notsobigkahuna Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 I've arrived in florida from canada in my 86 slumber queen. Smooth sailing till yesterday. No brakes! When i bought the rig i noticed that the heat shield for the exhaust manifold was in the trunk. When everything cooled off the brakes were fine. We leave today heading farther south, brakes fine then gone again. I've now put the heat shield back on. The master cylinder and booster were really hot. Was the heat shield the likely cause of my problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 My heat shield is not on and I have never had a brake problem. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Sounds like in your case the heat shield does make a difference. Lucky you that the previous owner didn't simply discard it and you thought to reinstall it. Sounds like maybe the exhaust heat was boiling the brake fluid. Drive ultra cautiously for a while to prove that you've solved the problem. Might not be a bad idea to get the brake fluid changed at your convenience, especially if you don't know it's history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notsobigkahuna Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 Looks like the heat shield did the trick. Yes i am glad that the PO didn't pitch it. Toyota put that shield on for a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringo Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 My brakes faded on a old 65 Dodge Polaris I had, only when I drove on the highway, around town it was fine. Later I found the rear drums were worn and out of round this caused the pads to loose their clearance with the drums. After a few minutes of sitting the brakes returned made for one unforgettable trip back from vacation that year. I hope the heat shield is the issue and all is OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 seems to me if the problem with the brakes was the heat shield you would have experienced the problem on your long trip south. You could have air in a line or the master cylinder itself. Water in the fluid could also cause fading. I would have a garage check your brakes. Why take a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanAatTheCape Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 bleeding the brakes is fairly easy - one of the larger brake fluids will do it. get some clear plastic tubing, a jar, a helper. not too hard at all. as old as these are it worthwhile to do it & not that expensive. be careful when you open the bleed valves the first time - if you round them off or worse, break one off than you have to dig in deeper. if you do not know how many miles on on your brakes then a look inside is probably a wise idea. There are a number of threads on brakes & copies of the toyota maint chapter on brakes on this forum. If you pull the rear drums (which requires) pulling the axles out of the housing (not nearly as bad as it sounds) adds an extra step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 i have in the past had toyota master cylinders that would hold fine if you stomped on the pedal. but if you held light for a slow stop the pedal would go clear to the floor with almost no brakes. this was caused by a bad master cylinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 When I replaced all the brake components I didn't replace the master cyclinder as I was told it would be fine for many years, pretty good unit. Did I make a mistake?? '91 with ,now, 90 K miles??? What was the age / milage on your failed unit?/ TIA john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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