At 09:24 5/27/99 -0700, rob passehl wrote:
>just how sponge like should the brakes be in my 87 westy.

Not.

>  i recently
>purchased it, so i checked my brakes because the pedal seemed to depress too
>far. the front pads look good. couldn't get the rear drums off due to some
>previous over zealous impact wrench work. i still bled  all the lines. it
>helped a little but the pedal still seems soft. any suggestions appreciated.
>oh, what size is the rear axle nut so i can pull the drums? thanks in
>advance.

Rob, slow down a bit here.  You've just gotten a fairly exotic beast and
your assumptions are already getting you in trouble.  That (46mm) axle nut
does not need to be removed to get the drums off.  It does not even need to
be removed to replace brake parts, although it is easier to work on the
brakes with the hub removed.  The nut is tight because VW wants it
tight.  The specified torque on that nut is *369* lb-ft (500 nm).  Have it
looser and risk ruining the splines on your hub.

After you remove the little m6 bolt(s?) the drums *should* fall off.  But
they often get rusty around the inside and stick tight.  Liquid wrench and
tapping tend to help.  Check the archives from a few months ago for a
considerable discussion on getting drums off...

Bus Depot sells Haynes manuals for the Vanagon, as well as the official
Bentley book.  Personally I recommend having both, but the Bentley is
around $75.  They also sell stamped wrenches that you can beat on with a
hammer to remove the hub nut if you really need to.  But read the book
first, esp. precautions for moving the van if the nut is removed.

good luck
david

David Beierl - dbeierl@ibm.net