I am having issues with a squishy brake pedal and what seems to be air in my braking system.

So, a couple of things here. First I removed the calipers on all 4 corners to paint them, and reinstalled them about a week later. Fluid remained in the system for this time period.

Once the calipers were reinstalled I started bleeding the system via the buddy system and after god knows how many brake jobs, for the first time in my life I let the master cylinder go dry... I know... IDIOT!!! But here we are. I tried to bleed the system 3 times and still had a squishy pedal. I ended up brining the car to a local dealership today and told them what I did and requested them to do the ABS bleed and bleed the whole system. Well... much to my disappointment when I picked up the car today I have improved pedal feel, but there is still air in the system. I can lay on the brakes at 60mph and not lock up the tires at all.

Any advice out there? I called the dealership and they insisted they did the abs bleed and spent a long time going through the whole system. They stated they could get it in again in a few days for diagnostics.... ugh

Thoughts? Any tips, tricks, or things I can try. I don't have a pressure bleeder but am willing to invest if needed. This is pissing me off...

 

Remove master cylinder and bench bleed it. I bought the same size fittings and used them with brake line folded over twice to make a plug. If blead properly you will not move the piston but maybe a 1/8 inch. That is probably where most of you air is at and needs to be removed. Then use buddy to slightly push pedal so fluid is coming ou while you attach 1 line then start over with the next one. Good luck!

 

I am confused by this statement. Wouldn't this dump fluid all over the place? What is the advantage in doing this? Doesn't the whole system need to be bled anyway after reinstalling the master cylinder?

 

Check to make sure the pads in the calipers are moving properly. Sometimes they get caught on things that don't stop movement but restrict it and that adds a springy feeling to the brake pedal. If you installed any shims behind the pads they can cause a similar feel by restricting the movement of the pistons thus providing a springy feel.

If you think there is still air in the lines you can try to activate the ABS by driving on a loose surface that will lock up the wheels with even a little brake pressure. Sand on pavement will do that. Once you get the ABS pump to run for a second or two then you can try bleeding the brakes again. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't but it is free other than time and effort.

Last but not least. What kind of pads did you put in the brakes? Some of the ones on the market are crap at best.

Bill

 

The only way to get out all the air !!!!!!!
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...h-2-bleed.html

 

If you have worked on a lot of master cylinders then you would understand what I was trying to say. At this point you may need to do a lot more reading and talking to others. I had the same issue and experience at dealer too, I blead the master properly and everything was as good as new. If you were close I would help.

 

i just have to ask, did you put the calipers back on the correct side?? If you took them off to paint them and accidentally swapped them the bleeders would be on the bottom instead of the top and you would always have an air pocket.