I just finished doing the rear brakes replaced calipers pads and rotors. Bled rear brake lines twice, checked brake fluid, and I drove the car and it stops, not very quick and the pedal goes to the floor very very easily also seams like the front left ABS is kicking in a lot (the roadS are damp) but i dont hear right wheel ABS coming on.THAT may be my imagination though. What did I do wrong?? Help PLEASE!!!!

 

check your fluid levels and look for evidence of any leaks from the rear bleeder valves

 

you say fluid levelS is there more than 1 place to fill up the brake fluid besides in the engine compartment? i didnt see any leaks in the rear bleeder valves....we are gonna try bleeding the front brake lines also maybe that will help....any other suggestions? ALSO we left the rear brake lines out (slowly dripping) for 2 hours or so while we went to get parts....any chance that doing that would affect the front or let air in?

 

Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air- did you leave teh cap off the resivoir the whole time? secondly that is NOT the correct way to bleed the brake lines. you need two ppl , one to hit hte brake while the othe rmonitors the bleeder valve with tube attached to observe the fluid as it it pumped from the system. I suggest you look at the FSM to get the correct procedure for bleeding.

 

no we left the brake lines like that not to bleed them we bled them the correct way using two people....we left the cap for the resivoir off for a decent period of time would that make it worse? i and also my question before was is leaving the brake lines out...will that allow fluid to come out of the front lines also?? Thanks

 

i am going to bleed the front brake lines soon than because last night we were too tired...lol do you think that would help or have anything to do with it?

 

yeah definately blead the fronts, or the whols system again,. also follow the lines in order, i think its right rear---> left rear---> right front ---> left front

BUT CHECK THE FSM FOR PROER ORDER TO MAKE SURE.

good luck.

 

i didnt know that you had to do them in order....maybe thats why im having the problem?? Thanks man

 

That is the correct order...rule of thumb is you always want to start with the caliper that is FURTHEST away from the master cylinder. If the fluid level even got close to the "low" line then you could've very easily sucked air into the front lines. Bleeding brakes is def a 2 person PITA procedure. Don't be afraid to us a lot of brake fluid as it isn't that expensive in order to ensure you have good feel/power from the brakes. Make sure you do NOT reuse the brake fluid that you bleed out as it is now "oxygenated".

Good luck

Chris

 

not to hijack the thread... but how often should you replace the brake fluid?

i have a 00 SE with 76,000 miles and i have never changed the fluid.... the brakes feel ok... or should i do it

 

I have read about this a while ago and IIRC it sounds like you've simply got air in your lines. Fixing it will require more bleeding. If you've bled them until the cows come home and the problem is still there you may need to take it in somewhere.

 

yea i had to add a lot of fluid to the resivior it was below the low line so maybe thats it.....

 

I don't know what the FSM says but I wouldn't worry about it until you have to start replacing calipers. You'll only ope a can of worms if you change your fluid without needing to. I guess what i'm saying is avoid the potential migraine until you have no choice.

just my .02

 

sounds good to me.

i will just keep on...

 

Have any of you guys used speed bleeders? www.speedbleeder.com

My brother in law uses them on his WRX - he autocrosses a lot and is constantly changing brake parts - he swears by them and remove a lot of the PITA quotient from bleeding brakes.

 

i have em, but never installed em, they'e been sitting in the package for months. my feeling is that you still need someon extra to look at the line to see if the fluid is clearing up

 

well guys....thank you SO MUCH for your help i solved the problem i did what you said and bled all the brake lines and took it for a test drive stops better than it used to. There was a LOT of air in the rear left brake line. Good as new (and since my bro ruined the calipers) i went from replacing rear pads to replacing rear pads, discs, and calipers. He bought the calipers...lol and the discs. Thanks again!

 

You should bleed your brakes every 2 years. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time.

 

cool, maybe you can help me out with bleeding the lins now that you're an expert

 

If you have ABS, you have to disconnect the battery ground cable or disconnect the ABS actuators before brake bleeding. The correct order is right rear, left front, left rear and right front. That's from my 02 service manual but I had a 92 with ABS and it stated the same thing.

 

really....my ABS light on my 4th gen has been on and i was wondering if not disconnected it had something to do with it. what would happend if it was not disconnected?

 

Probably won't get the proper fluid flow through the system. I don't really know because I followed the procedure on my 92 when I flushed my brake fluid. The actuators might start interferring with the flow if not disconnected.

 

i didnt disconnect the battery or anything i tested my ABS several times...u slam on the brakes briefly you hear squeak.......squeak.......squeak squeak...and than the car is stopped nothing went wrong....lol kev i am no expert but now i at least know what i am doing with brakes!! lol