Alfa 75/milano bad brakes

I've had a 2 litre 75 Twin Spark since 1991 and the brakes have ALWAYS
been bad.

I've had them serviced numerous times over the years - new master
cylinder, new pads etc. Last time cost $2000 because "the master
cylinder was connected the wrong way round". This did improve them a
little, but there is always a spongey, "is this thing gonna stop" feel
to them.

Is this an inherent flaw in the 75?

Thanks!


Squidge

squidge wrote:

> I've had a 2 litre 75 Twin Spark since 1991 and the brakes have ALWAYS
> been bad.
>
> I've had them serviced numerous times over the years - new master
> cylinder, new pads etc. Last time cost $2000 because "the master
> cylinder was connected the wrong way round". This did improve them a
> little, but there is always a spongey, "is this thing gonna stop" feel
> to them.
>
> Is this an inherent flaw in the 75?

That depends on how bad they really are. Not that bad I assume if you keep
passing whatever raod test you have to do.

On both my 75s, and the Giulietta (which has 75 brakes) you need a
deliberate long press of the pedal. It does feel like there's nothing there
but IME they do stop just fine. FWIW I have fitted EBC green stuff pads to
the Giulietta fronts. That makes braking performance excellent (apart from
pedal travel) They do work best when warm though......


--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 75 2.0 TS (two off)
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

squidge wrote:

> I've had a 2 litre 75 Twin Spark since 1991 and the brakes have ALWAYS
> been bad.

Are you sure it isn't just the long pedal travel that blurs the
impression? Alfa 75 uses a relatively small diameter master
cylinder, making pedal travel longer, but also ensuring that you
can build up a higher pressure and making it easier to control the
brake pressure accurately.

Testing the brakes should be pretty easy. With the engine off,
pump the brake pedal 5-6 times and keep the pressure on the pedal.
No matter how hard you press the pedal, it must not sink towards
the floor. With the pedal still pressed, you start the engine. Now
the pedal should sink a bit, as the brake servo kicks in, but
still, the pedal should end up stationary and not keep dropping
towards the floor. Build up some speed, 50 kmh/35 mph or so and
try stopping the car without touching the steering wheel. If the
road is nice and level, the car should stop in a straight line, if
not, make a U-turn and see if the car pulls to the other side when
braking again. Finally, see if the brakes can lock the wheels and
the car still goes straight. If all that checks out, your brakes
should be okay..

> Is this an inherent flaw in the 75?

I say it isn't a flaw, it's a force..

--
Hygge..
Thomas

<http://www.carftp.com> - a library of car videos.

Try EBC green stuff

Enzo
"Thomas Strandtoft" > schreef in bericht
...
> squidge wrote:
>
> > I've had a 2 litre 75 Twin Spark since 1991 and the brakes have ALWAYS
> > been bad.
>
> Are you sure it isn't just the long pedal travel that blurs the
> impression? Alfa 75 uses a relatively small diameter master
> cylinder, making pedal travel longer, but also ensuring that you
> can build up a higher pressure and making it easier to control the
> brake pressure accurately.
>
> Testing the brakes should be pretty easy. With the engine off,
> pump the brake pedal 5-6 times and keep the pressure on the pedal.
> No matter how hard you press the pedal, it must not sink towards
> the floor. With the pedal still pressed, you start the engine. Now
> the pedal should sink a bit, as the brake servo kicks in, but
> still, the pedal should end up stationary and not keep dropping
> towards the floor. Build up some speed, 50 kmh/35 mph or so and
> try stopping the car without touching the steering wheel. If the
> road is nice and level, the car should stop in a straight line, if
> not, make a U-turn and see if the car pulls to the other side when
> braking again. Finally, see if the brakes can lock the wheels and
> the car still goes straight. If all that checks out, your brakes
> should be okay..
>
> > Is this an inherent flaw in the 75?
>
> I say it isn't a flaw, it's a force..
>
> --
> Hygge..
> Thomas
>
> <http://www.carftp.com> - a library of car videos.