You might try looking for small leaks.  My '84 was doing the same thing
until my mechanic found a small leak where the flexible house to one of the
wheel cylinders connected to the tubing on the frame.

John Lauterbach
'84DL
----- Original Message -----
From: Sharon & Miguel Calvin <mcalvin@ICAN.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 7:57 PM
Subject: Help! Brake trouble - 83.5 liquid-cooled Westy

> Volks,
>
> My brakes are behaving strangely.  When I press the pedal it goes down at
> least halfway before anything happens, and then the brakes seem weak.
But,
> if I pump the pedal once, it starts braking after about an inch of travel
> on the second depression, and the braking action is much better.
>
> I have bled the brakes at all four wheels with a combination of a vacuum
> bleeder and pedal depressions.  I ran a total of 1.5 litres of DOT4 fluid
> though the system.
> So I beleive that air in the lines is now unlikely.  What else could it
be?
>
> TIA
>
> Miguel Calvin                              ==+=========
> mcalvin@ican.net                          /[ ][  ][  ]}|
> Guelph, Ontario, Canada                  |  _       _  |
> "Frieden" is our 83.5 VW Campmobile      =='O`-----'O`-= ~~
> with 1.9l wasserleaker and manual trans.