Brake pedal travel

[ranchhopper]

I have been able to drive my jeep around now that it runs good but Im having an issue with brake pedal travel. I started out with a half inch of travel but the front brakes were dragging a bit and I couldnt adjust them out far enough to keep them completely off the drums. Finally I went under the jeep and adjusted about 3/4 inch of travel in the brake pedal and no problems no dragging shoes drove like it should bit now Im back to a quarter inch of travel but still no dragging shoes. Im almost afraid to drive it to far now if I loose the remaining travel it might leave the brakes dragging again any suggestions what to do or what may be causing the problem?

[1955CJ-5]

I guess I would want to know if the master cylinder piston was returning all the way to the fully relaxed/brakes off position...

If you were to remove the brake actuating rod from the pedal is there still tension on it from the internal master cylinder spring?

And what about the brake components? Master and slave cylinders and the shoes... are they new or reconditioned or are you cleaning things up and getting them to work?

And remember that there are four adjusters to each brake assembly.....

[F Bill]

I am assuming you are adjusting the master cylinder pushrod. Is it equipped with a locknut and is it holding its adjustment? Or was there a lot of rust and crud in the end of the master cylinder where it seats? Normally that adjustment is a set and forget thing unless something else is moving around.

[ranchhopper]

Yes I have adjusted the master cylinder push rod there is no more adjustment left in it the adjuster is bottomed out and I tried both top and bottom adjustment cams on the front brakes its only the front brakes that are affected.

[garage gnome]

It sounds like air in the system to me. Whether it is in the cylinders or MC, I do not know.

[1955CJ-5]

Are the rubber hoses new? One might be swollen inside or otherwise blocked allowing fluid to pass under pressure but not allowing it to return..

[ranchhopper]

I had thought of the flexible hose problem but I would think that would keep the front brakes dragging but not pressurize the MC tomorrow I will check to see if the cap is vented. One other thing the pedal travel does not increase after the jeep cools down so that eliminates a heat related issue.

[ranchhopper]

Just an update when you get dragging brakes and your pedal looses its travel back the adjustment of the push rod off. My problem was the piston was sitting over the bypass hole in the reservoir preventing the build up of pressure from the expanding brake fluid to escape into the master. If you look how the manual says to adjust the push rod it says to only have a half inch of freeplay on the pedal that doesnt work your supposed to have a half inch of freeplay BEFORE contacting the piston so I adjusted the pushrod so it had just enough pressure to hold it into the divot in the back side of the piston. I have a couple inches of travel in the pedal now but no more dragging brakes and it stops good as expected for the technology of the time it was manufactured.