Phyte Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 Ok those things make a big difference I've bleed the front and rear 3 times and the pedal still is a little too squishy. The brakes don't come on until the pedal is almost half way down. I would like the brakes to start coming on much sooner. Once they do come on it brakes very strong from 80mph down. Is there a way to adjust the MC so the brakes come on earlier in the pedal travel? Also it pulls _slightly_ to the left under hard braking. Whats the best way to get rid of the slight pull? Phyte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 The early Z brake pedal is adjustable. Just go under your dash headfirst and you can adjust the pedal height to have the brake engage when you want it to. If it's pulling and the brakes are all known to be good, then its alignment of some sort. With cars this old it is likely they've been in some sort of fender-bender along the way and it wouldn't be hard for something to be out of align other than just basic toe... Pretty much the only way to know if it's slight is to take it to an alignment shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 Also it pulls _slightly_ to the left under hard braking. Whats the best way to get rid of the slight pull?Phyte Sounds simple but first check the tire pressure. My exerience with pulling under braking hasn't been alignment, but tire pressure or a sticking caliper. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 OOk, good point. Start with the easy stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 You should also check your rotors to make sure they are of the same thickness. My brake guy told me it pulled one way for him & found the opposite side rotor was thinner., i.e. the thicker one brakes first/harder. Also, you might wanna check the M.C. to make sure the O-ring seals are good. I have to push mine twice to get a firm pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Zone Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Try keep bleeding, mine took forever to get the proper pedal feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 since it hasnt been asked yet ill do it, When you bled your brakes did you start at the wheel firthest away from the MC? If you havent try doing that to see if it will help. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyte Posted January 13, 2004 Author Share Posted January 13, 2004 I'm a little disheartened. Turns out I already warped the solid rotors again. Sigh.. will these S12 calipers work with any vented rotors? Phyte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyte Posted January 13, 2004 Author Share Posted January 13, 2004 Ok after some searching I'm really confused. I would like to bolt on the 84 300zx N/A front vented rotors, but I can't figure out if I need a spacer or not. I've got the S12 calipers for a 84 toyota. The car is an early 260 with the round style hubs. Thanks Phyte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 Ok after some searching I'm really confused. I would like to bolt on the 84 300zx N/A front vented rotors' date=' but I can't figure out if I need a spacer or not. I've got the S12 calipers for a 84 toyota. The car is an early 260 with the round style hubs. Thanks Phyte[/quote'] vented rotor wont work with the s12+8 calipers if you have them bolted to solid rotors. a spacer, vented rotor, and a caliper from a later toyota year is used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyte Posted January 13, 2004 Author Share Posted January 13, 2004 Ok after some searching I'm really confused. I would like to bolt on the 84 300zx N/A front vented rotors' date=' but I can't figure out if I need a spacer or not. I've got the S12 calipers for a 84 toyota. The car is an early 260 with the round style hubs. Thanks Phyte[/quote'] vented rotor wont work with the s12+8 calipers if you have them bolted to solid rotors. a spacer, vented rotor, and a caliper from a later toyota year is used. Crap. So should I return these calipers to autozone and get vented setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 Phyte - one more question on the brakes. Did you install a new MC when you put the Toyota calipers on? If so the MC has to be very carefully charged with fluid before you install to get all the air out of it. If you are running the original MC it is probable you just need to bleed some more. I have the Toyota brakes on my car with the 280 MC (not the 280ZX MC) and they engage fairly quickly. My brakes also pulled left when I first got them. The pucks on that side were sticking. Comnpare the brake dust build-up on the wheels. Check the pad wear after about 2 months. I had to replace mine after about 6 months because the left side was gone. Work OK now. Finall "unstuck" I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyte Posted January 14, 2004 Author Share Posted January 14, 2004 Phyte - one more question on the brakes. Did you install a new MC when you put the Toyota calipers on? If so the MC has to be very carefully charged with fluid before you install to get all the air out of it. If you are running the original MC it is probable you just need to bleed some more. I have the Toyota brakes on my car with the 280 MC (not the 280ZX MC) and they engage fairly quickly. My brakes also pulled left when I first got them. The pucks on that side were sticking. Comnpare the brake dust build-up on the wheels. Check the pad wear after about 2 months. I had to replace mine after about 6 months because the left side was gone. Work OK now. Finall "unstuck" I guess. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I stripped one bolt out of the drivers side hub, and stripped a wheel stud and lug nut on the otherside. I guess I'm going to have to get new "stock" rotors, and another hub, and some press in studs. Kinda sucks I'm using the stock MC ya, so I'll bleed a couple more times once I get some more parts. Phyte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilRufusKay Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Phyte...yea try to return those cals and get the '88 toyota 4x4 4 Runner calipers. Then obviously 84 300 zx rotors. For a spacer I took my old rotors to a lathe and cut the top of the hat off. Then turned them down to the proper thickness (measure before hand). If a machine shop did the work it would be a minimal price because the hard work (ie stud holes) are already there. Finally for my setup I needed longer hub bolts. I also used 280z REAR studs for the front as the old ones were too short as well. Try THIS link for more info. Good Luck!! Rufus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobsZTwins Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 If you really want to do this right you need to get the calipers from an 88+ Toyota 4x4 pickup. They should be stamped with S12W not just S12 (the W is for "wide".) Rotors from a 1984 300ZX. It's the only 300 with 4 bolt hubs. the diameter needs to be cut down by 1/16" to clear the rotor. PowerStop makes some nice drilled ones. You need to have a 1/2" (240/260) or .315" (280) aluminum spacer made to fit between the hat and the rotor. Any good machine shop can handle that. Braided brake lines (front and back) will help eliminate the soft pedal you're feeling now. And you will definitely need an adjustable porportioning valve and adjust it full to the rear! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 FYI, I have some calipers from a 93+ toyota pickup, they are stamped S13 or S13W I can't recall. I mocked them up on a strut and they seem to be the same offset/bolt pattern as the earlier ones, but they are a bit nicer design IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyte Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 I just went and bought new rotors. That fixed it right up! The pedal feel is ever so slightly soft, but I think a set of SS brake lines are in order. I'll do that when I do the rear disc swap. I'm extremely happy with the braking power now! Phyte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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