brake pedal side play

[jeeptj1]

morning guys, how do i fix or what do i need to replace to get the sideplay out of my brake pedal. thanks john jr

[idiocrates]

If your problem is like the pedal just leaning from side to side there are really ony two parts invloved.....the brake pedal assembly and the clutch/brake pedal cross shaft assembly. If the pedal remains vertical but slides left and right then you may need to look at the condition of the kotter keys, washers, brake pedal assembly, and bow-tie tie plate that attaches to the master cylinder. These are all located on the brake pedal end of the clutch/brake cross shaft assembly. In my case everything was worn out so I ended up replacing it all.....and just as a cautionary note.....the new brake pedal assembly I received was unusable. The hole machined through the pedal where it fits on the cross shaft was so far out of alignment it caused the upper end of the pedal to strike the steering column. It said in the catalog that some heating and rebending might be necessary for a proper fit....but c'mon....I don't consider heating and bending to accomodate poor workmanship acceptable.
This is what my cross shaft looked like...[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/22032 ... .jpg[/img]
P1010002 by idiocrates, on Flickr[/url]
and for right or wrong....this is how I assembled the parts...[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/22032 ... .jpg[/img]
cross_shaft_detail by idiocrates, on Flickr[/url]

[jeeptj1]

thanks i will check the washers and the kotter keys. was that bracket in the picture the new or the old one. thanks again

[idiocrates]

both the frame mounted bushing carrier and the cross shaft in the picture are the old stuff. I have since replaced the bushings in the carrier and had my machine shop build up and work down the cross shaft in the areas where the wear was so bad. They both now reside on the bench in the wagonshed so futire generations can find them and say......what the hey is this....and why did that crazy old man hang onto everything?

[wesk]

Jim,

Really nice job on the pedal illustration.

Another wear area is the washers and the left and right sides of the pedal shanks that results in left-right horizontal movement of the pedals on the shaft. I would resolve it by simply adding washer like shims on each side of the pedal shanks to take up the slack and keep the shanks centered in their floor openings. I found the Willys solution interesting though. They sold a tension kit for the pedals that was a polt that slid inside the pivot shaft and had a pair of large cupped washers that would be drawn up tight against the outboard edge of the entire pedal group on the shaft and could be periodically adjusted as well.

Check these two web sites:
http://www.film.queensu.ca/cJ3B/Tech/BrakeLines.html
http://www.cj3a.info/tech/pedalslack.html




Then large hex shaped cupped thingy on the right has internal threads that match the bolt and the small nut is the jam/lock nut.

[idiocrates]

that is interesting......makes me wonder how many over-zealous jeep owners ended up applying the brakes every time they stepped on the clutch. As paranoid as I am I kinda like a little "slop" in this dual purpose cross shaft arrangement...in my book better a lot too loose then a little too tight.

[wesk]

The installation instructions address that issue very clearly.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDALS SLACK ADJUSTER
KIT NO. 921936


1. Remove the cotter pin at the end of the pedal shaft inboard of the brake pedal.

2. Insert a screw driver inside the pedal shaft from the outboard end and spread the brake pedal inner cotter pin to clear the adjusting bolt.

3. Slide the flat washer and cup washer on the bolt, furnished in the kit. Insert the bolt through the shaft from the outboard end. See illustration.

4. Clean the inner and outer surfaces of the inboard end of the shaft.

5. Lubricate the pedal shaft.

6. If necessary, pry the exhaust pipe away from the pedal shaft for clearance.

7. Thread the adjusting nut, furnished in the kit, on to the bolt. Tighten the adjusting nut snugly, then back off until the pedals operate freely without slack.

8. Lock the adjusting nut in position with the lock nut furnished in the kit.

[idiocrates]

oh sure....but who reads instructions?? hehehe......part I liked was about the kit selling for $2.00 each.....so the dealer could easily mark them up and resell them to the public, make a huge profit, and generate good will with their customers. Is that not 100% American or what? seems like today they'd have you buy an entire frame and cross shaft assembly and just throw the old stuff away.

[jeeptj1]

wes, idiocrates, thanks i will check out the sites and hopefully take care of it. john jr

[restorationman]

I had just been through this on my CJ3A, I used a washer of 1 inch I.D. approx. thickness .100 in. thick plus a spring metal wavy washer inbetween the brake pedal arm and master cyl. support bracket and a new cotter pin, It took almost all of the side slop out and after shooting a little grease in the fitting, seems fine.

[wilfreeman]

I'm going to revive this thread because it is the closest one to the problem I have. Currently, I have about 1/2" of lateral movement in my brake pedal. I have a weekend coming up with no one around, so I went ahead and ordered an NOS pedal shaft support to remedy this situation while I am alone. I received the support the other day and went ahead and put a coat of paint on it. I also had a (supposedly) NOS shaft in my parts box waiting to be installed for the last 15 yrs. I threw a cost of paint on it at the same time. Today, I went out to the shop and decided to see how they fit together. To my surprise, even with the coat of paint on the shaft, I have about 1/32" of play between the shaft and support! If I use this setup, I will have more lateral movement than I already have in the brake pedal! So, I guess what I need to know is how tight of a fit should the shaft be? I guess I am going to have to either replace the bushings or sleeve the shaft to make this right. My guess is that they should be a slip fit, not a SLOP fit.

[wesk]

I believe John at Midwest has the bushings. Sounds like your NOS support was actually a bit used NOS support.

[wilfreeman]

Or the wrong size bushings put in. The ad said that they had surface rust so he sanded them down and primed them - the bushings didn't look worn. The shaft was bought back in '98 I think. That was before the omix ada parts invasion, so I'm guessing it probably IS an NOS part. It has (had) a parkerized finish before I painted it. I am going to compare and measure the parts I take off of my Jeep to compare - maybe I will be able to figure out what was really the new part. Hopefully I can locate some bushings locally, but I might end up having to order them from John.