new brake pads..... no brake pressure!!!????

[ajbarnes1]

so, I replaced my brake pads with some Hawk Hps pads, and my rotors with EBC slotted rotors. Well, I took my car up and down the street, and the brake pedal is very spongy and the braking is horrible-- brakes don't seem to kick in until the pedal is to the floor, and even then they take for ever to stop the car. So I brought the car back home and put her up on the jacks and tried to bleed the brakes. I pumped the pedal 3-4 times, stuck a pipe between the pedal and the seat, and pulled off the little rubber stopper on the caliper. Nothing came out. I left the cap off, put a paper towel over the valve and went inside the car and pumped the pedal repeatedly.... no fluid came out the valve. I repeated the exact same procedure for the front, with the exact same results. There is plenty of fluid in the cylinder and there aren't any cuts in the rubber brake lines near where I working. Any help ASAP would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. -Andrew

[YamaOni]

By not closing the valve when pumping you accomplished nothing, Get some one to pump the brakes till they get pedal have them hold it and then open the valve, repeat till you have no air bubbles.

I left the cap off, put a paper towel over the valve and went inside the car and pumped the pedal repeatedly.... no fluid came out the valve

you may have sucked air in

[ajbarnes1]

the whole thing is that there is no pressure. I can pump the pedal 3-4 times and there will be a noticeable build up of pressure, but the pressure rapidly dissipates as soon as I stop pumping the pedal. Before the brake job, the pedal would hold the pressure (as long as the car was turned off) even after the pedal was released.

[YamaOni]

Your master cylinder might be bad

[Aries]

or there could be a leak somewhere else...

[sixxdeuce]

"I pumped the pedal 3-4 times, stuck a pipe between the pedal and the seat, and pulled off the little rubber stopper on the caliper. Nothing came out"

you did open the valve after taking off that rubber cap right? I know its a stupid question but it doesnt really say.

[myRed240]

[quote=" sixxdeuce [Byou did open the valve after taking off that rubber cap right? I know its a stupid question but it doesnt really say. [/quote]It doesn't sound like you opened the bleeder valve. I know you took the rubber cap off, but you also need to unscrew the the valve about 1/4 to 1/2 turn and have someone help you....

Also, does anyone know if you are supposed to have the car on or off?Thanks,Alex

[Aries]

key should be on but the motor should not be started.power breaks people

[myRed240]

key should be on but the motor should not be started.power breaks people

okay, so I had my car turned on(started it). Could that have made a difference in the bleeding? My brakes seem to work fine, but about 3 days after I replaced my pads, I had some smoke coming from the rear left......wtf? The only thing that I can think is that 5 mins before I noticed the smoke, I had to hit the brakes reeaally hard. Could this cause smoke, and a burning rubber smell? Thanks!

[Touchdown038]

You should check for leaks along all the brakes lines and calipers to make sure a line hasn't busted or leaking anywhere. And if there's no leaks, and you're sure you bled the brakes properly, a new master cylinder should fix it. I had the same problem on my car and a rebuild kit fixed it right up.

[YamaOni]

key should be on but the motor should not be started.power breaks people

But dont they get the power from the vacuum the engine produces

[EZcheese15]

But dont they get the power from the vacuum the engine produces

Uh...that's exactly what I was going to say.

[krazy skwerel]

your car doesnt have to be on for the brakes to work. i mean let your car roll and mash the brakes it will still stop. when i bleed brakes the car is off completly.

[LaureltheQueen]

If you dont have anyone to help....

Get a glass of brake fluid(fresh) and open the bleeder valve. Affix your little plastic tube to the end, and stick the other end in the cup. get in the car, pump the brakes, and push some of the air you allowed in there out. it will go through the tube, into the fluid and bubble out, when you release the pedal, it will suck in new fluid. Do this a few times for each corner, then check and see if this helps any. if it doesnt, and you have no leaks, then i'd say its a faulty master cylinder.

[LaureltheQueen]

If you have a burning rubber smell, that may be your tire. Just got to thinking. Perhaps you have a kink in your brake line. If this is so, it possibly would have let pressure through, to stop the wheel, but allowed no fluid back, so the piston is still pushing on the pad. (if you have rear discs), or the cylinder is causing the brake shoes to hold onto the drum.

Just got me thinkin last night.