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[T3] UPDATE: Rebuilt Brakes Pulling to One Side


OK, I took off the RF wheel and found that all brake springs were intact.
Puzzled, I used a broom stick to push on the brake pedal while I watched
the brake shoes move.  Indeed, the shoe with the bleeder valve (furthest
from the Master Cylinder) moved more than the other.  I then swapped the
brake shoes and springs and again pressed the brake pedal.  Sure enough,
now the OTHER shoe moved more than the other.  The more movement followed
one of the springs.  My conclusion?  One of the two main brake springs is
weaker than the other.  

I took off the springs, hooked them together and scientifically pulled them
with my grubby hands to see if one stretched more than the other.  I wasn't
able to notice it.  However, one spring looks to be a little more rusted
than the other.  Maybe that is the weaker spring.

PROBLEM:  Probably the only four early T3 front brake springs in all of
Croatia are those currently mounted on my car.  Looks like I will have to
remount the old springs and drive carefully to the T3 Rally in northern
Germany (about 20 hours drive) where I will be able to find some t3 parts.
I would ask you guys for some, but since I am leaving next week, there is
no way to get them in time.


Why didn't I notice this before?  I think because this is the first time
that the front brakes worked as they should.  Since I used sandpaper to
take off the little glaze there was on the brake shoes and drums, it took
about a week for the shoes to settle into place.  Once settled, the brake
spring difference made it-~µ7arent.  Does that theory hold water?

Thanks all for your help.

Take care,

John
Zagreb, Croatia

At 08:24 PM 6/29/99 -0600, you wrote:
>On 29 Jun 99, at 6:08, John M. Kowalski wrote:
>
>> Actually, the brakes worked fine for a week or so -- the best they ever
>> worked.  Then this past Saturday morning, I pulled out the Variant and
>> noticed that the car started jerking to the right when I applied the
>> brakes.  Now, when I coast down our long, steep driveway and apply the
>> brakes, the right front wheel seems to want to lock up.  It never did that
>> before and hardly seems that that is the way the brakes should be.  That is
>> why I feel that there is something wrong with the right wheel rather than
>> the left.
>
>I agree with you. With any luck at all it will all be obvious once 
>you open up the RF wheel and take a look. I'm leaning toward a spring 
>fallen off, myself.
>
>Jim


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