1986 Camry LE brake drag

[tshore]

The front left brake will start to drag forcing me to give it alot of gas in low gear just to make it to the shop. They began by replacing the brake hose and calipher. No pads because they are 1k old. Trouble bleeding so the rear shoes and cylinders were replaced (they needed to be). Next, they replaced the master cylinder, which was operating fine when testing the new front calipher but was told they couldn't bleed the right rear wheel so it could be, I believe this is the right word, the metering valve. I took it home and the next day the same thing happened so they replaced the front (left) calipher and sent me on my way. The next day after about 1 mile it started again. I feel like I'm being taken for a ride as they go thur a process of elimination costing every step of the way. Is this problem so difficult they can't zero in on the root. They say the metering system is diagonial and don't understand why it's not the normal system of 1 line feeds the front and 1 line feeds the rear. Didn't mean to be so long but it will be the 3rd trip to them and over a weeks time without a car and the problem is still the same. Any help or advice will be appreciated. Thanks, tshore.

[nmikmik]

Oh boy,

sounds like you’ve had lot’s of fun with those breaks& the shop….
I am sure there is a lot more qualified people here to answer your question, so let’s just use this to bring your post to the top again….

Did you by the car new? was anything recently done to the breaks? i.e break pedal travel adjustment. Was the break fluid ever flushed?
Unfortunately this is what it is, illumination process. Being an 86 and knowing that you’ve recently replaced the front pads (by the way, was the left side worn more then the right one & the inside more then the outside?)
I’d flush the whole break system, not bleed! I’d also flush it with the calipers ( I think you said they were new) and the wheel cylinders disconnected from the system at first flush, then I’d flush them again only this time with all the components attached.

The reason for flushing is to get rid off or to find the location of the dirt ball that sometimes forms in the break system after 18 years of use and then acts a one-way valve. If you live in the “salt” climate I would not hesitate to replace break lines, just in case.
Depending of course, on how much you are attached to it and how much you are willing to spend on it.

[tshore]

Thanks for the help. I'll have the system flushed and maybe I should do that before replacing the metering valve (which I got from a junkyard) and that was going to be the next step they wanted to do. I've had the car since 86 and no special work was ever done to the brakes outside of shoes and pads so I guess it needs alot done. Thanks again.