Brake help 73 vw

reilly · #1 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 04:52 PM

I have a 1973 beetle I just got it and now the brake pedal go’s to the floor and it leaks brake fluid. I have worked on lots of muscle cars but never a bug so I slid under to take a look. Both the front and back of the bug are wet with brake fluid but the lines all look fine. The tunnel part where the shift linkage go’s is all wet. The only thing I can come up with is that the master cylinder is leaking internally where it bolts to the tunnel and it is running down to the tunnel where the brake fluid can run to the back or the front of the car and why i have lost my pedal.Dose this happen or is there something that Iam missing any help would be grate.
Thank you for your time
(sorry for my spelling)

derf · #2 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 05:57 PM

Welcome
If I understand you correctly you have brake fluid leaking at the front and back of tunnel

If that is the case, yes the MC leaking will go into the tunnel and leak out at either end

Have you pulled any drums to look at the wheel cylinders?
What I would do iffin it were mine is replace MC,WC, flex hoses and shoes.
If you can do this yourself it is not that costly and is worth it for the piece of mind. Just a little FYI the rear axle nut is torqued to about 250#

and needs to that much or you will strip out the splines in the drum if less.
But you can just put in the MC for now and bleed them but usually other leaks will show up.

reilly · #3 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 06:39 PM

Thank you so much thats what i needed to know, I know i need to do all the brakes but was thinking of doing a front and rear disk brake set up. Parts for my car are so cheap I feel it would be money well spent ........any input?

reilly · #4 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 06:57 PM

o and my last question is to remove the MC is it just two bolts on the out side by the wheel or do you have to go at it from the inside too .

derf · #5 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 07:49 PM

Yes parts are cheap for these cars especially if you have been into muscles

The disc brakes have really come down in price the past few years

Is yours a super or standard beetle? a super has struts in the front and the spare sits flat, a standard has an H beam front end and the spare sits upright. Makes a difference when ordering some parts.

Normally the MC is attached by thru bolts from the inside that thread into the MC. Just be careful as there is a spacer between the two firewalls that the bolts go thru.Don't pull the bolts all the way out