Brake pedal travel

[DMT]

Morning Folks

Just rummaging under the dash, (fitting new speedo cable) and noticed the brake pedal free travel (as my head hit it). The pedal moves about 10mm before the master cylinder rod hits resistance!! Is this normal?

The master cylinder is new as is the Servo. No loss of fluid. The brakes work OK with a hard pedal.

Dave

[DJT]

Check for a worn or undersized clevis pin and/or wear in the pedal pivot shaft bushes.

[jbuckl]

Servo pin adjustment?

[mole42]

On my car it was both a sloppy clevis pin and the servo rod adjustment

[DMT]

Thanks Guy's.

I have a tiny bit of movement in the clevis pin. I can see the rod going into the servo move in about 5mm before hitting resistance.

Does that mean master cylinder out to adjust?

Dave.

[Phil S]

Give a .010-.015" gap

[flying farmer]

My Mk2 with the original master cylinder has virtually no free travel.

My Mk1 has a TRW (I think) master cylinder as it was cheaper. The pedal moves an inch or so before anything happens. Its not the servo push rod adjustment as that is wound as tight as I can get it. I suspect it might be an annoying design feature

[Lingen]

I think you are right about the design feature. I spent ages (unsuccessfully) trying to reduce the pedal travel on a new cylinder I had helped to fit to a friend's Stag, and eventually found the cause.
I noticed that every time the pedal was pushed, there was a "Squirt" of brake fluid back in to the reservoir before the pressure built up. This had to be because the primary seal was too far from the feed into the cylinder from the reservoir in its fully released position. Either the drilling was in the wrong place, or the piston was travelling too far back in the cylinder before the circlip stopped it. Clearly it could never provide a satisfactory "Pedal" so it was returned to the supplier and we fitted a re-sleeved original cylinder which immediately cured the problem.
Mike.

[DZP]

Hi Mike,
I am sure I saw the same behaviour when I fitted my new Master Cylinder.
I need to check that.
Thanks,
Den

[DMT]

I take it the only adjustment is from the master cylinder side.

[jbuckl]

I take it the only adjustment is from the master cylinder side.

Pedal to servo/ servo to cylinder.

Anyway, mikes experience & others shows that a resleeved & rebuilt master cylinder is most likley the best solution.