76 Beetle brake trouble

How do I bleed the master?

I also am having the same problem. My girlfriend brought her bug (type1) to a garage for a general tune up, oil change and some minor tire reapirs. While there, the mechanic had adjusted her brake pedal closer to her seat. Since taking her car back the brake pedal has been steadily getting worse, to a point now that when the pedal is to the floor the car only slows, it can't be stopped fully immediately.

The brake reservoir was still full and I couldn't see any leaks any where. I replaced the master cylinder and both front brake lines. I bled the master cylinder first. *I've never had to do that before, but I just cracked the 3 lines (one line goes to the back and two to each front wheel) one at a time and pumped the brake till fluid leaked past the fittings.

I then proceeded to bleed the brakes starting from the farthest wheel from the master cylinder. The rear brakes bled fine, the pedal got stiffer, then when I started bleeding the front brakes the pedal started to go back to the floor and the oil wouldn't spurt out like the rear bleeders. Should I bleed the brakes again? Is there an adjustment for the shoes? Thanks!

If you don't mind me jumping in. On old VW's with old brake hoses, it's not unusual for the brake hose to deteriorate internally and become partially, or completely, plugged up. The brake pedal will initially feel somewhat hard, then go soft as the fluid slowly gets by the blockage.

If you don't get much fluid or pressure coming out of a bleeder you need to disconnect(unscrew) the hose from the wheel cylinder and see if pumping the brake pedal will push fluid out the end of the disconnected hose. If nothing, or very little, then remove the brake hose and try to blow through it with compressed air, or try to pour fluid in one end and see how much comes out the other end. This will give you an idea of the amount of blockage.

Although you can sometimes run a wire through the hose and clean out the blockage, this is purely a desperation measure. Old hoses, especially cracked ones, or ones with soft or thin spots, should be replaced for safety's sake.

Jc