I have done numerous upgrades to my brakes (better fluid, 4 pots, 2 pots, MCB, single stage brake booster, bigger MC) and nothing has gotten rid of the long pedal travel before engaging the brakes. So a few people recommended moving the unscrewing the fork that is connected to the brake pedal. What this does is move the pin that pushes the plunger on the MC a little closer so there is less free play between the pin and the plunger. I was on my last straw with the brakes if this didnt work I wouldnt do anything else.
This is the way I did it so I wouldnt have to unbolt the brake booster or re-bleed the brakes (both PITAs):
Finally my brakes feel as sporty as the rest of my car. It sucks I didnt adjust them before I did all the brake upgrades because I never truly appreciated them because they still felt terrible. This was easily the most rewarding hour I have ever spent working on my car.
Just thought I would spread the word.
This is the way I did it so I wouldnt have to unbolt the brake booster or re-bleed the brakes (both PITAs):
- Unbolt the MC from the brake booster (you shouldnt have to unscrew the brake lines and re-bleed the brakes).
- Get someone to press the so the pin sticks as far out of the MC as possible. Then I put a kind of thick rubber glove around the pin so as not to damage it and clamped a vice grip to it. I used a wire loom to hold the vice grip so it wouldnt move when the person let off of the brakes.
- Remove the lower dash trim piece so you have room to work.
- Now would be a good time to loosen the lock nut behind the fork. It shouldnt be that difficult with a 14mm open end wrench.
- Disconnect the pivot pin holding the fork to the brake pedal. To do this you must remove a cotter pin and then then squeeze the white nylon barbed end and pull it through.
- Remove the brake light switch which also acts like a stop for the brake pedal. It is connected to a bracket with two nuts on each side (both 14mm). This will let the pedal go up father so you can get the fork off of the brake pedal and rotate it.
- Slip the rod with the fork off of brake pedal and unscrew it. The more you unscrew the sooner the brakes will engage but remember that the fork is father up the brake lever then the pedal part, so a 1/4" more unscrewed might mean the brakes engage 3/4" sooner.
- You may want to test how the brakes feel before you put everything back on so I slipped the fork back on the brake pedal and put in a bolt though the hole the pivot pin was because its kind of a pain to get in and out. I put the brake light switch back on in roughly the same position as it was before. Then removed the vice grip, reinstalled the MC, turned the car on to see how it felt. Also make sure that there is enough pedal travel for the brake lights to come on before the brakes engage.
- If you like the how much travel there is before the brake engages. Insert the pivot pin and cotter pin and put the dash back together.
Finally my brakes feel as sporty as the rest of my car. It sucks I didnt adjust them before I did all the brake upgrades because I never truly appreciated them because they still felt terrible. This was easily the most rewarding hour I have ever spent working on my car.
Just thought I would spread the word.