Brake Pedal Travel Issue

[Linton78]

Hi, hope someone maybe able to help me with a brake issue.

Car: 67 250SL RHD

I have too much brake pedal travel.

Air has been bled from master cylinder and system.

When I place the pressure bleeder onto the master cylinder, the brake pedal travel is perfect.

What I have noticed is that when the brakes are released, the front brake pads (on both calipers) retract off the disc enough that you can jiggle them - they are loose with a gap between the rotor and the pad.

When the pressure bleeder is used, this small gap is taken up and the pedal travel is perfect.

It seems that the initial part of the brake pedal travel is taking up this gap and then applying pressure on the pads/rotor.

Is it normal for the front pads to retract into the caliper when the brake is released? It seems very strange.

Is this a master cylinder issue? Seems odd that both front calipers are behaving in the same way.

Thanks,

Linton

[BobH]

Hello Linton, i'm no expert, so hopefully someone else will advise, but you could possibly have a problem with the brake hoses, either swelling or collapsing, so the fluid isn't running effectively in both directions, maybe worth checking them

[Benz Dr.]

There's an eccentric adjustment on the push pin at the back of the brake booster. This part has a small notch on the head of the bolt to indicate the highest point of adjustment.
Turning the bolt all the way back towards the firewall will give you minimal brake pedal travel.

Most cars I look at are not adjusted properly.