Bleeding soft brakes...

[Greasy]

Ok... When I first bought the car, it needed the rear pads replaced, and the front rotors were warped. First, I tried to do the front, but I couldn't get the bolt off to get the rotors off, so I took it to a shop. When I got it back, it didn't stop very well, but I cleaned it off with some break cleaner and it helped alot. Then, I put the pads on the rear, but couldn't figure out how to push the piston back into the caliper to get it around the new pads. (evidently you have to twist it... who knew?) Finally, I figured it out, and got it all put back together, but the pedal practically sank to the floor, so we (my dad and I) decided to bleed the brakes again. When that didn't help, we thought it was the brake master cylinder, so we ordered a new one, but it didn't help. At this point I just decided to have it towed to a shop, and have them deal with it. They said that it was my new master cylinder, so they fixed it. They were a lot better (i.e. drivable), but their still soft. I often have to rely on downshifting to slow myself down in time. I also compared it to my friends S14, and his is so much better. So I decided to bleed it one more time, and clean everything off, and its still didn't help. Some other info: it stops much better if I pump the pedal, and the back wheels lock up, but the front feels very soft.

sorry for the long post, and thanks for the help.

[Greasy]

uh... bump?

[Clawhammer]

Keep bleeding. I had to bleed my system like 3 times when I did my zbrakes. I benchbled the MC too.

[Terrorinc17]

Did you change the calipers on the front? If so make sure the bleeder is up on both sides. If you didn't change them they should be fine.

what did the shop do to the front rotors? Cut them, replace them? Also what kind of pads did they use?

It sounds like you still may have air in the system, especially since you replaced the master cylinder. It can be tough to get all the air out.

The pads are very important. The pads the shop used may have been an economy pad. Take it back to the shop and have them recheck everything.

You also need to make sure why your pumping the pedal. Is it lowor do the pads just don't seem to grip?

If it were me...I would go to the store and buy a new set of rotors and a good set of pads. You should be able to get the pads at Autozone. Get the Duralast plus pads. They dust a little but stop great. The rotors should be about $25 each. But since you already paid for this at a shop tell them to redo it.

It maybe a long shot but I would also replace the front brake line hoses. when the wear they tend to stretch a bit.

Let me know what happens.

[Dattebayo]

The MC needs to be bench-bled before hooking up to the brake lines, and also, the car needs to be facing uphill to get it done correctly. You may have to bleed the MC again after doing it one or twice...

Keep a water-can (the plant kind) full of hot water right by you to wash off the chassis after bleeding, the fluid removes paint if left on for too long. heh