Brake Pedal adjustment?

[rmrc51]

Is there a way to elevate the rear brake pedal???

I need to have it at least 2 inches higher.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. 

[Thunderbolt]

just look for the pushrod where it enters the master cylinder.  It is adjustable, has a nut on the rod to change the length.

[Ricky-D]

Be careful there!  There is little precious room to begin with and lessening that space will make it more difficult to find the brake pedal when an emergency arises.   There are aftermarket pads you can get that will raise the surface some, although not much.  Never thought too much about it but I have noticed that there is some difficulty really stomping on the pedal.  I am not sure if I can even lock up the rear. Maybe not with the CT now on the rear.

[ricoman]

easy to do as noted
be sure to adjust the brake light switch when you're done with the pedal adjustment, and double check lock nut for tightness
doubt you'll get 2" increase though

[Jay]

How are the rear pads?  As they wear it takes more pedal travel.

[rmrc51]

I have Trike. lol. And I just recently checked the brake shoes. This weekend I'll adjust them again and see it i can get a harder pedal with less travel to it.

Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions!  

[MP]

Do you have an aftermarket pedal cover?  As noted above, if you add one, it slips over the pedal, so will add some height to it, plus make it a little larger on top, both plusses.
MP

[PharmBoy]

Adjusting the rod length will not give a firmer brake pedal.  Air in the line is usually the culprit.  Either bleed the line or change out the brake fluid if it is old.  I tried lengthening that rod once.  It will bring the pedal up, but does nothing to solve the problem of a soft brake pedal.  Getting the air out of the line and returning the rod to standard length solved my problem.  I believe the shop manual says 4.3 inches, but you might check on that...JTL   

[3W-lonerider]

i have a trike also..and had to adjust the brake pedal up higher. it was no problem and gave me the travel needed for the brakes without feeling like the brake pedal was going down around to the point that my foot could'nt go any farther. to those that suggested that making that brake pedal higher isn't going to correct a spongy pedal..you are correct on a regular bike. but a trike is different. your feeding 2 rear brakes not just one. so the brake pedal has to go farther in distance to reach the same braking capacity of 1 brake. so raising the pedal would give you that extra distance needed.

[PharmBoy]

OK! Sounds reasonable to me.  I've never owned a trike, but I'm sure that they have certain problems of their own...JTL   

[Ricky-D]

How are the rear pads?  As they wear it takes more pedal travel.

Jay, I have to take issue with your statement.  The unique advantage of pads in a caliper over shoes in a drum is that the system as a whole is always "right on".  Meaning: as the pads wear the piston is always moving out to adjust for the wear.  Unlike shoe brakes that wear and need adjustment from time to time, disc brakes need no adjustment, just a simple replacement when worn.

If there is additional pedal travel then the problem could be air in the system or a "out of line" rotor.

[3W-lonerider]

another thing ya might wanna do is..take your brake hose off from the master cylinder to the T on the rear that feeds the brakes. and take it to a hose shop and have a new one made from braided stainless line. made a big difference in mine. when you have to push that hard to get drum brakes to apply that rubber hose is also expanding.

[rmrc51]

another thing ya might wanna do is..take your brake hose off from the master cylinder to the T on the rear that feeds the brakes. and take it to a hose shop and have a new one made from braided stainless line. made a big difference in mine. when you have to push that hard to get drum brakes to apply that rubber hose is also expanding.

Now that's something I had forgotten about! Only problem is that I don't know of any shops in my area that do that kind of work. I wanted to have the same thing done for my 57 Chevy but couldn't find anyone in the area. 

This weekend I'll try to adjust the brake rod and also adjust the rear brakes for a slight drag which should take up more of the present travel in the pedal. Replacing the brake fluid will also be on my list but I'll leave that to the service guys. 

Thanks for all of the suggestions!! 

[PharmBoy]

If you have the size and length of the hoses, what you need should be available on line.  A good custom parts house should have them also.  Most major cities have such a place...JTL

[rmrc51]

If you have the size and length of the hoses, what you need should be available on line.  A good custom parts house should have them also.  Most major cities have such a place...JTL

I'll definitely check it out! 

[Ricky-D]

another thing ya might wanna do is..take your brake hose off from the master cylinder to the T on the rear that feeds the brakes. and take it to a hose shop and have a new one made from braided stainless line. made a big difference in mine. when you have to push that hard to get drum brakes to apply that rubber hose is also expanding.

Now that's something I had forgotten about! Only problem is that I don't know of any shops in my area that do that kind of work. I wanted to have the same thing done for my 57 Chevy but couldn't find anyone in the area. 

This weekend I'll try to adjust the brake rod and also adjust the rear brakes for a slight drag which should take up more of the present travel in the pedal. Replacing the brake fluid will also be on my list but I'll leave that to the service guys. 

Thanks for all of the suggestions!! 

Can't do that!!!  Disc brakes are non-adjustable.

[rmrc51]

Ricky,

I don't have disk brakes. I have a Trike with drum brakes in the rear. 

[3W-lonerider]

DO NOT set those brakes so they have a slight drag. what will happen is. the brakes will heat up and start to boil the oil, then your rear brakes will lock up. trust me. i went threw this very same thing for a month till i got it right.
   Here's what you oughta do.
 1 take your drums to a place that will put them on a resurfacing machine and get them true'd up. even brand new drums are not true. they have high and low spots in them.
 2. when you put it back togather adjust the brakes till they hit the drum then back them off till you feel no drag. should only be a difference of maybe a knotch or 2 in the adjuster.
 3. adjust the brake pedal up probably a 1/2 inch to an inch. then take the trike for a ride. hit the rear brakes lightly and see if it pulls to one side. if so then adjust the brakes so that when you hit them they hit the drums at the same time.
 i have my brake pedal set to the point that when i depress the brake pedal it will go no farther than about a 1/2 inch above my floorboard, i can stand on that pedal and it won't go any farther. ( full braking capacity at that point ). you can set the pedal to where it feels comfortable to you though. but thats where i like mine.
 When i first got my trike. i was told the same thing. adjust the shoes so theres a slight drag..but it just won't work that way. i kept boiling the brake fluid and my brakes kept locking up. if ya have anymore questions..feel free to e-mail me if ya wanna..
honda1284@embarqmail.com

[rmrc51]

DO NOT set those brakes so they have a slight drag. what will happen is. the brakes will heat up and start to boil the oil, then your rear brakes will lock up. trust me. i went threw this very same thing for a month till i got it right.
   Here's what you oughta do.
 1 take your drums to a place that will put them on a resurfacing machine and get them true'd up. even brand new drums are not true. they have high and low spots in them.
 2. when you put it back togather adjust the brakes till they hit the drum then back them off till you feel no drag. should only be a difference of maybe a knotch or 2 in the adjuster.
 3. adjust the brake pedal up probably a 1/2 inch to an inch. then take the trike for a ride. hit the rear brakes lightly and see if it pulls to one side. if so then adjust the brakes so that when you hit them they hit the drums at the same time.
 i have my brake pedal set to the point that when i depress the brake pedal it will go no farther than about a 1/2 inch above my floorboard, i can stand on that pedal and it won't go any farther. ( full braking capacity at that point ). you can set the pedal to where it feels comfortable to you though. but thats where i like mine.
 When i first got my trike. i was told the same thing. adjust the shoes so theres a slight drag..but it just won't work that way. i kept boiling the brake fluid and my brakes kept locking up. if ya have anymore questions..feel free to e-mail me if ya wanna..
honda1284@embarqmail.com

Great Information from another Triker!!!!! I'll definitely follow your suggestions as you've already been through this same scenario. And I will send an e-mail. Thanks!!!!!