brake pedal

[ruddyboys]

When I depress the brake pedal it doesnt come back up, I need to rebuild the master cylinder and put in new hoses. Could it be the master cylinder or the brake pedal spring holding the pedal down.

[JWest]

Could be the bushings in the pedal assembly - they tend to swell when brake fluid gets on them and rust in the area does not help. Sounds like time for you to rebuild the pedal assembly - you can use bronze bushings from Pelican if you like.

[ruddyboys]

Thanks, just wanted to make certain before I order the rebuild kit (save on shipping).

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Could also be the master cylinder itself. But if the M/C is bad, then there is a decent chance that brake fluid spilled on the plastic bushings in the pedal cluster, making them swell up.

BTW, if the M/C has gone bad, there is at least a half-decent chance that the brake calipers need rebuilding as well.

--DD

[JWest]

Could also be the master cylinder itself

Only indirectly, though. If the master cylinder is sticking, the pedal spring will still pull the pedal back, then the pushrod may fall out of the master cylinder. There is no mechanism for the master cylinder to pull on the pedal - it is a compression only interface.

As Dave said - the master cylinder could still be the culprit by leaking and ruining the bushings, though.

[Loan Dog]

Very unlikely that the master cylinder CAUSING the pedal to stick. The plastic bushings wear out from age and OCCATIONALLY leak brake fluid. More often than not, old age just poops 'em out. A pedal cluster rebuild is definately in order. Get the bronze bushing kit from Pelican. It's a pretty simple job, and follow the diagram on page 72 of your Haynes manual. Since you'll have to disconnect the master cylinder anyways to remove the pedal cluster you'll be able to easily inspect it for leaks. Pelican Parts also has a good tech article on the cluster rebuild. Good luck.
Don