Pug 205 brakes...

[grifterkid]

I have just bought what I consider to be a really very nice Peugeot 205 (thread to be started soon) to bumble around in but it has a slight problem!

The brakes seem to be a little lacking in power! They do work but only at the end of the pedal travel when they bite down and do their job quite effectively...

Do any of you know what the problem could be or where I should look...?!

And, before you ask, there is brake fluid in the reservoir...!!!

Thanks to you all in advance...

[mk2cossie]

Either the rear drums are out of adjustment or seized, or there's an air lock in the system somewhere

[ChasR]

IMHO it will be down to one of the following:

-The rear brakes are out of adjustment (I don't think the shoes are adjustable on them, I think they auto adjust off the cylinders)
-Rear cylinder(s) has a leak
-Master cylinder is shot.

If you pump the pedal does the pedal biting point shift up?

[820]

As above sounds about right but you can narrow it down, pull the handbrake up a few clicks and see if the pedal improves, if it does then the shoes need adjustment, if it doesnt then you could have air in the system most likely from a leak somewhere.
With the automatic adjusters they can get stuck, try pulling the handbrake up hard and pump the pedal with it on this can get them to move a click or two and improve the pedal but best to take the drums off, inspect it all and give it a clean and manually adjust them.

How is the Triumph?

[ChasR]

One more thing I forgot to say. It is probably best to torque the rear drum bolts down with a torque wrench, they are used to secure the wheel bearing on at quite a high torque.

[grifterkid]

Sept 27, 2015 17:13:19 GMT ChasR said:

If you pump the pedal does the pedal biting point shift up?

It does seem to give things a bit more 'bite' but not much...

I will test more when I get the little French rollerskate home!

Thanks for all your help and advice so far folks.

[ChasR]

I would say it almost certainly air in the system, caused by either a duff brake pipe, or more likely an iffy brake slave cylinder or master cylinder.

[grifterkid]

Sorry to bring this up but I still have a slight brake problem...

The brakes seem to be fully functioning brakes at one moment then poorly functioning brakes the next.

Due to this I'm not using the car so I wondered what the problem could be?!

It seems strange that the brakes are good one moment then curse word the next!

Brake fluid seems to be being used pretty quickly and whether the reservoir is full or nearly empty makes no difference to the effectiveness of the brakes...

This is ruddy annoying to say the very least as I love buzzing around in this little gem!

[omega]

i would look at the rear drums as I bet a rear wheel cylinder is leaking

[colnerov]

Hi, It could also possibly be the master cylinder, if the fluid leak is not obvious it could be leaking into the servo.

Colin

[Deleted]

Id pop the rear drums off and have a look, My ex girlfriends saxo was pretty curse word in the brakes department. All turned out to to be shoes at the max travel. and in turn they had been like that a while and the cylinders were seized.

New shoes and cylinders and it was supprisingly good.

[ChasR]

If you are losing fluid and there are no obvious leaks it will most likely be a master cylinder or wheel cylinder leak.

[stonyray]

does the pedal descend all the way to the floor? especially when braking gently but a few sharp pumps gets it stiff?

if so Master cylinder (mine just went)

if the pedal descends all the way to the floor and wont stop even with pumping you have a leak. and you will obviously be loosing fluid.

if you can gain back some feel by pulling the hand brake on a few notches (don't go wild) its the rear shoes out of adjustment.

if it's the old classic 'air in the system' sorted by giving the breaks a good bleed through you need to ask yourself where has that air come from? indicating you have a leak. The only way its air in the system is if someone has replaced an hydraulic component and not bled properly, or you have a leak thats allowed air to enter the system.

[stonyray]

Feb 27, 2016 16:41:32 GMT grifterkid said:

The brakes seem to be fully functioning brakes at one moment then poorly functioning brakes the next.

Just read this properly. Master Cylinder! almost 100% mine did the same, I was cruising to a stop from 50mph and very gently pressed the brake and it sailed all the way to the floor. I pooed my self started wildly stabbing at it and it went hard and worked. For the next 2 days while I waited for the master cyl to arrive I had to do short stabbing motions at the pedal to get it to stop.

[JoshO]

My old 106 did the same and it happened to be the rear wheel cylinders, pedal went to the floor but a couple sharp pumps and they worked fine.

Could also use it as a chance to upgrade the brakes as well, the 106 gti brakes will fit your car and they stop very nicely.