So, I just installed some new ceramic brakes. I bled each caliper using a brake bleeder tube and ensured that there was no air at all coming out. All 4 caliper nipples were tightened. I've done it all twice over now to make sure it was done right the first time. I get tons of pedal travel, but my brakes engage in the last centimeter. I can get abs to kick in in the rain within the last centimeter, but the other 95% of the travel does hardly anything. If I pump my brakes, the pedal becomes very rigid after about 3 pumps. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Thank you!!

 

a few possible

- there is still air in the brake lines.
- when bleeding the brakes one needs a pressure bleeder or use the Tech II
- Speed bleeders are not enough to flush the whole system. speed bleeders are great for just bleeding each caliper.

ok what to do

Get a Motive Pressure bleeder and GM cap or other cap for the GM Brake fluid tank


Car needs to up on four jack stands or on a lift with all four wheels OFF.

Fill the brake fluid tank.
put on the pressure bleeder to the brake fluid tank
Go to the right rear caliper
attach catch/ drain tube over the bleed valve. tube should drain into a plastic bottle

have rags, brake fluid is costic and will eat paint

Open the claiper bleed valve and let brake fluid come out UNTILL YOU NO LONGER SEE BUBBLES.

Close valve, but do not let air get sucked back into the caliper.

pump up pressure bleeder to 18-24 psi
Repeat on Left Rear.

Go back to brake fluid tank, release pressure bleeder slowly, then refill brake fluid tank and represorise to 18-24 psi

Do front two calipers.

when finished put brake fluid back into tank but only to just under the FULL LINE.

Other option

if you dont have a pressure bleeder, and child can help

have the child sit in the seat, and pump the brake peddle 5 to 7 times to get firm

then have them push on the brake peddle as you open the bleed valve to allow brake fluid to drain.

Make sure you CLOSE the bleed valve before the child's foot gets to the floor. or air will get sucked back into the caliper.

Now all that said and done, you will need to put the wheels back on
go for a slow slow drive, pump the brakes and see how the brakes work

in most cases you will need to put the car back up on to the jack stands, remove the wheels and rebleed all the calipers.

Great afternoon project.

Good Luck

 

I found a cheat method of running the BPMV therefore not needing a Tech2...and I will not promise this will fix anything. First off, it sounds like you introduced air into the master cylinder therefore possibly getting it into the BPMV. Anyway, you need to get the Active Handling system to engage by spinning the wheels. I would suggest just slipping them in a puddle but you might try getting the rears off the ground with the AH turned on and spin them up. The important thing is to get the AH to activate which will turn on the BPMV. You can pull the EBTCM off the BPMV and manually turn it on too with a jumper wire.

If you have a code for it and an indicator on the IP Cluster for AH/TC turned on, if you clear the code, the BPMV will spin up but not sure its enough to purge it of air.

 

I've had my active handling kick in plenty of times over the last week, still my brakes are the same. I'm gonna get around to it tonight to rebleed them, I can't find the pressure builder thingie that you attach to the master cylinder anywhere. So you guys are saying that I need to close the bleeder valve before the brake pedal is pushed all the way down? So if it is closed and the brake pedal is not pushed.. They start pushing the pedal, as they start, I open the valve. Before the pedal gets all the way down, I close the valve again? I usually don't close it until the pedal is already all the way down, just before they release the pedal.. Thanks for all of the help guys, you don't know how much I appreciate it!

 

YES. that way air is NOT sucked back into the lines

 

Perhaps it's just my experience, but I have never seen the fluid get sucked back into the caliper, with the pedal held down to the floor.

 

best to close the valve with the fluid still flowing.

This prevents air from going back into the lines.

 

I'll give it a shot. I'm gonna bleed em again as soon as I get my drilled and slotted rotors in the mail =) Any day now.. Thanks for all of the help guys.

 

It is best but if you hit the floor, air does not necessarily flow back into the caliper. Almost always it won't in fact, the reason I say this is it's tough to time it just right every time when you're bleeding all 4 corners and most go to the floor anyway.
It's far more important to just make sure that they hold the pedal DOWN until you have that bleeder valve closed. Doesn't really matter how far, the farther the better except for the last millimeter which again is tough to time just right