Does this happen to anybody else with their brakes?

[SavannahZ]

Sometimes when I start my car the brakes are really really firm. I generally only drive the car in five to ten mile increments. At times the brakes will stay firm the whole drive and sometimes they will get softer. The softer brakes are what I would call normal brakes for my vehicle. I have a newer, within the year booster, high quality brake fluid, SS lines, and what I think are good hoses and valve(?) that leads to the manifold.

I tested the vacuum at the manifold not too long ago and it was within range. I can't remember exactly, but it was somewhere in the mid twenties. It was a cheap harbor freight tester though.

Is this a normal thing that can happen every once in a while? The only brake problem that I have, is when I brake hard the car pulls to the left. I need to rebuild my calipers soon.

On a whole, my car stops quite nicely and is easy to lock up the brakes and modulate b/c the pedal has a nice feel to it.

Thanks

---Jonathan

[240ZMan]

Next time your brakes get soft, try pulling off the road and setting the parking brake firmly. Then try the brake pedal. If it is now firm, then I suspect your rear drums may not be adjusting as they should.

Have you had the drums off and checked the adjusting mechanism? Look for wear on the teeth of the wheel on the brake cylinders.

As for pulling to one side when braking, another possible cause is an imbalance in tire pressure from side to side. I'm not saying that's the issue in your case, but double check one of your tires isn't much lower than the others before you tear into the calipers.

[bjhines]

hard pedal/soft pedal means the vacume booster may be leaking down overnight... that can be a sign that it is getting ready to go south...

The pulling to the left is a sign that the right caliper is sticking... you have the answer... rebuild them... easy afternoon job... order new bleeder screws while your at it...