jlee916

It seems that my brakes are not working correctly. I have to push the pedal all the way to the firewall for the car to slow down. And even when it's pushed all the way, the brakes aren't stopping quick enough. It gets scary so now I'm just driving my accord in the mean time.

My friends that were driving behind me said they can hear my brakes loud, but I could'nt hear it. One of my friend said that I need new brake pads. Is that true? I haven't taken my wheels and calliper off to check yet, and it's quite late here.

RXSpeed16

iTrader: (41)

Your friend is probably right, but look at them first. If the pads are down to the metal backing plates, you may need new rotors too.

On a side note, this is a very basic car maintenance and diagnostic issue. If you are having problems with it, I suggest taking it to a shop or have an experienced friend do the job with/for you. Especially when it involves something as important as brakes. We all have to start somewhere.

mazdamattk

If you have that much pedal movement, you might want to check for leaks while you are in there. If it is not a line, check the calipers themselves. Replacing seals on calipers is pretty straight forward, just from looking at the rebuild kits.

If nothing is leaking, I wanna say your problem is with your rear brakes. If I remember right, the rear brakes have a large influence on pedal travel.

Turbo Cole

If you pump the brakes a few times, while driving, does your pedal come up a bit and get harder? If so, I would check the master cylinder.
I would also check the brake pads.
There may be some air in your brake system, so I would check the brake fluid levels and then check for any leaks.
If everything checks out OK, I would try bleeding the brakes and see if that helps.
I hope this helps.
Good luck with finding the problem.

cleksutin

If others can "hear" the breaks then I would start by checking the pads, and soon. Driving around and having the breaks go out when you least expect them too is a nightmare situation that could change (or end) your life.

Leks

scortch99th

iTrader: (2)

im having the same issue, sanding the pads and cleaning off the rotors along with a fluid bleed should do the trick , no money to spend just a bit of time .

jlee916

sorry for the late responses. well it seems my brake pedal gets harder and harder when i keep pumping it down, but it goes back to very soft soon after. i did this in my drive way while my car was on. i took it around the block and it does the same thing. where should i start to fix this? master cylinder? where is that at? i was gonna take off my wheel but realized i don't have a jack with the car nor do i have any spares around. in the mean time, i'll try and borrow one.

please excuse my novice questions.
thank you!

ganglyy

check master cylinder, lines, pads, bleed 'em!

jlee916

Alright guys, I just saw a video of a guy's rx7 brake master cylinder and I now know what you guys are talking about. I'll definitely take a look after I get home from work tomorrow afternoon. Maybe it needs brake fluid because this car was sitting for 5 years by the previous owner. I doubt he started the car up every day or every month, but the engine does run!

mazdamattk

Sounds like a hydraulic issue. Next time though do the pump test without the car running. Can be hard to differentiate a problem with the brake booster or a hydraulic system problem.

Suck the fluid out of the master, replace with new. Start bleeding at the back passenger caliper, then the other, then fro t passenger, the driver front. Always bleed furthest from the master then work closer. Do thus with the car off, and whoever holds the pedal for you, only go 3/4 of the way down, all the way to the floor can sometimes cause problems.

jlee916

i did the pump test without the car running as well. same thing happened. that's when i noticed that it was getting harder and harder, and then it went back to being soft again.

i'll be picking up some brake fluids on my way home from work. i'll keep you guys updated. the more input, the better! thanks

RXSpeed16

iTrader: (41)

Check your pads first. Noise indicates a problem with the pads or calipers. Bleeding the lines after sitting for 5 years is definitely a good idea, but if you are down on fluid, you have a leak. Brake fluid does not get consumed in a properly working system.

Does your car have ABS?

jlee916

i don't think my car has abs. it's the base model 90 gtu