Ineffective feeling brakes

[Lemon98]

Hellloo

Ever since I bought the car around 3 months ago there's always been a lot of travel in the brake pedal before anything happens and even pressing hard it doesn't feel like they were doing much.

I have since replaced:

- bled the system and replaced the fluid (have also bled multiple times, after doing the rears and after I put the pads in, and another time at least to try and resolve the long pedal travel)
- rear drums, shoes and wheel cylinders (with new springs, from ebay though)
- front pads - went with tarox strada
- goodridge front brake lines
- rebuilt the front calipers with new pistons and seals

Did the rebuild and lines today and went for a short drive, pedal feel/travel isn't much improved and couldn't even lock the wheels when braking hard. Maybe I just need to give the pads longer to bed in or could this be a cause from a leaking seal or issue with the master/booster??? Have driven less than 15 miles or so since fitting.


Also I feel like I once saw a board that was about "what did you do on your e30 today" sorta thing, does this exist?

Anyway here's a picture of the finished article

IMG_20200423_153125.jpg

[BenHar]

You probably need to check the adjustment of the linkage from the pedal to the master cylinder.

It is a bit of a bodge by BMW for RHD.

Search the forum for Brian's posts on how to do it.

Ben

[Lemon98]

You probably need to check the adjustment of the linkage from the pedal to the master cylinder.

It is a bit of a bodge by BMW for RHD.

Search the forum for Brian's posts on how to do it.

Ben

Ahh okay thank you!! I had read about this elsewhere before so will look it up in the forum and see if either of my manuals mention how to do it.

[Brianmoooore]

There's also a possible problem with the handbrake. If the cables are adjusted too tight at the base of the handbrake lever in the cabin, it can prevent the automatic adjusters on the brake shoes from working, so that a lot of the travel of the brake pedal is used up in just moving the shoes out to the drum.

[Lemon98]

There's also a possible problem with the handbrake. If the cables are adjusted too tight at the base of the handbrake lever in the cabin, it can prevent the automatic adjusters on the brake shoes from working, so that a lot of the travel of the brake pedal is used up in just moving the shoes out to the drum.

Okay thanks Brian. I know that my cables definitely aren't all the way loose.

How much should I loosen off the nuts at the base of the handbrake? Pretty much all the way off their threads or until I can feel a difference in the tension/slack?

Also I've been looking through another brake related thread from 2019 and someone mentioned that it's normal to hear a hiss from behind the glovebox after you've switched the engine off but I get that hiss every time I apply the brakes with the engine running.... a bit of me definitely doesn't think that's right but I'm not sure.


With the rod that goes across the car from the master to the actual pedal, am I looking to simply adjust it better so there's less travel or look for wear and to replace parts because I'm not looking to spend anymore money on it just yet. Got my insurance running out in a month and being 21 it's kinda expensive

[martauto]

Also I've been looking through another brake related thread from 2019 and someone mentioned that it's normal to hear a hiss from behind the glovebox after you've switched the engine off but I get that hiss every time I apply the brakes with the engine running.... a bit of me definitely doesn't think that's right but I'm not sure.

I believe it`s normal, both of mine did/do this.

Mart.

[Brianmoooore]

Perfectly normal for a hiss to come from the brake servo, heard from behind the glovebox, when the brakes are used. Normally just about drowned out by the engine.
Brake cables should be adjusted to take up all the slack, but not so far as to put any tension in them. Won't hurt to back them off temporarily to allow the mech. to self adjust, if that's all or part of the problem.
No new parts are required for the pull rod. The leverage ratio, and the number of joints, magnifies the effect of even a minuscule amount of wear.
Adjust the rod so that the brake pedal rises to just short of how far you can lift it with light force.