Help, No rear brake!!

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Pete808
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Help, No rear brake!!

#1

Post by Pete808 »

So I got my pan running the other day and on my way home I stepped on the rear brake and nothing happened. I ended up rolling into the intersection and stopping with my feet dragging. When I got home and checked to see what was going on. I thought maybe I just needed to bleed the brake so I started with that, but when I press on the brake pedal I get nothing. The pedal only presses an inch or so and if I open the valve at the drum no fluid comes out. I then disconnected the hard line right at the master cylinder and pressed on the pedal to see if there is a clog there, but fluid squirted out as it should. I did the same at the point behind the primary where the hard line meets the rubber hose. Same thing over there, fluid squirts out. Then I disconnected it from the drum and nothing, no fluid and the brake pedal would not compress. Do I just need to replace that rear hose with the fittings? Part # 42300-58?

Another issue is I'm having is when the bike gets to running temp and the oil thins out the motor sounds crazy loud. Maybe it's suppose to sound like that? I'm not sure since this is the first vintage HD I've owned. I mean it is louder then my pipes, but it is just a stock muffler so maybe I'm just not used to that. I thought at first it might be a collapsed lifter a few weeks ago but I changed to solid lifters and it seams like the noise got worse. Part of that I understand that solid lifters are louder then hydraulic but I think this might be abnormally loud. Should a bike sound different once it heats up or should it sound the same? When cool, it sounds great.

I'm still new to this stuff so I'm completely lost.
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#2

Post by Bigincher »

I'd advise you to NOT run the motor anymore until you chase down the noise- tappet roller comes to mind right off the bat. If you just converted to solids, did you examine the rollers then? How about the cam, is it designed for solid lifters? These things matter. I'd start by checking the tappet rollers. They are known to fail, and something to keep your eyes on, and check periodically, change when required. (Avoid large-needle rollers). If a roller fails, it makes a real mess in the cam chest. Expensive to repair, too.
On the brake, remove the rubber line and check for blockage. You're using the correct DOT rated fluid, right?
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#3

Post by 59Panman »

For your brake line, try compressed air to see if you dislodge any crud?
Excalibur
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#4

Post by Excalibur »

Brake hoses are known to collapse from the inside. If it won't pass fluid, only choice is replacement.

Tappet clatter is the reason hydraulic lifters were invented. With solids, you set nil clearance when cold. The heads and barrels heat up and expand more than the pushrod does. Hence the tappets gain extra clearance and that translates to noise.

Hope this helps
Pete808
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#5

Post by Pete808 »

thanks for the advise everyone. I will take a closer look once I get a day off.
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#6

Post by Bigincher »

Tappet noise is one thing- with solid lifters, it should sound like a sewing machine- Your description sounds like something worse. There's no sense in learning the hard way.
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#7

Post by PanPal »

yea, I would replace the brake hose but have someone else listen to the motor or listen to someone else's Pan to compare before something bad happens. We can't hear what you're hearing.
Pete808
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#8

Post by Pete808 »

PanPal wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2017 10:17 pm yea, I would replace the brake hose but have someone else listen to the motor or listen to someone else's Pan to compare before something bad happens. We can't hear what you're hearing.
I've had 2 people listen to it and they think it's normal. I am not 100% sure though because neither of these people have or have had a vintage Harley in the past. I will listen to my friend's Pan and compare. I might just be concerned over nothing.
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#9

Post by Mark44 »

Pete808 wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2017 2:53 amAnother issue is I'm having is when the bike gets to running temp and the oil thins out the motor sounds crazy loud. Maybe it's suppose to sound like that? I'm not sure since this is the first vintage HD I've owned. I mean it is louder then my pipes, but it is just a stock muffler so maybe I'm just not used to that. I thought at first it might be a collapsed lifter a few weeks ago but I changed to solid lifters and it seams like the noise got worse. Part of that I understand that solid lifters are louder then hydraulic but I think this might be abnormally loud. Should a bike sound different once it heats up or should it sound the same? When cool, it sounds great.
After you changed to solid lifters, did you or someone else adjust the valve lash? For each valve, you want the valve to be fully seated, and the lash set so that you can just barely rotate the pushrod with a couple of fingers. You don't want it too tight, or the valve won't fully close, and you lose compression.
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#10

Post by Scrap »

If I had to use my feet to stop I'd think about installing a front brake.
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#11

Post by Pete808 »

Scrap wrote: Sat Aug 26, 2017 6:28 pm If I had to use my feet to stop I'd think about installing a front brake.
I have a front brake but I guess it was not adjusted properly. I made some adjustments to it after and got home safely.
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#12

Post by Excalibur »

While on the subject of front and rear brakes I make a habit of always using both simultaneously. The reason is that whenever there's a panic stop situation, the natural reaction is to default back to what you always do. Our bikes are heavy with relatively poor brakes especially compared to modern standards, so I religiously employ this little trick to swing the odds of stopping in my favor.. Just my thought in the interests of safety.
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Re: Help, No rear brake!!

#13

Post by RUBONE »

Don't neglect to check the rear wheel cylinder as well, if gunked up they can freeze on one or both sides and spoil your day!!
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