NY at Kings Point. Do you know of any good alfa shops around? I havn't had much luck.
Thanks
Dean

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:29 am

i was just driving through ridgewood and i saw this huge alfa place:
[/url]www.alfaimport center.com[url]
at first i was like alfa-- wtf. then i checked it out... pretty cool. and guiseppe (the younger one) seems like a passionate, yet not quirky or pushy, alfa mechanic.
v

GTV625ZA · Post by **GTV625ZA** » Mon May 08, 2006 9:33 am

I too have brake problems, I was driving down the highway to my house when I applied the brakes the were very shallow, concerned I stop at a gas station to see if the level of fluid wasnt to low, but it was O.K. I proceded to my house the brakes stayed very shallow but they were there. When I started my car the next mornig I haded brakes, but fell to the same shallow position, and they dont fade away just go sudenly shallow and stay there until the next startup.

GTV625ZA · Post by **GTV625ZA** » Mon May 08, 2006 9:35 am

I think i found the problem, the brake system to shady. The brake hoses look a bit badand am going to replace them, set the rear cal.s and replace the fluid whilst I bleed the system is there anything I should keep in mind or inspect while Im busywith the brakes?

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Mon May 08, 2006 9:53 am

[quote="constantinemacris"]I am having some brake issues. I have a 1985 GTV6 and just put some "performance pads" on the front and rear. I took the car out and didn't bleed the bakes well enough. Did this whole process about 3 tiems but they where never as good as they where before i replaced the pads... So this is what it feels like. I start the car up and the brakes sometimes have a "power feel" with pretty good braking action. After a first pump the vacuum is broken and the power is lost. So untill i really rev the engine up to get some mad vacuum it will not have power brakes. I checked for vacuum leaks and everything looks ok, new silicone lines and everything. Is there a vacuum check valve that would be gone? If so why would i have the vacuum assist as startup. So that makes me think there may be some obstruction with brake booster or in the master cylinder or something... It is really weird. Before i messed with it brakeing was like pulling my eyes out of my head... I just want that back...
PS i had done brake work on that car before and it had gone well, no issues like this with bleeding or anything.

Dean,check out the rubber "O" ring between the master and booster...it may have been nicked when you replaced the master..

ALFAGTV6.COM

'86 GTV6 master cylinder

Hi Matt

Brakes???

Not so sure

Re: Brakes???