Hi all I'm new to the forum and hoping you can help me.
New discs and pads and brake hoses fitted at 4 corner,s as this was the reason for MOT failure. Now when bleeding the brakes hubby cannot get any pressure on the pedal. Done the usual routine of pressing on the brake pedal while he bleeds each corner but there's very little improvement and the brake pedal sinks to the floor with minimal resistance.

I'm wondering whether the ABS module or master cylinder would need to be bled? If this might be the problem can any one help out with a how to please? Any other suggestions for the problem gratefully received.
Thank you in advance.
Caz

 

Hello Caz ,
Are you still having the low pedal issue .
Sid

 

Hi Sid
Yes still having the same problem. Hubby just had another go now but no joy. can get pressure on the pedal when engine off but very little when engine running

 

Ok , first thing , don't run the engine .

Generally speaking when you replace disc rotors and brake pads you normally don't lose your pedal pressure , however replacing the brake hoses you have no means of stopping the brake fluid from draining the master cylinder , which I think that's what has occurred .

 

OH!!! That sounds worrying as we have had the car running. Any idea how we can rectify this please? Many thanks for taking the time to reply.
Caz

 

Caz , don't worry as long as you did not drive the car it will be alright .

Does hubby feel up to or know how to bleed the brake master cylindar ?

I am assuming the where no problems before you replaced the brakes ?

 

Great we haven't driven it at all yet. He's willing to do it yes if you can help.
Brakes were ok before the replacements were fitted thank you

 

Good , OK so you have an xtype , it should be a Bosch cylindar with 2 pipe outlets ,
are you using DOT 4 brake fluid .

Bosch should be stamped on the front side of the brake booster ,
Remember ! brake fluid is an excellent paint stripper , so have a bottle of at least 1 Litre of water handy .

Does he have some there to help bleed .

 

Hi
Yes to all of those questions Bosch, 2 pipes, Dot 4 and I'm helping him out.
Thank you so much for this

 

Ok Caz , it's simple from here on so don't panic and don't worry .

I take it you will be in the car pumping the brake pedal , Caz when hubby tells you to push down on the pedal , make sure you push all the way down until the pedal can go no further and keep it down .

When he says release the pedal , take your foot off , not to fast , just a gentle release making sure your foot is all the way off .

( what is hubby's name )

 

His name is Nigel....got it on the pedal action what do we do next?
Thanks

 

Nigel , you may need to remove the rad coolant bottle as the brake pipes sit under or very close to the bottle . Make sure the brake fluid reservoir is close to full at all times and all caliper nipples are closed .

Firstly , loosen both the pipe nuts at the Master Cylinder about 2 - 3 turns each .
Have Caz , now push the pedal down and stay down .
Nigel , you now tighten both nuts up , and have Caz release the brake pedal .

Do this about 5 times or so . ( DO NOT PUMP THE PEDAL AT THIS STAGE ) just up and down as explained .

Nigel , you should notice two things happening , each time the pedal is released the brake fluid level will drop in the reservoir , and the other is when you first started bleeding there would have been little to no pressure at the brake pipe nuts , at the end of bleeding the fluid should be squirting out under pressure .

You should now have some pedal pressure , that's because the air has now been removed from the Master Cylinder and fluid is in it's place .
You can now continue to bleed the air from the rest of the brakes as you were doing .

Nigel depending on age & mileage some Master Cylinders for no reason can fail when bleeding the system .

Hope this helps .

oh , don't forget to wash the brake fluid down with water .

 

Caz , Nigel , if you have any questions or didn't understand something please let me know .

Cheers,

Sid

 

Thank you Sid we will give this a try this afternoon and let you know how we get on. The car is 2003 and has only done 58k miles. Thank you so much for your help. Fingers crossed it will work
Caz & Nigel

 

Ok , good luck with that .

 

+1 on the advice you have so far.

If your vehicle is RH drive, begin the brake bleeding process at the LH rear wheel then proceed to the RH rear wheel next, with the RH front being the final position.

During the bleeding process, remember to check the fluid level at the master cylinder reservoir so the reservoir is not emptied. Top up the fluid to the maximum level mark on the fluid reservoir once the bleeding is complete.

Prior to driving the vehicle, pump the brake pedal several times with the engine running to ensure the pads are positioned against the discs.

If you plan on working on the vehicle yourself, download the JTIS Workshop Manual as all maintenance and servicing procedures are outlined in detail along with torque and other specifications.

 

Well what can I say. RESULT!!!
Many many thanks mastersid for your invaluable help and to NBcat for the additional information, we really would have been stuck without you. Car went through the MOT ok with just a rear wheel bearing which Nigel is doing ready for re-test at the end of the week. Thanks again I'm so grateful.

 

Glad It all worked out for you .
Take care ,

Sid

 

If that doesn't work, Bleeding the master cylinder? What would I do next?