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Thread: Question about Wilwood MS rods

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    slpro1207's Avatar
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    Question about Wilwood MS rods

    I have installed my Wilwood master cylinders in my pedal box today an I noticed that a have to run the rods all of the way in to stop the brake pedal from hitting the crossbar. I can't see where I missed anything in the directions. I'm afraid I won't have any play to adjust front to rear pressure. Any suggestions?

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    Question About Wilwood MS Rods

    Quote Originally Posted by slpro1207 View Post
    I have installed my Wilwood master cylinders in my pedal box today an I noticed that a have to run the rods all of the way in to stop the brake pedal from hitting the crossbar. I can't see where I missed anything in the directions. I'm afraid I won't have any play to adjust front to rear pressure. Any suggestions?
    I noticed the same concern on my MK4 and this is the response from Dan at FFR: "The brake pedal should hit the ¾” tube, as that tubes acts as a safety to prevent the master cylinders from coming out of there bores."

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    Well Used Member boat737's Avatar
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    When I was in that process, I talked to the Wilwood tech boys. They said to screw the front M/C rod 4 turns into the clevis, and the rear M/C rod 7-8 turns into it's clevis. (The balance bar will be cockeyed.) The balance bar should be centered. This is what I did, but have not adjusted it further since I only have 2+ miles on the car. I suspect I will need to add a bit of front bias once the care is at finished weight, height, alignment, etc. My pedal did not interfere with the cross bar.

    What you need to insure is that both M/C's are fully extended, and not have any system pressure to the brakes with no pedal pressure. That's bad. If the M/C's are fully extended, even if the pedal is touching the cross bar, then I would think you are OK.
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    slpro1207's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by boat737 View Post
    When I was in that process, I talked to the Wilwood tech boys. They said to screw the front M/C rod 4 turns into the clevis, and the rear M/C rod 7-8 turns into it's clevis.

    What you need to insure is that both M/C's are fully extended, and not have any system pressure to the brakes with no pedal pressure. That's bad. If the M/C's are fully extended, even if the pedal is touching the cross bar, then I would think you are OK.

    What I see is, when the shafts are turned fully into the clevis they are still not fully extended. The cross bar prohibits the brake pedal to move any further forward to relieve the pressure. I think I may have to call Wilwood tech support Monday.

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    Senior Member edwardb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by coyobra View Post
    I noticed the same concern on my MK4 and this is the response from Dan at FFR: "The brake pedal should hit the ¾” tube, as that tubes acts as a safety to prevent the master cylinders from coming out of there bores."
    That's a rather strange response IMO. The Wilwood MC's are spring loaded and have a snap ring stop. The piston isn't going to come out of the bore as long as the snap ring is in place. It's important that the pedal arm doesn't interfere with anything (e.g. the frame crossbar) that would prevent the MC piston from hitting the internal stop. You will have bleeding and actuation issues if you don't have it set properly. Right out of Wilwood's instructions: "When the pedal is released, the piston assembly must fully return to the snap-ring retainer at the end of the cylinder bore." For most installations, the right pedal height is going to have the pedal arm close to the cross bar. But I would have it stop a bit short of the crossbar. Also in the mix is the brake light switch that needs to be pressed when the pedal is all the way out. That too needs to be adjusted properly, e.g. close enough to actuate the switch but still allow the MC to be fully retracted. Not sure if it applies in this case, but I've found sometimes a little bit of the pushrod needs to be trimmed off to get the right pedal location. As long as it's fully threaded through the clevis it's OK. All of this applies to the clutch MC as well if a hydraulic setup is used.
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    Quote Originally Posted by slpro1207 View Post
    I have installed my Wilwood master cylinders in my pedal box today an I noticed that a have to run the rods all of the way in to stop the brake pedal from hitting the crossbar. I can't see where I missed anything in the directions. I'm afraid I won't have any play to adjust front to rear pressure. Any suggestions?
    I noticed the exact same thing last week when I installed mine. I have the tips of the MC rods approx 1/16" from the bias rod and the brake pedal is approx 1/8" off the crossbar. The pedal should not place any pressure on the MC's when static. I plan on removing maybe 3/8" from the end of the MC rods, then setting the pedal just off the crossbar. This should give me room for the bias bar to be adjusted. As it sits now, if the bias is moved to one extreme or the other, it binds on the tips of the MC rods.

    Not included in the OP, but my clutch MC does the same thing. When the rod is barely off the clutch pedal, the clutch pedal is about 2" higher than the brake pedal. However, it does not interfere with the frame member. I suspect when I cut the MC rod to lower the pedal, I will then have to modify the frame or pedal...
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    I suspected I might have to trim the rods down. I'm happy with the position of the pedal and the switch so I'll trim off to get the full extension. Keeping in mind the rear cylinder needs to be drawn in slightly at rest. Measuring 3 times, scratch my head and look bewildered before triming. Part of the journey. Thanks everyone.

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    slpro1207's Avatar
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    Happy to report that with appropriate measuring, head scratching, and bewildering looks, I trimmed off 3/8 of an inch from the rear master cylinder. Brake pedal and master cylinders now perfectly positioned. Boy did I get lucky. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. Moving onto my next problem ... I mean project.

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    Boydster's Avatar
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    Excellent. I trimmed mine yesterday too. No issues.
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