I was having problems with what I thought was the calipers hanging up. I only have about 3 miles on the car since getting it running and I noticed the brake pedal was getting harder. I was thinking maybe not enough vaccum because of the cam I used. Well on a little trip around the block the brake pedal got hard and the car was acting like only the back brakes were working. And then the left front caliper stuck on and would not release. It was smoking pretty good when I finally nursed it home. I replaced rotors, calipers, wheel bearings and pads. When it came time to bleed them I got no fluid to the calipers. The pedal is still at the top and hard like the brakes are fine but the front brakes are not doing anything. The new pads wouldn't even make contact with the rotors. Would the proportioning valve cause this? Master cylinder? What gives. Thanks for your replys.

 

If you have no fluid to the calipers then something is amiss upstream. i'm leaning towards something locked up in your master cylinder.

 

Could Be Your Hydraulic Brake Hose's,They May Look Good On The Outside But They Deteriorate On The Inside.

 

I thought hoses also but both going bad at the same time seems odd. I am going to replace them anyways. They are original.

Also, the brake fluid is pretty crappy looking. The car has sat most its life. It had a Muncie and a big headed motor put in it in the early ninties or late eighties and it became an occasional driver. Only has 55,000 miles. So the fluid is 32 years old and looks like it. I will be getting as much of it out as I can.

What could shut off the fluid to the front?

 

Mine went bad at the same time. Had the same problem you describe. I'd bet you need to change the hoses. Its a common issue with all cars.

The way to trouble shoot is to have someone push the brakes while you open things. Start at the bleeder, then the hose to caliper, then hose to hard line, and so on up to the master cylinder. When the brake peddle loses pressure/goes soft you have found where the problem is. Am I making sense?

 

Yes Sir... I tried it at the line and the caliper but didn't go any further yet. Tomorrow night I will have time to work on it. I posted this thread on my phone earlier today I thought I posted in the brake forum my apologies guys.

 

Well it turns out it was the hoses. Replaced one and that side is working now.

I bought both hoses but when I got home one of the boxes was empty. I think it must of fell out of the box in my work truck or something. lmao. I was pissed because they weren't marked left or right so I took the driver side hose off first and quickly realized I only had the passenger side hose so I put the old hose back on and clamped it and replaced the other side. Hopefully I find the other hose tomorrow.

I cant believe the weird things that keep happening while working on this car.
Thanks for Sharing your experience plum92_camaro.

 

I don't remember there being a left/right but I have aftermarket hoses now so they may be universal.

Yeah the hoses can make very strange thing happen. I replaced just about everything but the hoses troubleshooting a pull to the right issue lol. It's the first vehicle I've had problems with the hoses but it seems to be common. Maybe it's a materials issue or that these cars are so old and in many cases have sat for a while. Might go ahead and take care of the rear(s) when you can get around to it. Fresh fluid all around is a good idea too.

Glad you got it figured out though. One of the best investments I've made on mine was converting to LS brakes on the front. These cars were under-braked from the factory and man the big rotor and calipers make quite a difference.

 

Just took it out to test the brakes everything is good now except the brake light in the dash stayed on. How do I get that to go off?

Gave it the first real test on the motor tonight also. It was still a greased snake through third. I don't have the throttle set up to hit wot. It gets about 7/8 throttle.

It parties. Lol...

 

With the car in park, stand on the brake pedal as hard as you can and the light should go off