Hey guys did some searching around but would still love some extra input if anyone has any.
Braking power is way down (with pedal bottomed out I can’t even lock up the tires in the wet)
Pedal feels very mushy (with little effort I can bottom out pedal especially when running)
Even with car off I can bottom out pedal and it does not stiffen much or any after many pumps
Haven’t had to add any brake fluid in as long as i can remember (years) and its still at the same level
A mechanic friend suggested I lift one wheel at a time and try applying the brakes to see if each caliper was grabbing. They all were. Driver rear wasn’t grabbing as hard as it should and the outer edge of the rotor is showing a little rust so i’m thinking just one of the pins is frozen perhaps? I’ll check that tomorrow.
Brake pads and rotors all look fine and not glazed (with the exception of the rust on the outer centimeter of driver rear).
Brake booster passes FSM Operating Check & Air Tight check.
So I’m a little perplexed. I was going to get my hands on a vacuum pump and check output rod length and then input rod but my mechanic friend told me he’s never in his entire career had to adjust that (and he’s 40).
Tomorrow I’ll be bleeding the brakes (lets just pray all the bleeder screws are drama free) and hopefully that will help. I’ll also probably end up doing pads / rotors all the way around just for good measure.
Any other ideas or things I should be looking at? Thanks guys
Yeah I read through Osad’s thread already. And I’m hoping it is just a matter of bleeding properly. But what perplexes me is if it was a blown leaky caliper wouldn’t i notice a loss of brake fluid?
Could be a minor leak, so it’s going down, just not at a noticeable rate. Such was the case with his car… And it doesn’t necessarily have to be losing too much fluid, so much as letting air into the system.
However when I sold the car and took it to be certified, the brakes still were not as they should have been. They found within 30 seconds that the ONE caliper I didn’t replace, the piston was leaking. The fluid level didnt have any noticeable drop over the week where I was somewhat driving it and still very little braking power.
My money is on a messed up caliper or leaking piston. Check the brake lines for any hairline cracks aswell. Especially the one leading from the front T down the PS frame rail to the rear T.
I hope for your sake the bleeder screw dont strip and the threads aren’t siezed inside. If you haven’t done any brake work in a while, chances are they will be messed up good. So if they aren’t coming off, get it out somehow (pipe wrench or vice grips or 7/16 socket hammered on LOL) and get them out and replace them, or get some remanufactured calipers for $40 a pop.
Good luck, I had a bitch of a time with this crap!
most likly something is messed up, because air just doesnt come in, so pull off ur wheels check your calipers see if theres any leaks look near the piston, check your break lines, and master cylinder. but i think its prolly a caliper.
Bled the brakes, didn’t seem to help that much.
Replaced master cylinder and one caliper that had a seized pin.
Brakes are still really really soft.
I’m thinking I’ll just go all out and replace the rest of the calipers.
Any other ideas on what it could be before I do that guys ?
Also where are you getting rebuilt calipers for $40 / pop?
I’m paid I think $120 from part source for a new one.
Most places are pretty cheap, in the $35-45 range. NAPA, partsource or any of your local jobbers will probably have them, just ask for a remanned caliper and bring your old one in for a core exchange. You dont need a new caliper, just a waste of money really.
Check the booster, if there is no leaks anywhere in the brake system that is.
To check the booster:
a. hold the brakes while the car is off
b. turn the car on while still holding the brake pedal
c. see if the pedal drops
If it drops, the booster is ok.
Before you go changing all the calipers, I’d suggest taking the wheels off and inspecting your rotors for any brake fluid after going for an easy drive around the block. If you find brake fluid on any of the rotors you know the piston is leaking, and you’ve also narrowed it down to just ONE caliper (hopefully) which was the case with my old car. It’ll save you alot of money in the end.
“- A mechanic friend suggested I lift one wheel at a time and try applying the brakes to see if each caliper was grabbing. They all were. Driver rear wasn’t grabbing as hard as it should and the outer edge of the rotor is showing a little rust so i’m thinking just one of the pins is frozen perhaps? I’ll check that tomorrow.”
I’m leaning towards my idea in my previous thread about the leaking piston. Try changing that one caliper, then re-bleed all your brakes in the correct procedure (as per in my thread) and hopefully that’ll solve it!
So in the end I ended up replacing all my calipers and my master cylinder. Brakes feel awesome again. I went a little overboard but the parts were cheap and i was able to do it all in the heated garage at my work.
For anyone else having this problem here is the better way to figure out what’s wrong:
Bleed whole system
Bleed whole system
If its still spongy, check each wheel. You are looking for any stuck caliper pins, any brake fluid that’s leaking, or any uneven pad wear. Fix that all up. Clean your rotors and sand them with 150grit.
If its still spongy pinch off the caliper lines (carefully) one at a time and try braking on an empty road. Keep pinching them off until the brake pedal feels hard. If you pinch them all off and its still squishy then you have leaky lines or a problem with the master cylinder.
If pinching off one caliper is solving the problem then you will need to replace that caliper.