Facts: has drums in the rear, dics in the front with ABS and Traction control in the front.
History: Had rear drum and shoes replaced; all new.
Had front pads and rotors replaced; all new. After the fron 'brakes" were replaced, the pedal was very squishy
and now it’s just not as firm as it was prior to the front brake replacement.
At first the repair shop said replace the master brake cylinder, but I have balk at that.
Question: Have the dealer flush the brakes or have the mech. flush/bleed the brakes?
Will flushing or bleeding cure this or is it the wheel cylinders or master cylinder?
Nervous about the bleeding affecting the O ring in the master cylinder or the ABS ???
It sounds like the brakes were not correctly bled. Why are you nervous about bleeding the brakes causing some other problem?
Brakes were NEVER bleed after the front brake pads and rotors were installed.
They should have been. That’s where I’d start on this now.
Then question becomes: 1 flush change (never has been changed; I drive alot of stop and go)which costs $100 or just have it bled at the local mech. ?
Note: NO problem with the pedal; squishy BEFORE the rotor and pad change.
I am going to assume that you haven’t been doing brake fluid exchanges every 3 years, so yes you need to change out all of the fluid. If you had a brake problem before the pad changes, then your problem is likely to be more serious than just air in the lines. You need to get this fixed now. You may not care about your brakes, but all the rest of do care about them, if we are in front of you.
If the pedal does not go to the floor it’s unlikely to be a master cylinder. they’ll likely either operate erratically or drop to the loor, depending on how bad the piston seal is.
If the pedal firms up with pumping, thst’s a sign of air in the line. As the air compresses, it becomes less of a factor in the brake feel.
I agree with Tardis’ comments about the bleeding. Start there. If it were me, I’d have the shop that did the work bleed them at no addtional charge. Bleeding will not affect the seals in either the MC or the wheel wheel cylinders.
Hi,
Yes Tardis, I do CARE about my brakes as I have a family and others do also! I am just concerned, that I do this the CORRECT way and I didn’t know about the change every 3 years or would have done so. I am just trying to educate myself, so that I am NOT taken advantage of! Information is POWER!
The same mountainbike, thanks for your concurrance with Tardis and your additional thoughts and info. Appreciate it!