Author Topic: spongy brakes  (Read 2783 times)

Offline 83Bulik

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spongy brakes
« on: September 24, 2018, 04:29:18 PM »
I have an 83 C10 and whenever i bleed the brakes they feel stiff up until i start the truck up. I think it might be my vacuum booster but im not completely sure. Any ideas or suggestions?

Offline VileZambonie

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Re: spongy brakes
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2018, 06:06:59 PM »
That's how it works. The booster is aiding in reducing the effort needed. Spongy brakes means, the pedal sinks due to compressing air trapped in the fluid lines.
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Offline 83Bulik

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Re: spongy brakes
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2018, 08:29:57 PM »
So u think that i should just continue to bleed them? Thank u very much!

Offline Irish_Alley

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Re: spongy brakes
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2018, 09:49:23 PM »
if you have spongy brakes all the time then yes bleed them, if you have brakes that go to the floor with or without the vacuum booster then you have air in them. if your brakes do sink to the floor have have resistance once the truck is started they might be working fine. these trucks dont really feel like a 90s+ truck with their brakes but once you get the feeling you will never forget how the brakes feel.

http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=33548.0
theres a "trouble shooting" section on that page take a look
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Offline Ronno6

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Re: spongy brakes
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2018, 05:09:38 PM »
I had tried several ways to bleed the brakes on my '84 C10 and was not satisfied with pedal firmness.
Then I used the gravity-bleed method and achieved the feel I was looking for.

YMMV
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Offline roundhouse

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Re: spongy brakes
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2018, 07:07:17 AM »
I had tried several ways to bleed the brakes on my '84 C10 and was not satisfied with pedal firmness.
Then I used the gravity-bleed method and achieved the feel I was looking for.

YMMV
I always did the gravity bleed because I was lazy or didn’t have a victim to pump the pedal

Seems to work pretty well

Offline Irish_Alley

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Re: spongy brakes
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2018, 07:23:22 AM »
ive always gravity bleed mine also, i think for the same reason as you lol. my friend on the other hand seamed like he preferred to have someone pump them or he got one of those brake pumps that pushed the fluid up (which didnt work too well). but most the times when he had issues i would suggest to use gravity and im sure 9 out of 10 times it worked
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When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth ~Sherlock Holmes