i stripped down all four calipers and whoever serviced the car before i got it apparently cleaned off all the grease and left the calipers unlubricated... good thing i did this as soon as i did. i cleaned them thoroughly and lobbed on some synthetic crc grease. i also bled the system several times and the calipers slide smoothly.

my problem is that my brakes still feel squishy and are hard to lock up even after all this servicing. is my master cylinder gone? or could it be the booster?

 

You probably still have air in your lines..
Start from the farthest tire from the MC and move closer from there..
If it's still swishly, look for leaks when you were servicing your caliper. May not have tightened up one of the lines tight enough.

 

yeah thanks... it seems possible... i can fully depress the pedal to the end of it's travel and the brakes still don't lock. i already checked for leaks and i'm fine.

i guess i've just got to bleed the **** out of it.

 

Try adjusting the the brake M/C to brake booster actuator rod adjustment... and when you bleed, try it with the car on. I bet the rod adjustment is your problem.

 

Also, crack the lines up near the M/C. This is drastic but you already bleed the brakes the regular way and you are still having trouble. Bleed the lines where they just come out of the M/C and see if an air bubble is hiding there.

 

I second the fact it sounds like air in the system. Any pinhole could always leak air in too...

Make sure you use threadlock on the bleeder screws, they will help the bleeding process.

 

kind of a confusing term.... is that the rod connected to the brake pedal under the dash? it has a lock nut on it... because i already adjusted that.

or do i have to take off the mc to adjust that?

 

^^ Yes, to properly adjust it, you have to take out the mastercylinder and apply lithium/white grease to teh rod. Then Hook the mastercylinder back up and makesure that the mastercylinder mas grease on it. If it does, remove it, wipe it clean, and adjust so that when you do it, there is no grease, then adjsut slightly until there is. Long process, but it gets the brake pedal set perfectly so as soon as you touch the break, you're ready to break.

Alternatively you could set a dead space inbetween, but not sure what the purpose would be,,, Unlike you like resting your foot on the break or something,.

 

Easier way is to use a Vernier caliper to get zero clearance.

Or, you could buy the Mazda adjustment tool. I have one, it makes adjustments slick.