Hello,

Just bought my rex a week ago or so and so i was gonna throw some new brake pads on her, the old ones were good, just not new. I had a hell of a time getting the pads off so i opted to bleed them instead. I bleed both rears. brake pedal was very tight. I tested it out a bit while parked and they still felt tight. The second i started backing up i felt a thud and then the brakes were squishy again. Not too sure what happened but i let it be cause i ran out of daylight. Im gonna try to bleed them again tomorrow, along with the clutch. Also, wheres the slave cylinder located?

 

The slave cylinder is down by the oil filter pedestal and I have know idea what happened to your brakes. Perhaps when you spread the calipers they got stuck away from the disk or some hardware wasn't tightened right.

 

yeah i'd just take the wheels off and get a good look.

Where in Albany are you?

 

Just for future reference, you shouldn't have to bleed the brakes when installing new pads unless the old pads were worn so far down that the brake fluid level dropped to almost nothing. Normal operation will not let air into the lines.

As for what could have made a thud and caused the brake pedal to get spongy, are you sure you reinstalled the pads exactly as they were before? IE with all of the spring clips in place to make sure they sit parallel to eachother and the rotors. I guess if a pad were practially falling out you could get overextension of a piston, which could suck air into the master cylinder if the fluid level was low enough.

 

Thanks everbody for the help. I didnt actually take any of the bolts off for the pads. I took off 2 bolts for the caliper mounting, mistook them for the pads. I was able to thread the bolts back into the mounting so im sure they are in the right place. Im gonna try again tomorrow. The brakes didnt appear that bad, thats why i resorted to bleeding them. At first i just wanted to replace them just so id have new ones. Do i leave the ebrake on when i bleed? Should I start the car and then bleed?

 

^ Do you know how to bleed??

Your last two questions don't give much faith.

 

farberio. Yes i do matter of fact. There is a bleed screw which you loosen and tighten in coordinance with pressure to the brake pedal. I would appreciate only constructive comments please as that comment doesn't do anything but insinuate that I have no idea what I am doing. As far as those last questions go... I was HOPING it would be something as stupid as that, because otherwise I have NO idea.

 

1) I usually take it off, but it would probably work with it engaged too, but I think it's better to take it off just in case.

2) no, leave the car off so it isn't running on jack stands with tires off which could be bad.

the reason when you started the car the pedal went to the floor probably has something to do with the brake booster (it runs on vacuum from the intake manifold). I would double check that it's hooked up ok (because that would explain a spongy pedal), and then replace all the brake fluid (aka bleed it really really well) your brake fluid is probably pretty old.

there is probably air in the brake master cylinder, if you really want to bleed it well, it's probably best the bench bleed the master cylinder (disconnect the lines and run some lines back into the brake fluid reservoir and pump the brake pedal a lot to get all the air out of it) and then bleed the brakes really well.

 

thanks for the tips eage8. I bled them again, the same way i did it the first time. Same thing happened. I noticed however this time. When they were tight, before i turned the engine on and started moving, they would only let me go about 1/3 of the way down, it was really tight for that first 1/3, then it was like a wall and i couldnt press down any farther. Ill try what you said eage8, thanks again.

 

You didn't mention where the "thud" came from or which brakes you're working on.
I work on the back brakes by first releasing the ebrake and then removing all tension from the ebrake cable (an easy adjustment screw under the plastic housing around the handle).
You have to screw in the rear piston to fit the new pads (it doesn't just push in) and make sure the sliders are well greased.
Also, the pad has a nipple on it that fits into a recess in the piston.
Once the pads are in place and the caliper reinstalled, you can bleed the lines and then readjust the ebrake cable.

In the front it depends on whether you have the 4-piston calipers or the single piston (base model) units.
If you have the 4-piston guys, you just drop in new pads and you're done.
If you have the single piston versions you have to grease the sliding pins just like the backs.

 

any progress, i just did a brake job yesterday on my 7, so its fresh in my mind. It sounds like you are looking at back brakes. Sounds like a line came loose, or a bleeder was slightly open. Also make sure you start with the right rear brake since it is the futhest from the master cylinder.

 

Nah, no progess. The bleeders were tight enough, i tested the brakes with the cap on to see if anything leaked. Both were tight. Although ive been starting with the left brake both times. The pads ive noticed dont move at all when the brakes are applied. Should you visibly be able to see the brakes tighen as they are pressed? Thanks for your help, ill try and bleed them, right first, again.