Allright, E-brake wasn't working a few months back, and as you all know, it's prime drift season in michigan right now
So I take my rears apart and my pads are worn to the point where they're cracking and down to steel in some areas. I figure might as well do new pads on the front while I'm at it. So new brakes go on, pedal is stiffer for about two weeks. Then, shaboom, brakes are worse than before I put them on. Now I'm shoving the pedal to the floor at every stop. A friend suggested I bleed them which I plan to do tomorrow. Any other suggestions? Brake fluid is at normal levels, and my e-brake works properly. Thanks for the help
There's a thin line to be crossed, when the upgrades to your vehicle increase your chance to get tickets by an amount exponential enough to stop worrying and build the fastest, loudest car you can.
Did you adjust the rear brakes properly? Did you bleed them already? If you just changed pads and didn't open any lines, they should NOT need to be bleed. So if you did bleed them, and did something wrong, maybe you got an air bubble in some how. I would check the following.
1: make sure you go the rear shoes on correctly.
2: make sure they are adjusted properly (can probalbly find procedures in haynes of chiltons manual)
3: check all ur work and make sure springs didnt pop off or anything.
if you are just changing pads you shouldnt have to bleed the brakes. only time you would have to bleed them is if you disconnected a brake line.
It's still not a bad idea to do a bleed, especially if it's been a long time, that will get some of the old crappy (as in wet -- look it up) fluid out.
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Sleeper style, they don't see it coming that way.
something tells me you didnt put a rear SHOE on correctly, and it slipped off the wheel cylider causing it to blow out, and therefore no pedal pressure.
Or perhaps a hole in a hose or line.
I would start by tearing your drums off, and seeing whats up.
Usually a hole in a line or hose would decrease the amount of fluid in the master, but I have seen wheel cyl. blow without a HUGE loss of fluid.
I'm starting to think that a shoe wasn't installed correctly. I was a minute bit low on fluid, but topping it off had no effect. Is there another way to adjust my rears besides the stomp on the brakes in reverse method? The roads are so snowy that that's just about impossible. Probably gonna tear into the drums tomorrow night.
There's a thin line to be crossed, when the upgrades to your vehicle increase your chance to get tickets by an amount exponential enough to stop worrying and build the fastest, loudest car you can.
Yeah, judging by the fact you called them pads, I'd say you didn't have a clue what you were doing and screwed something up. Also the fact you have a "kill list" on your profile shows just about how brilliant you are.
14.330 @ 96.37mph
If you need an instruction manual to work on drum brakes you shouldn't even be jacking up your car.
I replaced both wheel cylinders in 30 minutes my first time ever doing it. Afterwards, I put stainless brake lines on and bled the system (Bench bled the master just in case) and used a ABS Scan tool to cycle the solenoids and then gravity bled for a couple hours.
I think I'm mechanically inclined but they are seriously easy. Just do one side at a time and triple check your work.
