I am preparing for an event coming up next month. I had a buddy help me bleed the brakes and we used Valvoline synthetic brake fluid. We also installed some Carbotech Panther + pads in the front and AEM's in the rear. I did the bed in routine that was on the carbotech website.

Here is the question: the pedal seems to feel extremely mushy. Could this be from the brake pad or us improperly bleeding the brakes? I will drive the car again tomorrow after it has sat all night and see what it feels like in the morning. Any thoughts on this one guys??

mike

 

Post bedding: the pedal may very well feel soft.
Tomorrow morning: if it still feels soft, you should report back to us.

 

the pedal feels extremely soft still. I drove the car this morning and you have to press the pedal so far in to get the car to stop. Even after i warmed the brakes up the pedal still didn't feel even close to what it used to be. What are my options now?

mike

 

try rebleeding the brakes and see if there are bubbles in the line.

 

What order did you bleed em? I think the manual calls for LF, RF, RR, LR. Could be an issue. You didn't allow the MC to get too low while pumping did you? That'll suck fresh air in w/the fresh fluid!

 

Mike:
just keep bleeding and bleeding and bleeding. Then some more bleeding. That's what it took to get the m00shayness out of my brakes.

yshi - whose brakes are super firm now

 

Sorry to go off topic but I didn't want to start another thread regarding brakes.My question is, is it an unusual occurance that my right rear brake pads are worn out a lot more than my rear left? Please fill me in. TIA

 

No, that is not normal. A small variance is acceptable but a lot is not. Sounds like that caliper is sticking.

--Karl, who had a similar problem and solved it with a new caliper

 

Karl, are there any other solutions besides replacing the caliper?

TIA
-James

 

I have the same problem after finishing my brakes this past weekend. I used 3 quarts of Valvoline Synpower too, although mother nature took a lot of that away. (NEVER EVER, TRY TO BLEED BRAKES IN 50MPH WIND GUSTS!)

Just a note, the sequence in my Helms manual says that the bleed sequence is RR, LF, LR, RF. However, mine is the very first ALB system and yours is likely a Bosch system.

Jonathan who is tired of fiddling with his brakes and just wants a solid brake pedal.

 

replacing the master cylinder

replaceing the brake hoses..

replacing the brake lines..

double check all the connection.. maybe one is leaking.
check the calipers... make sure they are closed all the way.. and are not leaking

 

A lot of Honda brake master cylinders seem to go bad after 8~10 years. The symptom is a pedal that sinks to the floor although there is no air in the system or leaks.

 

i've always been told that you start with the caliper that is farthest away from the master cylinder. the order i bleed my brakes is LR, RR, LF, RF but i'm not sure if this is correct or not--it has always worked for me, though.

 

Remember, there are two independant hydraulic systems split diagonally (RR+LF and LR+RF) so should one system loose pressure you still have the other to stop you. Hence the RR, LF, LR, RF order.

 

oh...well that makes sense.

 

Honestly I don't know. I know the fronts can be rebuilt, fairly easy to do. If the rear has failed then it *might* be rebuildable...or it might be broken in that mechanism that threads the piston out for the handbrake. You might luck out at a junkyard.

And certainly give the whole brake system - all the stuff the others mentioned - a good check before you go replacing stuff. Hell, if you're tracking a car you should be taking regular checks of the brake system anyway.

I know of like three DC2 Integras that have had rear caliper(s) sieze up so I suspect the uneven pad wear is caused by this. I know when I had the exact same problem, that was it.