01 Kia Sephia brakes

chaissos
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:54:37 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

2001 Kia Sephia, 1.8L, ~122K miles, regular services are all being done. Automatic, also serviced per schedule.

Brakes pedal would depress further and further until it hit the floor.

23 Mar, 2010: Taken to Just Brakes. New pads and shoes, turned rotors and drums, rear wheel cylinders (new, due to leaking), purged system, new fluid.

Two weeks later, more pedal fade…to the floor. Back to Just Brakes, bled system. Operated correctly until April.

23 Apr 2010: Independent Mechanic (Brake Check employee, ASE certified, works on the side) Cause: brake Fade. Resolution: Brake Master Cylinder replaced with one from Advanced, make Cardon. When removed, was “damp” behind it, but not a noticeable leak. System bled again, operated normally.

Jul/Aug 2010: Brake check again. Complaint: Pedal fade again. Resolution: Replaced rear wheel cylinders with another manufacturer. Bled system again.

Dec 2010: Pedal fade again.

Now the car is sitting because the driver (older woman) feels it is unsafe. She also transports kids (5 & 7) back and forth to school, and the last time it faded badly, she was in traffic, with the kids. The emergency brake worked, so she finished that trip. The car is a couple hundred miles away from me all the time, so I almost never get to see it. I’m just trying to help out a workmate who sees his wife only on weekends, as he lives/works in 2 different cities.

So…any thoughts on what might be wrong with this? Master, rears, shoes, pads and fluid are new, there are no discernible leaks, and a system bleed will return them to operating correctly for a couple weeks to a couple months, then they start to fade again.

Chase

13 posts - 7 participants