My Brakes suck since I worked on them

[thisdsm]

So I installed some axxis pads this weekend, resurfaced the front rotors, took it out for a spin, and the brakes sucked. There's no stopping power at all. I made sure I broke the brakes in properly, drove to 15-20mph, then smashed brakes until they got hot and stinky. The problem was, only the front drivers side was smoking hot, the front passenger side was kind of hot, and the rears were warm. I didnt actually touch the brakes/rotors but with my hand an inch or so away. I havnt bled my brakes yet because I had to go out of town, but I will do so this coming weekend. any help is much appreciated. thanks.

 

[chico904]

Do you mean they sucked more than before?

 

[thisdsm]

even before the brakes werent all that good. after changing the pads, it's worse than what it was before. pedal feels soft/mushy. brakes only starts to bite when the brake pedal is pushed halfway down.

 

[WatchItExplode]

Mushy pedal implies there's air in the lines, so definately bleed them. When you're braking, does the car pull to one side? Make sure the sliders and/or piston isn't frozen.

 

[jtmcinder]

Also: check the wheel bearing on the side that got hotter.

- Jtoby

 

[thisdsm]

Also: check the wheel bearing on the side that got hotter.

- Jtoby

Man, I hope its not my wheel bearings.

Mushy pedal implies there's air in the lines, so definately bleed them. When you're braking, does the car pull to one side? Make sure the sliders and/or piston isn't frozen.

I'll check to see if the car pulls to one side when Im braking.

God, it seems like there's one problem after another.

I just got done replacing all four axles and every ball joint on all four corners.

This sucks.

 

[Ludachris]

Did you bed-in the pads as well? Not that it would cause the problems you're talking about but it should be part of your pad changing process.

 

[thisdsm]

Did you bed-in the pads as well? Not that it would cause the problems you're talking about but it should be part of your pad changing process.

Yes I did.

I'll report back this weekend and see if there are any changes.

 

[Rice Over Wheat]

God, it seems like there's one problem after another.

I just got done replacing all four axles and every ball joint on all four corners.

This sucks.

You think that's bad...I upgraded my entire braking system except the proportioning valve and brake booster (which is good), and I still don't have 100% brakes. I put Baers in front, powerslots in rear, Goodridge ss lines, new master cylinder, Hawk pads, and had my system professionally bled. Like $1750 I spent so far.

When it's raining I really hate driving because the stopping power sucks. So good luck, I gave up troublshooting mine.

 

[pboglio]

I recently did a full rear brake job on my brother's Saturn SL (calipers, rotors, pads). Brakes wouldn't bite until practically the pedal was to the floor. Brakes were bled, still no improvement. Then I rebled them with the engine running. Not until the last brake caliper was bled with the engine running did the brakes work like they should. Now, my brother can't stop raving about the brake pedal modulation.

On my GSX with Porterfield R4 street pads or whatever their called, I could stand the rear end in the air with the amount of braking power they had. Actually had so much front brake that the rear end would swing out under hard braking. Now, braking sucks because I got air in the lines. Moral of the story is you have to bleed the brakes the right way to get them to perform.

 

[kronus]

Did you bed-in the pads as well? Not that it would cause the problems you're talking about but it should be part of your pad changing process.

Yes I did.

I made sure I broke the brakes in properly, drove to 15-20mph, then smashed brakes until they got hot and stinky.

That's not a good break-in procedure. When I installed my new rotors and pads, I took them out EARLY the next morning on a long stretch of highway to break them in. I went out early so I wouldn't run into much traffic. I warmed up the brakes with normal driving till I got to the stretch of high way, then I did 5 hard and FIRM braking sequences from 45-10. I then did the same type of sequence from 65-10 mph until the breaks started to fade and smell a bit. Mine actually smoked a little. You definitely want to avoid coming to a complete stop and slamming the brakes. If you come to a stop, the hot rotors will bake some of the pad onto the part of rotor it touches. These deposits will be detrimental to your braking abilities.

After this I drove around for 10 minutes on the highway to cool them off a bit. Took her home and shut it down. You can actually repeat this process after the brakes have COMPLETELY cooled down.

The problem was, only the front drivers side was smoking hot, the front passenger side was kind of hot, and the rears were warm.

Sounds like you have some bleeding to do.

 

[asexton6969]

You shouldn't have to bleed the brakes unless you open the lines or air got sucked in because there wasn't enough fluid. Whenever you do brakes check to make sure the calipers do not stick and also grease the slide pins.

 

[boostnbuds]

i agree a pad swap doesnt generally require bleeding....a loss of pedal pressure can be due to several problems....a bad master cylinder leaking internally, a bad proportioning valve, or bad brake fluid(i.e. burnt fluid, contaminated ect.) You should always makes sure slidepins are well lubed and slidable before reinstalling.

 

[kronus]

While it's true that you shouldn't need to bleed your brakes after a pad swap, chances are that with our (on average) 13 yr. old cars with 13 yr. old brake lines, there might be small cracks or leaks in them. Thus, anytime I mess with the brakes, I bleed. Same with the clutch.

 

[toybreaker]

You think that's bad...I upgraded my entire braking system except the proportioning valve and brake booster (which is good), and I still don't have 100% brakes. I put Baers in front, powerslots in rear, Goodridge ss lines, new master cylinder, Hawk pads, and had my system professionally bled. Like $1750 I spent so far.

When it's raining I really hate driving because the stopping power sucks. So good luck, I gave up troublshooting mine.

Many times shops will use a vacum bleeder to speed up the process. On an older car, with tired master cylinder cups, air can be drawn into the master cylinder, past the cups. This will give a soft, funky feeling to the pedal, and just make the system feel less than confidence inspiring.

To eliminate this as a possibility, you can field bleed the master.

Firstly, get some rags, and place them under the master to catch the fluid.

With the car level, have a buddy pump the pedal a few times and then hold it down.

Crack the line at the top of the master, and let the fluid flow. You'll hear the air come out as a spitting noise.

Close the line, and let the pedal up. Repeat as neccessary, or until the pedal is perfect.

I had to do this a few days ago on a tsi that I did the two piston caliper upgrade on. I sucked all the old fluid out with a vacum bleeder, never allowing the reservoir to get anywhere near empty, and the pedal flat sucked. . After manually bleeding each corner a few times to no avail, I bled the master, and it was all good again

Do not let your buddy release the pedal with the line cracked, or you'll only make the problem worse.

 

[tkelly27]

Even perfect old brake systems require bleeding. The fluid will boil and because of the way it boils not all of it will recondense into a liquid.

That's not the right way to break in a set of pads. From what I understand, brake pads are a lot like clutches.

http://www.hawkperformance.com/motorsports/faqs.php#Q4

I think there are other procedures for other pads.
"Large amounts of heat all at one time can cause the brake pad rubbing surface to become somewhat liquefied and coat the pad surface with a glaze. This will dramatically reduce stopping performance as certain ingredients in the friction compound break down and cause glazing of the rubbing surface of the brake pad."