Plymouthy Adams Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 free play is a mechanical adjustment...backing off on the shoe adjustment will only change the interference fit of the shoe to drum...look for free play in your linkage adjustment, if there is no free play, shorten the adjustment rod a bit till you get the appropriate free play, again, do ensure that the master piston is returning fully to the rear....I have seen this in many cases where light would stay on and not allow brakes to also fully disengage as it prevents the full return of fluid to the reservoir...couple quick checks and the guess is gone, no wasting time or money on stuff you do not need... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38plymouth Posted August 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 I think the problem is solved, there was zero free play in the pedal and the only way to adjust it is to pull the floor boards. So, I pulled them this morning and made the adjustment and now it seems to work like should. Pretty silly to hide the master cylinder like they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desoto1939 Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 6 hours ago, 38plymouth said: I think the problem is solved, there was zero free play in the pedal and the only way to adjust it is to pull the floor boards. So, I pulled them this morning and made the adjustment and now it seems to work like should. Pretty silly to hide the master cylinder like they did. But they had this same MC setup from 1937-42 o i guess it was not to bad ad then they changes the MC style but it was still under floorboards. Rich Hartung Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Skinner Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 Rich, My 1948 has it under the driver's floor as well. It sounds like the same set up from 1937 - 1949, and maybe even later. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldSmith Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 My 47 DeSoto has an access opening in front of the front seat, for checking and filling the master cylinder. (When I got the car, the cover was missing, so I made a cover from a square electrical box cover, with two corners clipped). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 To be fair to most car makers up until the early 50's when the brake master cylinder started living on the firewall the reason it went on the chassis originally would have been that the chassis was the only rigid area that the master cylinder could be attached to.............certainly in the 30's when hydraulic systems became more popular they were following on from mechanical brake systems that were floor mounted, tho' with mopar from 1924, but the body shell and firewalls were not structurally strong enough to take the loads that a pedal assembly could have induced..............I know that with most hot-rodded setups when pendant pedals are used the firewall has to be braced in some form............I certainly had to when I did it with my car which uses the same firewall as US cars just in RHD form, I even carried over the stock bracing ...............andyd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ194950 Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 The passenger does the car braking Andy?? DJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 Yep................takes some getting used to ........but we're tough in Oz............lol........andyd 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ194950 Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 Do you need to keep the Learners License Tag for the brake operato s on the bumper or what?? Some times I miss the changes ? of rules/regs over there, definitely kept things interesting! \Maybe be not so much for the natives as I drove there!! !! DJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 When were you here & for how long?...........andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 I don't know about DJ but I spent a week in Sidney in 1967 or 68. We were told not to drive but I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dale Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 If the pressure switch is good the brake lites should be able to be on forever without the wires heating up. Got to be a direct short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ194950 Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 19 hours ago, Andydodge said: When were you here & for how long?...........andy Andy I was there in AU. back about 20 years ago working 6 days (well really 5 1/2) a week. Was mostly there as a mechanic working on high-reach equipment as the country was building stuff for the olympics. 6+ months in Brisbane then 4-5 months in Sidney. Enjoyed Brisbane time, not so much Sidney. Too much traffic, poor roads around town. Smaller/older version of L.A. back then-now?? DJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 DJ.........must have missed you then..........Hey Don.........were you one of those fancy dressed Yanks swaggering around the town?...........lol.........thought you looked familiar..........lol.........I heard they were still looking for some guy who drove on the wrong side of the Harbour Bridge.......was that you?............lol......................andyd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ194950 Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Has Don ever gone back to AU.?? I hear he still drives on the wrong side of the road sometimes--in the US.! Andy I only drove a short distance and parked on the wrong side of Race St. in Brisbane once. Could not understand way cars were honking their horns at me?? Cops are most likely still trying to figure out were to mail all the tickets I should have gotten for not stopping at YELLOW stop lights! They have what we call red light cameras at most stop light intersections and mail out your ticket. Who from the US ever stopped at yellow lights??? NOT ME! DJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 I have never returned to OZ but you are correct. I spend lots of time on the wrong side of the road but it is fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Don..........would be honoured if you graced us again........lol............your posts make me smile...........andyd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38plymouth Posted October 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 (edited) I am SO frustrated right now. After I spent half the day making the free play adjustment everything was fine I even drove the car and it was good. Today I decided to pull it outside to wash it before taking it for a drive and I left it running. While I was washing the car the brake lights came on. I still have free play I double check the master cylinder it's not over filled. I'm just not sure where to go next. I tested the wires that go into the brake light switch and I'm getting 6.1 volts when I have one where removed. When they are both plugged into the brake light switch I get .5 volts. It seems to me that the problem must be somewhere in the wiring? I was getting ready to order a new Switch but it seems like the switch is working and I might have a wire issue. I just don't know where to go next hoping somebody has an Insight before I put it back in the garage and leave it for a month. Maybe I didn't do enough replay? It seems to be within specs of my manual. And it was working for a while. Edit@$%#&..... after I typed this I went back out and checked and I still have 6.1 volts across the wires when they are disconnected I plug them back in and I now have 6.1 volts and the brake lights are out. So as it sat the lights ended up going out on their own would you think that's the switch? Edited October 7, 2017 by 38plymouth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busycoupe Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 (edited) Check the little drain hole inside the master cylinder on the bottom of the chamber, under the fill cap. If it is clogged, or partially clogged, the fluid pressure in the system won’t be released. If that is clear and you can inser a thin wire into it, then I would suspect the switch. Edited October 7, 2017 by busycoupe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38plymouth Posted October 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 15 minutes ago, busycoupe said: Check the little drain hole inside the master cylinder on the bottom of the chamber, under the fill cap. If it is clogged, or partially clogged, the fluid pressure in the system won’t be released. If that is clear and you can inser a thin wire into it, then I would suspect the switch. I was able to get the top of the master cylinder off and I was shocked at how dirty the fluid was even though I flush the system until it looked clean. I sucked out the old fluid until I could see both drain holes. I was able to push a small paperclip into the small hole towards the front of the car and it went in maybe an eighth to 3/16 of an inch the larger hold to the rear allowed me to put the paper clip in about a quarter inch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38plymouth Posted October 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 (edited) Im pretty positive the holes are open, I fished around in them pretty good with a paper clip. I put it back together with new fluid and it's running now and after several dozen stabs at the brake pedal the lights go out like they should. If that didn't work I'm ordering a master cylinder rebuild kit, brake light switch and all new rubber hoses. Well, that didn't take long for the stupid brake lights to come back on. I hit the brake pedals dozens of times while the car was running and the lights were off and as it just sat there for about 5 minutes the lights came on Edited October 7, 2017 by 38plymouth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 (edited) You could abandon the hydraulic switch and wire in a mechanical switch. It takes a bit of fabrication to gin up a mount but it is doable. For the price of a switch and socket to take the old one off, its probably worth swapping the old one. Replacement hyd switch from Napa is part number SL 1345B, evercraft tool socket 7789048 makes it an easy job for around 25 bucks. https://www.ebay.com/i/131499806038?chn=ps&dispItem=1&ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F711-117182-37290-0%2F2%3Fmpre%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.com%252Fi%252F131499806038%253Fchn%253Dps%2526dispItem%253D1%26itemid%3D131499806038%26targetid%3D364123940081%26device%3Dt%26adtype%3Dpla%26googleloc%3D9005117%26poi%3D%26campaignid%3D936422846%26adgroupid%3D55174491988%26rlsatarget%3Dpla-364123940081%26abcId%3D1129656%26merchantid%3D6568124%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMI-Nik6-Pe1gIVASaGCh3ilgB6EAQYAyABEgLa7_D_BwE%26srcrot%3D711-117182-37290-0%26rvr_id%3D1329419157266 Edited October 7, 2017 by greg g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38plymouth Posted October 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 I just ordered a new Switch and a master cylinder rebuild kit. Hopefully that solves the problem. I just still can't believe that the brake lights come on while the car is running all by themselves when I'm not even near the car to touch the brake pedal. After I turn the car off and it sits a few minutes the lights will go back out on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithb7 Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 (edited) My '53 has the same brake Gremlin living in it. Park the car and 20 mins later the brake lights come on. 25 mins later they go out. I have literally parked my car and watched the events unfold. Timed it. I have a new master cyl kit, pressure switch, wheel cylinder re-seal parts and all new flex lines, all ready to go. I'll tackle it this winter. It was 1953. I figure I'll take the same approach bombers used back then. Carpet bomb the thing with parts and hope I nail it. Spray and pray...I'll throw parts at it and keep my fingers crossed. Lol. What the heck, all those new brake parts are not a bad thing, right? Edited October 7, 2017 by keithb7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Skinner Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 Anytime going through the entire brake system is a sound practice. Also check all wiring possible as therein may be the solution. A shorted wire between the switch and brake lights may or may not be the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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