braking issues

[navygunz93]

I have to really mash down the pedal to come to a complete stop. I checked the master cylinder for air bubbles. What else could be the culprit?

[Zee]

I have to really mash down the pedal to come to a complete stop. I checked the master cylinder for air bubbles. What else could be the culprit?

Check your brakes pads the could be worn down and also check your rotors while you are at it for wear because you might to them resurfaced, but more than likely you need to buy new ones.

[navygunz93]

The rotors recently got resurfaced and the pads just got replaced(Hawk brake pads are great!) so is there anything else i should check?

[demonyoka420]

I have to really mash down the pedal to come to a complete stop. I checked the master cylinder for air bubbles. What else could be the culprit?

Re-bleed the brake lines

[Zee]

Re-bleed the brake lines

Best Idea and then if that doesn't work have a shop look for problems with the lines or the master cylinder.

[evildky]

I checked the master cylinder for air bubbles.

uh.... did you try bleeding the brakes? if you don't know how, find someone who does, and if you got air in the system there has to be a reson, could be a minor leak at one calliper, took me a while to find a very slow leak on my old mr2, sounds like you just did the frotn brakes, did you open the bleeder at all or disconnect the line? did you find any fluid leaking around the hose, bleeder, or the lines?

and how can you say the hawk pads are great if you can't get the brakes working right??? also note there are several compounds from which to choose when buying hawk brand pads, some offer better initial bite, others offer greater grip when heated, chances are you got the hp+ which is the basic entry level performance pad

[tg]

check for wet spots on the lines all around its possible that you loosened something when you moved the calipers out of the way to take the discs off. put the car up on jackstands, take the wheels off, pump the brakes a bitw hile its running an dlook for wet spots on the floor.

[navygunz93]

Well I took the car to Midas to get a second opinion. They told me my system was contaminated. They said the pads are constantly against rotors and my master cylinder is fried They said the rubber seals on the calipers were melting and that the car would end up locking up completely, To fix everything would be $6000. Are there any Mechanics that think this is a fair assesment?

[TenTill4Z]

Well I took the car to Midas to get a second opinion. They told me my system was contaminated. They said the pads are constantly against rotors and my master cylinder is fried They said the rubber seals on the calipers were melting and that the car would end up locking up completely, To fix everything would be $6000. Are there any Mechanics that think this is a fair assesment?

Holy cow! That's insane. Sorry to hear about that.

[dantheduke1]

$6000. Don't go to Midas. Bleeding your brakes is the hardest part of a brake job. ( need two people, patience to remove ALL dirty/old fluid) Even if you bought every new part for your brakes from the master to rear pads, you'd be hard to spend a couple grand let alone $6000. Good luck in your search.

Mod: Are you talking about a Z32 or your 350z?

[Canyoncarver]

Are there any Mechanics that think this is a fair assesment?

NO!!!!!

[freakonaleash1187]

$6k?!?! That is a huge ripe-off, they are trying to bend you over.

[navygunz93]

Do you think a Nissan dealer would give me a better deal?

[Canyoncarver]

Did you pay someone to replace the pads & turn the rotors? If so, take it back and tell them to fix it correctly.

[evildky]

it's highly unlikely that all 4 callipers are locked, and if they were, you should have a hard time starting not stoping, , even to replace all 4 calipers, rotors, master and bleed the system shouldn't cost near that, you need to find a trustworthy shop

[navygunz93]

Well they are the only shop in the area........They also mentioned that since all four calipers were not retracting from the rotors that is very likely that I will boil the rubber seals inside the calipers due to heat stress. And once that happens they said I have a complete brake failure on my hands and the care is unable to stop. Can those little rubber seals be that expensive to replace?

[Canyoncarver]

........They also mentioned that since all four calipers were not retracting from the rotors that is very likely that I will boil the rubber seals inside the calipers due to heat stress.

The reason that the pads usually don't retract from the rotors is because of a build-up of brake dust and road grime in between the claiper and pads. This is also a common cause for squeaky brakes.

If you did the work yourself, take everything back apart, clean the calipers, shims, springs and pins really good with scotchbrite and brake parts cleaner then reassemble.

If you don't see any fluid leaks around the calipers, lines and master cylinder, then all is pretty much O.K.

You MUST properly bleed the brakes per the FSM or tt.net write-up, including at the ABS pump, in order to get all of the air out of the system. It is also relatively important to keep bleeding each of the 6 bleed points until you see new fluid coming out. That is how you get rid of the old contaminated fluid.

[nsrZ32]

Midas is a joke....run away from them. The Nissan dealership could put all brand new factory nissan pieces on for way less than that. And chances are that you need very little and it will be an easy fix.

[SpeedFreak_Josh]

Well I took the car to Midas to get a second opinion. They told me my system was contaminated. They said the pads are constantly against rotors and my master cylinder is fried They said the rubber seals on the calipers were melting and that the car would end up locking up completely, To fix everything would be $6000. Are there any Mechanics that think this is a fair assesment?

Midas, Midas, Midas. Always trying to upsell.

On that note:Contamination may be a factor. Brake fluid readily absorbs moisture so if your fluid is old, I'd completely change ALL the fluid in your system. If there was no problem prior to the work you had done, then I would take it back to whoever worked on it and have them re-bleed the brakes. Next point:pads are always against the rotors.<pretty much They are supposed to be. they are self adjusting and move in every time you use them.when you change pads, don't forget to lube the sliding pins. When they dry out, they stick and cause uneven/premature wear, and soft brakes.

Lastly:The master cylinder. How to check. With the car running, push on the pedal and hold. Does the brake pedal slowly go to the floor? The master cylinder leaks internally and you will loose pressure when holding down the pedal due to fluid leaking by the seals.

If you don't follow this advice, I will fly to wherever you are located, and install all new brakes; rotors, pads, brk lines, fluid, and master cylinder ALL for only $5,000 That's a better deal no??

[Canyoncarver]

If you don't follow this advice, I will fly to wherever you are located, and install all new brakes; rotors, pads, brk lines, fluid, and master cylinder ALL for only $5,000

I'll bid $4500.

[navygunz93]

Well I wanna thank y'all for your advice. It has helped me out alot. I would try and tackle this issue myself but I am still a little wet behind the ears when it comes to a job of this magnitude, And don't want to make a bad situation worse. So I talked to midas again to see what in the world could possibly cost 6 g's and they said they would cut the cost in half and only charge 3 g's. What do y'all think?

[SpeedFreak_Josh]

NO!Not for even half of that.DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT ever go back to that Midas again.Everything they are throwing at you is technical lingo to make a simple problem sound big.

Go find a reputable mechanic.

on a side note:I had a friend that went to Midas about 2 months ago for his car shaking while driving. They said it was his steering rack and it would cost $1500 to fix. Needess to say, he was very discouraged. His car only had 40k and was 3 yrs old. He was talking about trading it in.After talking with him I found out that on the way to pick up his wife every night, he would constantly hit this huge pothole. I told him to NOT go back there. Go somewhere else and tell them of the problem, the pothole, and not mention what Midas said.Conlusion: 2 front tires and an alignment. about $200

[Canyoncarver]

Still too much. You can buy a top of the line Big Brake Kit for $2k.

Search for some other Z forums. There are people in your area that will help you out for ALOT less. I help out kids local to me for free. or lunch. or a bottle of whiskey. or whatever they can afford.

[SpeedFreak_Josh]

How were the brakes before you had them changed? before grinding(if u waited that long)

[navygunz93]

Well the brakes were not bad when I bought the car. I just felt they could be better so I upgraded to Hawk high performance street pads. When I went to work the other day I noticed that when I put my foot on the brake it went almost to the floor for my car to stop. Not a abrupt stop but just to slow down to a stop. So I took her to the experts at midas to get baseline for troubleshooting.

Now on a sidenote: Are there any Maryland Z'ers that can help find someone that can help me? (Its just gonna be hella expensive period based on the shops I spoke to)

[Canyoncarver]

Here is a reputable Z guy in your area. Contact him and tell him that you need your brakes checked out.

http://www.yugobernie.com/

[evildky]

so your foot went almost to the floor as in no breaking action till the bottom? this is symptom of air in the system or a leak, and you tried to "fix" the problem by changing the pads and nothing else? so then we are pretty sure you have a leak somethere or a bad master, perhaps even a calliper but not all of them, I can't see this costing more than a few hundred bucks at most from a reputable shop

[Wetmyson]

dude, never go to midas. i've only ever heard about bad experiences from there and i've had one myself. never heard any good stories about midas.

even if they were going to do the work for free i'd say don't go. they can't be trusted.

a lot of places are like that - ed's oil, jiffylube, etc. midas is one of the worst though i think.