# i have no brakes heeeelllllppppp mk3 golf 96 rear drums



## ryan081188 (Jan 10, 2010)

TL;DR changed brakes fronts and rears, did not bleed system (did not open lines) accidentally removed rubber boot on wheel cylinder (had fluid in there) put all back together and now no brakes... read on for a little more detail.

did the fronts got them done pretty fast no issues no leaking brake hoses.
tackled the rears. pulled out ebrake cables and did shoes, springs/hardware. the brake drums i purchased were not the right ones. the inside diameter were the bearings go was a lot larger then the drums i pulled off.... re used old drums.
attempted to change the wheel cylinders but the allen bolts were too rusty and started to round out. 
now when i changed the showes and springs i accidentally pulled the rubber boot away from the wheel cylinder. it is possible that the rubber boot did not seat back inside the groove correctly. also there was brake fluid inside the boot when i pulled it off..... 
i put everything back together but did not bother to bleed the lines since i did not open up the system.
NO BRAKES NONE AT ALL







IM GUESSING THAT THE RUBBER BOOT ON THE WHEEL CYLINDER IS THE PROBLEM. 
any ideas please help.


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## germancarnut51 (Mar 23, 2008)

*Re: i have no brakes heeeelllllppppp mk3 golf 96 rear drums (ryan081188)*

Wheel cylinders for drum brakes are not like disc brake calipers. Disc brake calipers usually have a dust boot over the piston and the edge of the caliper body to shield the caliper piston and seal, whereas wheel cylinder ony have the visible boots on the ends to seal the fluid in.
Removing the dust boot, allowed air into the hydraulic system. Which means you now must bleed the air out of the brake system. The brake fluid is supposed to be replaced every two years anyway, to remove air, moisture, and contaminate particles from the brake system to help prevent premature wear, and corrosion.
I would also guess that you did not adjust the rear brake shoe clearance and parking brake cables correctly. MKIIIs use diagonal braking circuits. Meaning that the left front brake circuit is connected to the right rear brake, and the right front brake is connected to the left rear brake. So if you fail to adjust the rear brakes correctly/properly, the front brakes won't work either.


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## twin2626 (May 11, 2006)

X2
bleed the brakes (doesn't take long)
adjust rear drums using spoke like dial (visible through rear of drum, there's a rubber grommet you need to remove then spin dial up or down to adjust using flat screwdriver)


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## ryan081188 (Jan 10, 2010)

well changed out the wheel cylinders and bled the system. i now have a some kind of brakes but they are still weak. going to do the fronts tomorrow and possibly the rears again. also adjust the ebrake.


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