I haven't had my Maxima for very long. About 400 miles. When I first got it, the rear calipers and pads were one giant hunk of rust. the rotors looked like they spent the last decade in salt water. So I knew the calipers had frozen.

So right away, I got new slider pins, pads, rotors and slapped everything back together. Only thing I noticed were the pistons compressed back in VERY hard. Normally a simple C clamp and it's done....I still used a C clamp, but it was all I could do to turn it.

After 300 miles I could tell that the rear brakes were doing nothing. So I bit the bullet and ordered new calipers and just put them on. After a thorough bleed it still doesn't seem like the rear pads are doing much. The new rotors don't show much wear at all.

Could my master cylinder be going bad? Is there a splitter block that sends a % of pressure to there rear/front that could have the rear passage way blocked? The front brakes work fine.

When the engine is off and the car has been sitting a while and I step on the brake pedal, it will go to the floor fairly easy sometimes. On the second pump, everything is fine.

?

 

Did you bleed the brakes correctly after the new calipers were installed? Sounds like you still have air in the system.

 

+1

You said you used a c-clamp to push in the rear pistons, and no the special tool? If so its possible you could have blown the seals in the calipers. Check for leaks.

 

The caliper pistons may have been difficulty to push back because they are supposed to be turned in order to go back into the caliper, I believe. And the rear brakes dont do a LOT of the braking, anyhow...

As far as your master cylinder being bad, I doubt it since it seems that your front brakes are doing fine and you have pressure, or at least you have not mentioned otherwise.

 

Also, my parking brake doesn't work.

with the new calipers, do I need to adjust the parking brake or anything on the caliper?

 

Yes you turn the pistons in due to the parking brake mechanism. By forcing them in, you have destroyed the calipers.

 

Ok, well I have new calipers on. Do I need to do anything besides bleed them?

 

to install calipers, i just put vise grips on the brake line, unbolt the old caliper, bolt the new one on, put everything back together, remove the vise grips, then bleed the calipers

 

I'm already there. Calipers are on and bled. did anyone read my OP?

also, how do I adjust the parking brake? It doesn't grab at all.

 

Pull the ebrake handle up and look at the lower part of the ebrake. There is a hole. Inside theres a 10mm nut that can be turned with a 1/4" 10mm deep socket. Righty tighty lefty loosey. Keep tightening till u feel it working but dont go crazy. Mine was mad loose after my new calipers aswell i dont know why. Make sure u bled the new calipers with the ebrake off.