bleed brakes, but brake pedal still feel spongy

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Oct 11, 2002 | 11:21 AM
  #1  
I bleed all four brakes today. My brakes still feel spongy. I'm not sure maybe I didn't bleed them good enough. When I press down on the brake pedal, I almost have to press it all the way down for it to brake. When I press lightly on the brake pedal, it doesn't brake at all. I recently change to the Stillen rotors. Any ideas? I'm thinking of bring the car to the dealer to have them check it out.
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Oct 11, 2002 | 11:36 AM
  #2  
Describe your bleeding process please....
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Oct 11, 2002 | 11:59 AM
  #3  
Quote:
Originally posted by njmaxseltd
Describe your bleeding process please....

Nevermind, I look back now and I'm sure I didn't do the bleeding process right. I suppose to bleed until there are no air bubbles at all right? I think I must have not done that to the full extent.


Brake fluid suppose to be clear right? Well mine is brownish. I think I'm going to bleed the whole system this time tomorrow just to make sure.
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Oct 11, 2002 | 12:35 PM
  #4  
Have a friend help you. Make sure the hose on the bleed nipple goes upwards first, then down into your catch pan. That prevents air from being sucked back in when your release the pedal.

Start with the right rear, then left rear, right front and finish with the left front.

On your last pump, depress the pedal and hold it down until you tighten the bleed screw. Sometimes if you let up, you suck back and a slight bit of air enters the system from the threads on the bleed nipple. You can also just let it gravity bleed for a minute after your pumping process produces clean brake fluid.

The easiest way to bleed them yourself is with a cheap brake bleed vaccume pump. Makes the job an easy one man job.

Be sure to never let your master cylinder run dry. It's a PITA to get the system clean once that happens.
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Oct 11, 2002 | 12:57 PM
  #5  
Re: bleed brakes, but brake pedal still feel spongy
Quote:
Originally posted by Cumalot
I recently change to the Stillen rotors.
You don't need to bleed your brakes. If you only replaced the rotors.
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Oct 11, 2002 | 06:24 PM
  #6  
Re: Re: bleed brakes, but brake pedal still feel spongy
Quote:
Originally posted by maxtrax

You don't need to bleed your brakes. If you only replaced the rotors.
He needs to bleed them now seeing as he cracked open the lines and probbly didnt do it right. I like having 3 people help in bleeding brakes. One pumpin, one bleeding and one filling. Eww that sounds like a porno...
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Oct 11, 2002 | 06:29 PM
  #7  
Re: bleed brakes, but brake pedal still feel spongy
Quote:
Originally posted by Cumalot
I bleed all four brakes today. My brakes still feel spongy. I'm not sure maybe I didn't bleed them good enough. When I press down on the brake pedal, I almost have to press it all the way down for it to brake. When I press lightly on the brake pedal, it doesn't brake at all. I recently change to the Stillen rotors. Any ideas? I'm thinking of bring the car to the dealer to have them check it out.
That'z definitely how it is if you don't bleed them right.....I do my brakes all the time and last time I got the same feeling you did only to find out that I didn't bleed the left rear correctly. But bleed til there is no air bubbles and your brakes will feel as good as they did when it rolled off the assembly line!

~joe~
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Oct 11, 2002 | 08:49 PM
  #8  
if you get those steel braided break lines, it will firm up your break pedal as well.
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Oct 14, 2002 | 02:32 PM
  #9  
I rebleed the brakes again today. I had a friend over to help me this time. He is more mechanically incline than me, although I'm not that bad myself. Anyway, he said it looked like I hardly even bleed the brakes. He said there was a lot of air in my brakes. Anyway, we did all four brakes. No more spongy brake pedal feel! I don't understand how air got in there. Sure, I took the calipers off, but not completely off. I hung the caliper to the springs using a wire hanger. I didn't take off the brake line hose. So, how did air got in there? Hm...seem like the rear brakes were the ones that had the most air in them. Also, my brakes don't squeak anymore. I put some CRC grease on the shims this time. I'm happy now. I'm going to break-in the rotors first, 300 miles right?
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