Date: Thursday, February 22, 2007 02:33 PM From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx> Here's one for you: 1975-up brake "combo valve": * auto-resets the warning switch after bleed or repair * contains rear-brake pressure hold-off (stem on the end) eg. proportional valve. It can be identified by the little pull-out spring loaded stem on the left end. Does that last mean you don't need the check valve in the master cylinder port for the rear brakes? ------------------ NEGATIVE!! All it means is that there's a little pull-out spring loaded stem on the left end. The spring is NOT inside the brake line port. It's part of the proportioning valve. After the preset pressure is reached the valve won't let additional pressure pass. The spring effectively cuts off flow to the rear brakes after the pressure setting is reached. When pressure is reduced the valve opens and pressure is released back to the master cylinder. I don't know the exact internal plumbing, but that's pretty much the way it works. I'm not sure why the external stem, except maybe to release the valve if it should get stuck open. Depending on exactly how it works, a stuck valve could leave the set amount of pressure in the rear brake line even after the brake pedal was released. ------------------ Here's another one: * Many cars have different drum shoe *widths* in the same wheel -- I thought it was a typo at first but it's consistent across many years. (Leading shoe narrow.) ----------------- I've noticed the same thing. I've seen one set that had different widths front and rear, but forget what it was on! I did a brake job for someone and picked the parts up first. I opened the box and told the clerk something was wrong -- the widths weren't the same! He got another box -- same thing. So I took them. Both of us figured I'd be back, but the originals were the same. Seems like it was a mid 70s Hornet or Gremlin, but I can't be sure -- to long ago, and that's the only one I ever ran across with two different widths. Many have different LENGTH linings on the front and rear shoe though. _______________________________________________ Amc-list mailing list Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list