why do i still feel like theres air in my brakes??
09-16-12, 02:48 PM
#46
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I know that when i bought my LS i thought it had a spongy pedal and that the pedal went really low but i sat in my uncles LS and the pedal felt just the same maybe your just being paranoid no offence i know that i was when i bought mine
09-18-12, 11:28 AM
#49
The FSM for my 1997 calls for applying air pressure to the MC reservoir, then cracking open the bleeder plug on the actuator to expel the air. They specify a SST, but you can use a pressure bleeder or, do as I did and make something to replace the reservoir cap that allows you to connect a bicycle pump. You only need about 10 PSI.
10-05-12, 01:41 PM
#50
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
i finally got ti bleed the car again this time with the car off, well its still doing what its doing so i guess its the master cylinder im going to try next
10-05-12, 02:58 PM
#54
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Traction Control would have a control on the dash. My'94 would have it just over the lighter near the bottom of the dash.
Check your owner's manual to check out just what options are on your car by comparing the cotrols that are present.
Check your owner's manual to check out just what options are on your car by comparing the cotrols that are present.
10-05-12, 03:32 PM
#56
WOW??!
i don't even know where to begin....
are you 100% sure you got the right parts?
i have seen it many times where people have installed the wrong side calliper so the bleeder is pointing down. i have also seen people somehow twist the brake hose and kink it so it does not bleed out properly or it is ingesting air from a micro crack/hole.
we live in the technological world. how about you take some pictures and video of what you are doing.
ok lets start with the basics: since you sound like you are not the most technically inclined sort of person, i suggest you go out and buy 2L of ATE SuperBLUE brake fluid. this will help you A LOT!
put the car on 4 jack stands, so it is level, take all of the wheels off. suck out all of the fluid from the reservoir and refill to the brim with new fluid.
go to the passenger rear wheel(assuming you are driving a north American LHD car) or what would be the right rear wheel if you were sitting in the driver seat.
have someone pump up the pedal a couple of times then press and hold the pedal down.
YOU then put a clear tube over the nipple and crack open the bleeder with a wrench.
the pedal should go to the floor.
without your assistant lifting their foot, YOU close the bleeder tight. not cranked down but tight.
your assistant can lift their foot and pump the pedal again.
repete this process over and over until you get a nice clear stream of fresh fluid out of the calliper. if you are using the Superblue, the fluid is literally blue so you can see it change from dirty brown to blue. once its solid blue like from the can, tighten the bleeder down and move to the left rear wheel and repeat this process.
you should also be checking that the fluid never drops below MIN on the reservoir! NEVER LET IT DROP BELOW MIN! others can get away with this. but for this YOU, LS400BOY, can not let it drop below MIN!! if you can do this then there is no question of running the master dry.
also, you go you should be asking your assistant how the brakes are feeling as you go. if you are not seeing any air bubbles in the tube and they are saying its not getting better/worse, then that line is probable not the problem. Finish flushing the line till there is nice clean fluid coming out and move to the next wheel.
this is a standard bleeding procedure for all cars.
for North American sold cars(LHD) the master is always in front of the driver, so the front driver corner is the last corner to bleed. the pattern for bleeding should always go like this: Right Rear ==> Left Rear ==> Right Front ==> Leftfront.
note:
witht he car off, key out of the ignition, if you have bleed your brakes properly, you should be able to give the pedal 1-3 light pumps before it is virtually rock hard. with the car running the pedal will be softer due to the brake booster, but off the pedal should be like stepping on a brick.
now, once you have completed this procedure and you are confident there is no air in the system anywhere, if the pedal continues to sink to the floor when the brakes are applied then you need to replace your master.
YOU MUST BENCH BLEED YOUR MASTER BEFORE YOU INSTALL IT!!
even after you have bench bled the master, you need to install it and then re-bleed it by cracking the fittings at the master, pressing the pedal to the floor and holding it there, tightening the fittings at the master, releasing the pdeal and repeating this step 5-10 times or until you see a nice steady stream of fluid with no air bubbles dripping out., all the while making sure you have a full reservoir of nice fresh fluid. you then need to test the pedal feel again.
if you jump in and start pumping the pedal before you complete the above process for bleeding the master, you will have without a doubt introduced air back into the system and have wasted all of your time and effort and fluid up to this point.
if it no longer sinks to the floor, you have fixed the master issue. if the pedal still feels spongy, very different from sinks to the floor, then you need to rebleed the rest of the brake system as air is in the lines. if you have done all this and the problem still exists, then you need to bleed your ABS unit assuming you can
bleeding the system and replacing a master are simple enough jobs and are good things for most guys to do.
i would highly suggest you STOP there if the problem persists and take it to the dealer.
i would also suggest that you show this thread to the service writer, when you take the car in, who can show it to the tech so they know what has been done in a more understandable and coherent way.
i don't even know where to begin....
are you 100% sure you got the right parts?
i have seen it many times where people have installed the wrong side calliper so the bleeder is pointing down. i have also seen people somehow twist the brake hose and kink it so it does not bleed out properly or it is ingesting air from a micro crack/hole.
we live in the technological world. how about you take some pictures and video of what you are doing.
ok lets start with the basics: since you sound like you are not the most technically inclined sort of person, i suggest you go out and buy 2L of ATE SuperBLUE brake fluid. this will help you A LOT!
put the car on 4 jack stands, so it is level, take all of the wheels off. suck out all of the fluid from the reservoir and refill to the brim with new fluid.
go to the passenger rear wheel(assuming you are driving a north American LHD car) or what would be the right rear wheel if you were sitting in the driver seat.
have someone pump up the pedal a couple of times then press and hold the pedal down.
YOU then put a clear tube over the nipple and crack open the bleeder with a wrench.
the pedal should go to the floor.
without your assistant lifting their foot, YOU close the bleeder tight. not cranked down but tight.
your assistant can lift their foot and pump the pedal again.
repete this process over and over until you get a nice clear stream of fresh fluid out of the calliper. if you are using the Superblue, the fluid is literally blue so you can see it change from dirty brown to blue. once its solid blue like from the can, tighten the bleeder down and move to the left rear wheel and repeat this process.
you should also be checking that the fluid never drops below MIN on the reservoir! NEVER LET IT DROP BELOW MIN! others can get away with this. but for this YOU, LS400BOY, can not let it drop below MIN!! if you can do this then there is no question of running the master dry.
also, you go you should be asking your assistant how the brakes are feeling as you go. if you are not seeing any air bubbles in the tube and they are saying its not getting better/worse, then that line is probable not the problem. Finish flushing the line till there is nice clean fluid coming out and move to the next wheel.
this is a standard bleeding procedure for all cars.
for North American sold cars(LHD) the master is always in front of the driver, so the front driver corner is the last corner to bleed. the pattern for bleeding should always go like this: Right Rear ==> Left Rear ==> Right Front ==> Leftfront.
note:
witht he car off, key out of the ignition, if you have bleed your brakes properly, you should be able to give the pedal 1-3 light pumps before it is virtually rock hard. with the car running the pedal will be softer due to the brake booster, but off the pedal should be like stepping on a brick.
now, once you have completed this procedure and you are confident there is no air in the system anywhere, if the pedal continues to sink to the floor when the brakes are applied then you need to replace your master.
YOU MUST BENCH BLEED YOUR MASTER BEFORE YOU INSTALL IT!!
even after you have bench bled the master, you need to install it and then re-bleed it by cracking the fittings at the master, pressing the pedal to the floor and holding it there, tightening the fittings at the master, releasing the pdeal and repeating this step 5-10 times or until you see a nice steady stream of fluid with no air bubbles dripping out., all the while making sure you have a full reservoir of nice fresh fluid. you then need to test the pedal feel again.
if you jump in and start pumping the pedal before you complete the above process for bleeding the master, you will have without a doubt introduced air back into the system and have wasted all of your time and effort and fluid up to this point.
if it no longer sinks to the floor, you have fixed the master issue. if the pedal still feels spongy, very different from sinks to the floor, then you need to rebleed the rest of the brake system as air is in the lines. if you have done all this and the problem still exists, then you need to bleed your ABS unit assuming you can
bleeding the system and replacing a master are simple enough jobs and are good things for most guys to do.
i would highly suggest you STOP there if the problem persists and take it to the dealer.
i would also suggest that you show this thread to the service writer, when you take the car in, who can show it to the tech so they know what has been done in a more understandable and coherent way.
10-05-12, 03:54 PM
#57
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
i bleed the car the correct way starting with the wheel thats farest to the master cylinder, bleed them 4-5 times per wheel untill clean fluid and no bubbles in sight, 1-3 stpes of the brake with out car on it does get hard as a brick. take it for a test drive i brake to slow down the pedal goes down then normal its like i got to double pump for the brakes to feel at braking level pedal wise then it feells like i hear fluid shaking threw my pedal if theres a such discription lol
10-05-12, 04:30 PM
#60
fenco is reman stuff. it's ok but i'd use a new factory part... id put a fence in a customers beater...
oh and i'm not saying the master is the solution but its definitely part of the problem.
on older higher mileage cars that have not had the brake flushed every 2 years like clockworks, the master never really goes through its full range of travel so rust and **** builds up on the shaft inside. when a brake part fails down system and the system then needs to be bled, inevitably, the rust and **** is forced over the seal lip and rips the seal slightly or completely and the master is now toast. this is why these propblems seem to pop up out of no where.
now if the fluid int he master was really dirty then you may have pushed a ton of grit and grime into the rest of the system including the ABS pump... when you replace the master, thoroughly bleed the abs unit to flush out and debris hiding in there!
oh and i'm not saying the master is the solution but its definitely part of the problem.
on older higher mileage cars that have not had the brake flushed every 2 years like clockworks, the master never really goes through its full range of travel so rust and **** builds up on the shaft inside. when a brake part fails down system and the system then needs to be bled, inevitably, the rust and **** is forced over the seal lip and rips the seal slightly or completely and the master is now toast. this is why these propblems seem to pop up out of no where.
now if the fluid int he master was really dirty then you may have pushed a ton of grit and grime into the rest of the system including the ABS pump... when you replace the master, thoroughly bleed the abs unit to flush out and debris hiding in there!