Here is a short lead to were I'm at now. Found a 94 4.0 with 96k miles, I took the car for a test drive the brakes felt good. We got back looked the car over and found the front drivers side caliper was leaking. Running down the tire. I got some money off and I bought the car. The ride home was going good for the first 20 minutes until I pushed the brake pedal and it went down to the floor. Nothing. I grabbed the hand brake slowed and pulled over. Opened the hood thinking I was out of fluid but it wasn't down much. So the journey home continued with my hand on the e brake. Sometimes I could pump up the pedal. Other times it was fine or nothing. It was a intense ride home. Good thing I had back roads to take. So today we put new front calipers and pads on. We could not get a hard pedal. Always went to the floor. I could here the pump kick in and relays click when I press the pedal. We did not bleed the rear brakes only the front. Should we do the backs too? Is there a special way we should be bleeding them? When I would pump the brakes it seemed like there was bubbles coming up in the brake fluid reservoir. We gave up for tonight.

 

You were very Lucky!

When the same thing happened to me, my Car nearly caught Fire! as in my Case I had a 'Stuck Caliper'

The Brake Fluid Boiled and the Pedal went down to the floor.

But in answer to your question, you have to bleed ALL the Brakes including the rear ones, or you will be pumping that Pedal for ever and a day and getting nowhere.

Do the rear ones first, starting with the one that is furthest away from the System and then working forward.

BUT! and this is an absolute MUST! do NOT! under any circumstances fit any new Brake Pads or Calipers, without leaving the Bleed Nipples on the Calipers Open.

As if for instance you use a Screw Driver to lever the Calipers back, in the way you may have done on any other Car, you can force Brake Fluid the wrong way up the System to the ABS.

This can have disastrous results in as much as it could completely wreck the workings of the ABS Actuator Valve Block, for which you would be unlikely to find any Spare Parts.

A new Valve Block repair kit, IF you could find one £300-£500.

A complete new Actuator, IF you could find one £2,000! that is not a misprint Two Thousand Pounds!

Or you will have to try and rebuild it, like I have just done, which makes something like 'Bleeding the Brakes' seem like a non event!

However you may have been lucky and got away with it 'This Time' so Bleed all of the Brakes including the rear and you should be OK!

Just one final thought, did you by any chance do what I did and happen to put the Calipers on upside down?

Come back if you get any probs and someone on here, if not myself will do our best to get you back on the road.

 

Thanks. I will do that today and post back with results.

 

She is braking perfect now. I found the Teves bleed procedure and followed those directions. Thanks so much for the help!