The car seems to stop fine, but pedal makes me uncomfortable with how low it is - would this be pad related ? Brake fluid is to top. Thanks, Jim

 

pads, possibly. Have you checked how much material are on them?

 

Sean, no, I haven't done that yet - I'm gathering info so that I can do wheel sensors and any other areas needing attention while wheels are off. Thanks, Jim

 

I asked the same question a few months ago after replacing my front and rear pads. Still had a lot of travel. Most replies stated that it was normal. One said you needed to rotate the caliper so the bleed valve was at top to bleed. Haven't tried it yet but I would like some more feedback on this myself. Very interesting. By the way I had an Allante and loved it. Like to get another but wife thinks I have enough.
Dave

 

I agree, Dave... it would be good hear from others on this topic.
[ I'm sure that T-Bird makes up for your loss]

 

The caliper requires rotating when the pedal is that bad you can bottom it. This is a classic spongy pedal, usually after bleeding the system. It only take a few small bubbles to get this issue.
Even vac/pressurized lines cannot get this trapped air in the front caliper. When I first discovered this and shared it, it was doubted until people found it worked.
I removed the caliper and used wire to hang it with the bleed nipple (already backed off) with bleed tube and bottle attached pointing 12, once I opened the nipple bubbles showed - I let the fluid run clear and tightened up. Once the calipers are done the pedal is as it should be, unless there's a vac servo line leak, warn pads/discs etc!

Brembo equipped cars don't have this issue. Only ATE systems suffer this.

Hope this helps

 

Does the pedal travel too much before brakes grab or it simply stays low with little travel left?


If it travels too much, what happens if you press brakes few times - does that shorten the travel? If it does - the system most likely has something soft in it. Could be air, bleeding the system should help. I would do bleeding with assistant, not just letting the fluid drip out. Could be rubber hoses giving up, those should be replaces at some point(every 40K?) and I had issues with them on two cars I owned.

If pedal stays low, it could be some mechanical issue in pedal attachment.

The pads is the last thing I would look at, even if they are completely used-up it does not increase caliper's braking movement.

hope you sort it out soon, I would be scared to drive these heavy cars with any brake problems.

 

Sean, thanks for this post. I'll definitely give it a go...Much appreciated !

 

Pedal travel is lower than my other vehicles, but just a concern - I like to feel the brakes right away. I'll look into new hoses - good advice. Thanks for your help, Jim