I had similar experiences many times. I am talking about brake fades.
I actually purchased two sets of after market pads, one of them Repco
semi-metalic pads that were supposed to be excellent. My brake simply
did not work and no matter how hard my foot stepped on the pedal the van
simply kept going a bit.

Eventually I picked up a set of OEM for a dealer. It made a huge
difference. It was too obvious that I could easily conclude that
the pads were the single item that made the difference. Ever since
I have used only OEM pads and they never disappointed me. Last time
I had a set I paid somewhere near $70.

Well, keep in mind that my Vanagons are 83.5 and 84. They have a
different front suspension than later models. So maybe this OEM pads
problem only applies to 1.9 Vanagons?

David

--- craig cowan <phishman068@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Well i recently failed inspection in PA based on my brakes, dispite my
> recent restoration of all mechanical systems....
> Well i had the brakes working just spectacularly 1000 miles ago when i
> finished my work..... but now they don't.
> The mechanic who failed it tells me the pedal is too low and it needs to be
> pumped a few times to get up. So once someone tells me this, it becomes
> apparent that my brakes are infact terrible. Well yesterday i bled the
> brakes and it seemed to give the pedal a bit more of a consistent feel, but
> the pedal is still low and fades a bit. So i popped off the drums and
> adjusted them accordingly. I managed to "OVER ADJUST" The passangers side
> one....as on my test drive it pulsed....alot. This tells me that there is an
> additional problem somewhere in the system.... probably a worn drum. When i
> adjusted the passangers side back a bit, (With fixed the pulsing) I get a
> low pedal that if i pump, goes up.....but fades over distances.
>
> Master cylinder?
>
> (I have new rear cylinders, newer front rotors, pads, and rear shoes)
>
> -Craig
> '85GL
>