This is for every person out there who has ever bleed and bleed there brake system only to continue to have pedal stiffness issues. You are not crazy! Master Cylinders are often junk out of the box! I am by no means a master mechanic or slant expert.

But for various reasons I have changed master cylinders often, and on this car I have had for 7 years, I have had to change the master cylinder more times then I can remember. Heres why.

First time I changed the M/C, it was for no good reason. I was just replacing everything on the car. I went and bought a re-manufactured/rebuilt M/C. I ended up switching that M/C 4 times before I gave up and paid the extra for a New M/C. Problem solved.

Well, I decided to upgrade to a 74 disc brake set up. But I had learned my lesson! Only New M/Cs for me! Bench bleeding the first M/C I could never get it to quit producing big air bubbles. So I returned for another new M/C, this time it bench bleeds well, but it continuously leaked fluid. So I returned again. This time everything was good until 4 months passed and I found out my front pads were completely gone. I change pads with a different brand, and the M/C starts fading, I had to pump the brakes occasionally to have a stiff pedal, and brakes wore out again quickly.

So, I decide to change to a 2 bolt M/C from a 85 Diplomat. Guess what? The first "New" M/C I bring home is defective! Again! I refused to believe it at first and tried to fix everything else in the system before I threw in the towel and returned it last night. Problem solved.

So moral of the long story is that just because you have a "new" part, don't assume that it is not defective. I often see people on here complaining of brake performance after replacing a few components, assume the worst and return the parts!

Tim

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My Swinger gets the Highlight Valet Parking spot over the German sports cars on the Sunset Strip. I love my Mopar.

You are 100% right (especially) when the parts are after market... That being said I have a very good friend who just retired from over 40 +yrs. as a mopar dealer machanic and he has been a consemate advocate of "if you think the part is bad try another" to the point where the entire Mopar chain knew his name all the way to Detroit!!! He made a very good living beating the flat rat to death because he knew that the factory part was not always right!!

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1977 Volare wagon auto Air,1977Volare wagon 4spd OD, 1985 short bed D100,4spd.OD

I bought a new M/C for the Hpak duster 6 years back, installed it and it wasn't bleeding right...after some deduction I replaced the cap with one off a known OEM M/C and it suddenly worked up to spec....sheesh...can't wait until I have to do brakes again.



-D.Idiot

Unless I need to change the diameter of the M/C bore or the bore is too far gone to clean up I rebuild them myself. It's cheaper and no one is more safety conscious about my brakes than me. It's not hard to do either.

I'm going through that now. New M/C, checked all the wheel cylinders, all seem good. No leaks. Blead them 2 x's each and still have the pedal almost to the floor. I was hoping for an air leak in the lines but I can't find anything. Anything I might be missing/ '71 Valiant with manual brakes, all original durms.? If I can't get it this weekend I guess I'll have to try another trip through the "zone" and not wait past the 60 days to return it.

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If it ain't broke, you didn't have fun playin' with it.

'74 Duster
'74 Valiant