orgasmicNYC

I have R4S street pads on my 97 SE with less then 7,000 miles on them. Recently about a week ago my max used to respond to the second I press the breaks now I really have to put the peddle down in order to get a response. I've checked my brake fluid and steering fluid etc... and they are all on max. What could be the problem? Do I need new pads again, I'm not sure how to see through the indicator if I do but they are fairly new and I didn't really do a lot of hard braking. Thanks, David.

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

it could be some air in your brake lines

did you or the mechanic bleed the brakes when they changed the pads?

I did it when i changed my pads and it made a definite improvement in brake response.

orgasmicNYC

I had Jeff at Maxximum Tunning change my breaks and I don't think he bleed the brakes. Everything was fine until about a week ago. Is there anything I can do or do I have to go upgrade to a big break kit? Cause I believe if you go fast you should be able to stop fast.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Does you brake pedal travel more to the floor before you feel pressure or is it that you need to press it harder to stop?

Clear that up first, they point to two different things.

If you pedal travel has increased, then you may have air or a caliper thats hung up on it's guide pins. They should have been inspected and regreased if needed. You may also have trapped air, usually you don't get air in if pads are replaced, but it's always a good idea to bleed your brake system after any work is performed.

It's also a good idea to flush your fluid completely every few years. Brake fluid is hydroscopic and absorbs moisture. Moisture in your fluid can erode your brake system from the inside out and also give you poor performance.

If your pedal is solid and doesn't travel that much, then you either have glazed over rotors or pads. A light emery cloth sanding of both pad and rotor should get back the friction to stop you. The issue is why did they glaze over in the first place, if that is your problem.

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

If the difference is night and day, and you have to push down the peddle pretty significantly to get a response, it could be that your master cylinder is no good. Happened to my bro's maxima. I bled his brake lines and it made no difference. Peddle was mushy and you really had to press on it to get them to bite.

I've got about 10k on my R4S pads and they still have about 1/3 pad left on the fronts (this with a manual tranny). There should be no reason why you'd develop significant air in the lines unless you've been AutoX'ing recently (heavy use) or the lines were opened for some reason. A cut in the lines would have lowered the fluid level.

Maybe check the pads for wear and give us a little more description.

orgasmicNYC

Thanks, I've checked the pads and they look fine not worn out at all. Is there a way I can check the master cylinder. This problem just recently developed in the past week or so. Thank You, David.

KWheelzSB

iTrader: (1)

I agree with most of what you said, except the part about "a cut in the lines. . ."

A cut in the lines (I would argue) would leave our friend with no brakes in pretty short order and a brake pedal contacting the carpet. (Catastrophic brake failure) Yikes.

There's no such thing as a slow-leak from a pressurized fluid system: pressurized system's integrity is compromised by damage, it fails almost immediately.