brakes locked up??

[73-charger-383]

i got my driveline in, everything running great, but when i put it in gear, it seems like its taking WAY too much power to move.  It seems a little worse in reverse than in drive.........my question is, could my brakes be locked up??  how can i tell/ what do i do???  i know nothing about brakes, so you'll have to walk me through it.
 
if i have my brake booster hooked up to too much vaccum, could that cause it??  thanks guys

[mikepmcs]

first, are you sure it's the brakes.  jack it up and see if all your wheels spin freely.  maybe you have a tranny problem?
just a though to get this thread going.
v/r
Mike

[73-charger-383]

i jacked up the front end, and i can BARELY turn the front drivers side tire.  I'm talking about using both arms and all 145 lbs of pollack.  The car is a 73, the fronts have disc brakes, thanks

[73-charger-383]

bump........

anyone??

[terrible one]

That sounds like a brake problem to me then, unless you went crazy on tightening when you installed the bearings. But even then I don't think that it would take that much force to turn the wheel.

[73-charger-383]

would i be best off just replacing the calipers?? or can a person free them up somehow?

[Nacho-RT74]

I was dealing EXACTLY with that on a Buick Regal from a friend of mine last week and GUESS WHAT ? the problem was a clogged caliper hose. Some dust was acting like somekind of valve, let it go the brake fluid to caliper but keeping the presure on line hose up to caliper

[is_it_EVER_done?]

How long has the car sat before you tried to drive it?

Did the brakes work well before?

Have you driven the car a couple of miles with the brakes tight, if so did they loosen up any?

Have you checked the brake fluid level to make sure it is not filled to the very top?

Does the brake fluid look like "brake fluid" or is it rusty looking and/or thick (resembling motor oil)?

Answers to these questions will help allot in diagnosis. I wouldn't replace anything till you know what's causing it. It could be as simple as surface rust from sitting a long time, to rusted pistons, etc.

[73-charger-383]

the last time the car has been driven was 1995, and then only for about 25 miles. As far as i remember the brakes were fine then.  The brake fluid level is normal, but it is a little bit rusty colored.  I've only drove it back and forth about 6 feet at a time right now, i didn't know if i should drive it any further.................

thanks for the help

[bluesfool]

My '71 would do that with the back brakes, although they were drums. I had to replace both cylinders to correct it. You probably just have the same type of problem, which is they're old and there is probably all kinds of dust/rust in the calipers. I would drain the lines and replace the fluid at a minimum; and you could try to clean the calipers the best you can (scrub the outside of the piston and maybe lubricate them with a spray cleaner/rust remover) although I don't know how much good that will do...worth a shot. Take a look at your lines and make sure they're still in good shape. Once you get new fluid in, make sure you keep bleeding the line and forcing the fluid thru until it comes out clean; it might take a little while if your lines have a bunch of crud in them.

[resq302]

If I remember right, the 73 calipers are fairly cheap, say around $35 each.  Might be cheap insurance to replace the calipers and rubber lines to prevent any failure down the road if not already.

[is_it_EVER_done?]

11 years is a long time to sit and I would expect that all the brake parts have rust in them which is causing your problems. The best remedy would be to replace all the hydraulic parts (front calipers/hoses, rear wheel cylinders, rubber hose from body to rear end, and the M/C). This would run you about $200.00.

Of course you want to flush out all your brake lines thoroughly with fresh brake fluid before putting it back together. I use a child's dosing syringe available at any drug store. These hold 10CC's of fluid, and fit nicely in the brake line openings that attach to the M/C. Make sure you have removed the brake pads/shoes prior to flushing the steel lines.

Once you have flushed out the steel lines a few times with the syringe, spray off any brake fluid from the rotors, backing plates, parts, etc., with a can of brake clean. Install the new parts, bleed the system, and you should be good to go for many years.

If you had the experience and tools, you could rebuild the parts, but overall you won't really save that much money, and you will be on the road quicker, and much safer, just buying the rebuilt and new parts.

[73-charger-383]

got er........i took the calipers off, and vised the pistons "shut".......reinstalled them and they work great.......thanks

[Steve P.]

As (IS-IT-EVER-DONE) said, 11 years is a long time for it to sit. Doing just what he said is VERY cheap insurance. I would rather spend a few hundred bucks on all new brake parts than even think about having a wreck!!