Soft brakes that go to the floor

My 73 has power brakes and the pedal goes all the way to the floor. It seems to stop OK but it is difficult to "skid" the tires. I replaced a leaking right front rotor and bled all four wheels (front and back) thoroughly. I also did it three times but have still not brought the pedal travel up from the floor. Note that I bled the brakes with the car running so the power assist was working. Note that all the brake shoes are in virtually new condition-no wear. My repair manual outlines a procedure to check the power brakes the booster seems to be fine. What's up with these brakes???

Did you bleed the brakes in the proper order? Make sure you start at the furthest wheel, RR, LR, RF, LF. If your brakes are mushy there is air somewhere. If you have a hard time getting it out manually, buy a vacuum pump for about 20$, quick, easy, and a one man job! Good luck to you.

I agree with you. C3's brakes work fine when they are bled correctly but are a real pain when they aren't. I changed my pads once and didn't know there were 2 bleeders on the rears. I finally found them after screwing around for the whole weekend. I have used the Mighty-Vac from Autozone and it worked great. I also have used a power bleeder and really like it.
Good luck

|UPDATED|1/27/2004 4:55:21 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

I had a problem with my brakes, I replaced the master cylinder and there was a small piece of dirt on the fitting, so it felt tight but wasn't. I later went and really tightened the fitting and heard a small crushing noise.
It was dirt inside the fitting. This only occurred when the car set a few days (enough time for air to get into the system).

Mickey,my 73 had a low and spongy pedal also.I found a leaky rear caliper,I replaced that, had a hard pedal but was still very low.I then adjusted the brake pedal rod under the dash,going from the brake pedal to the master cylinder.take a 9/16th wrench loosen the locknut turn the rod to make it longer about a 1/4in at a time.This will give you a full pedal.
Dave

Just one caution. If you adjust the pedal rod, make sure you don't go too far and stop the master cylinder from returning all of the way. That will also cause braking problems.

Ken Styer

Thanks for all your help TOO> I have the same problem. Bleed brakes several times, checked calibers, etc. Now I need to what till the weather gets better to fix my brakes as well. Good info guys.