PLEASE HELP!!!! BRAKES!!!

[cremecreme]

I changed my front rotors today and put the drilled and slotted rotors on with new brake pads. I let a little brake fluid out when i depressed the pistons in order to get the new brake pads on. I finally got everything back together nice and snug and start the car up. I press the brake a few times to get some fluid back into the brakes and the low brake fluid light came (didn't know there was one until today) the pedal went all the to the floor. I put some brake fluid into the resevoir and pumped the brakes and still all the way to the floor....I even drove around the block pumping the brakes and still the pedal keeps going to the floor?? Please can anyone tell me what to do!!! I dont want to take it to Infiniti and pay hundreds.

[jefferdy1]

After changing out the brakes did you flush the lines. You need to go to each rotor loosing the screw on the caliper to flush the air out of the lines. It is easier with 2 people to do this. One inside slowly depressing the brake pedal and the other at the caliper. Start at the furthest point from the master cylinder moving forward.

Jeff

[b16gsr]

check the abs resavior(sp?) that is where you drained the fluid from. should solver your problems, it is near the ABS pump i believe

[cremecreme]

I didnt flush the lines i only did the front brakes and i just loosened the screw on the line and depressed the brake piston by pushin it in with a breaker bar, so that i could put the new pads on becuase the were thicker, and some fluid squirted out and it depressed in... i didnt think any air would be in the lines. I have usually changed brakes and never had a problem with the brake pedal going to the floor..

[auditech10]

You should have had an experienced person do this for you or with you. You NEVER should have loosened the bleeder screw or worried about the fluid coming out of the reservoir. You will need to bleed the brakes if you loosened any bleeder screws. Also for future reference using a breaker bar to push the pistons back in is NOT a good idea at all as you can easily get the piston cocked in the caliper. Next time use channel locks.Good luck

[cremecreme]

I am a experienced shade tree mechanic =)...Thanks to all who posted!!! It was air in the lines!!! I had to bleed the brakes and add some fluid...you live and you learn....not bad for my first time ever!!! So i would rate changing the rotors from 1-10 10 being the hardest...as about 5...i can tell a little difference witht he drilled and slotted rotors...i got the R1 concepts rotors from ebay....they had alot of good feedback and i think someone else on here ordered the same ones....But A BIG THANKS for all the comments and help!!!!!glad to know we have a good forum with helpful people instead of bashers...like some sites where they probably would have just made fun of me...lol

[ClutchKick]

Since you let out the brake fluid from there, you will have to bleed your brakes on all FOUR corners (Front and rear)...

[cremecreme]

I did.... thanks for the reply...i got so good at taking off and putting on the tires...=)...all by hand..but in the end it feels good to know that you did it yourself!!!! i think Infiniti quote in the upper $700's to do the rotors (probably not replace) and the brakes...can you belive that...i spent a total of $260

[Q45tech]

PLEASE HELP!!!! BRAKES!!!

"can you belive that...i spent a total of $260"

Why do you think drilled and slotted are better than oem?

[auditech10]

Because they give the feeling of having performance parts and a faster car than it is.

[cremecreme]

I didnt say they were better, i just said i felt a little difference in the stopping. Maybe it is my imagination...maybe because they are new rotors and new brake pads....maybe i just like the way they look and like Auditech10 said...it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling....i am sure the stock ones are better over a longer period of time....but i just wanted to try them out and accomplish a job that i haven't done before...plus you have to admit they do look cool....

[MaxBolus]

I also installed a pair of front rotors, drilled and slotted.. it does give me warm fuzzies as well. I like the way they look.But more than that- I had original rotors resurfaced and then replaced at dealer for vibration, but still had braking shudder after just a few weeks. Have had the new rotors almost a year with no vibration yet. (though now the rears are acting up..can't complain with 68K)

Maybe it has something to do with the ceramic pads, but whatever, I'm happy.And besides, them rotors are good for 10-15HP, right?

cheers

[cremecreme]

wow...i have 66k on mine...maybe that could be a trend...around 65k the rotors start going bad...i guess that is about right...anyone else near 65k with bad rotors??

[szh]

I am at 52k on my original rotors. The rotors are just fine right now - they were resurfaced when I changed the pads (at about 35k miles or so, as I recall).

My experience with Infiniti (16 years of owning one model or another) has been that the Nissan OEM rotors last about 2 to 3 sets of pads. Since I anticipate that I will need to change pads at the 65k to 70k mark, I think my rotors might take me between 70k to 100k miles.

This length (plus the 35k for the pads) is a great increase over previous models of Q45's that I have had. And the braking on my M45 is as good as my previous Q45s. On my 1995 Q, I replaced the OEM rotors with slotted and drilled Bradi rotors (sistem company to Brembo). While I only drove the car a few more thousand miles before I sold it, I could not find any major difference in braking quality between the OEM and drilled&slotted Bradi's. The only perceptible differences was the sound ... the slots seemed to generate a particular sound that is quite unusually different from non-slotted rotors as the pads move over them.

Note that the quality of the braking is strongly dependent on the experience and skills of the brake technician who does the work. This last time, the Infiniti tech did an outstanding job on my car. The work was done around 35k miles, and it is now 52k miles, and the car stops smoothly ... without any of the vibration and pulsing that people tend to say are "warped rotors"!

I also balance my tires every 3k to 4k miles or so, which always helps too, with any mild vibration issues when driving.

Z

[lswaidz]

My factory front rotors died on me around 40k. I have a feeling it was partially my fault though as the car had braked hard from over 100 on a few occasions. They were warped very badly. I ended up ordering front and rear drilled rotors from Jason Burtman. I've only had the fronts installed so far, but they are phenomenal. It is a little weird stopping now from around 50 or 60 because you can feel a tactile response difference in the pedal and there is a real low frequency "hum" that you can hear at well. I haven't had the rears installed yet, but I will soon. Now I need to get some wheels that show them off a little.