Hydraulic Handbrake

[msports180]

i installed a hydraulic handbrake into my r34 its a racing logic one. Before i put it in i had a firm pedal. Since the handbrake has gone in the pedal is softer and takes longer to engage. I have bleed the brakes because i thaught that was the problem but it made no difference. I bled them from the foot pedal, do i need to bleed them from the handbrake? eg: instead of pushing on the pedal like normal pull on the handbrake? Would air get trapped in there as its a high spot? or would normal bleeding push it out?

The other thing is it does not lock up that well? i have to pull the lever fully up for it to lock (and only just locks up), others i have seen u could pull it only slighlty and it locks? this problem would probably be fixed by the above to?

thanks

Neil

[blind_elk]

If you install an empty master cylinder, you have to bleed the master cylinder before bleeding each wheel.

I would expect it is exactly the same when you install the hydraulic handbrake.

[BHDave]

You need to bleed it starting from the master cylinder if it ran dry at any stage during the install, then at the handbrake, and then at the 2 rear wheels and then back to the front wheels.

If the master didn't run dry then bleeding at the handbrake and then the rear calipers should do it.

[msports180]

thanks guys i will try that 2moro.

[Snowman]

I put a hydraulic handbrake into my car and had the same thing. It seems the handbrake killed my master cylinder.

In the end I found the handbrake was really hard to use - I ended up bending two handbrake bars as I had to reef on the handbrake so hard to get it to lock. So I since pissed the hydraulic system off and use good handbrake shoes (am currently using the URAS ones but have also tried the Project Mu ones and they seemed even better). But upgraded handbrake shoes definitely seems to work much better on a skyline than a hydraulic system does. (from my experience anyways)

[Trust33]

what did you pay for the shoes?

[Snowman]

The Project Mu shoes are about $200 from Nengun. We used these in the EVO I recently came 2nd in at the Dutton Rally W.A. They were fantastic.

http://www.nengun.com/project-mu/sports-inner-shoe

[msports180]

ok i bleed every single point i could and got no air out. The pedal still feels the same and the handbrake still dusnt lock up. If i giv the handbrake a few short pulls before then really reef on it then they lock.

sooo i dont know maybe the master cylinder is shot? maybe the cylinder in the handbrake is?

its really shitting me now.

If i cant fix it mite look into these handbrake shoes, allthough that means i then need to get another lever for inside the car as i removed it.

Neil