1998 chevy venture brake spongy pedal
Walt Fles
stop.
I changed 1 rotor and the brake pads.
we cleaned/adjusted the rear brakes - the drum just drags a little.
We bled the rear and then the fronts - the RR had the most air, the LR
some, the fronts none.
I still had a lot of travel to make the brakes engage.
Ideas? Is it a big deal with the ABS to change the Master Cylinder
and/or brake booster, or have a pro do this?
Don't want to put too much money into it - it's got 144000 miles.
Thanks in advance!
Mike Marlow
"Walt Fles" <wef...@ameritech.net> wrote in message
news:N7b4m.6542$kA....@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com...
> The LR hub had the wires broken/cut so the ABS light is on, but it does
> stop.
>
> I changed 1 rotor and the brake pads.
Why change only one? It is far better to change both.
> we cleaned/adjusted the rear brakes - the drum just drags a little.
As it should be.
>
> We bled the rear and then the fronts - the RR had the most air, the LR
> some, the fronts none.
>
> I still had a lot of travel to make the brakes engage.
>
A good part of that may lie in the rotor you did not change.
> Ideas? Is it a big deal with the ABS to change the Master Cylinder and/or
> brake booster, or have a pro do this?
It's not any more of a big deal than without ABS, except that ABS systems
can be a bitch to bleed. Sometimes they go like clockwork, and sometimes
they don't. If you run into problems, don't hesitate to gravity bleed them
for several hours.
>
> Don't want to put too much money into it - it's got 144000 miles.
That's not a lot of mileage as long as the body is ok. In fact, it's not
much mileage at all if the body is ok.
--
-Mike-
mmarlo...@windstream.net
HLS
"Mike Marlow" <mmarlo...@windstream.net> wrote in message
news:e7b7d$4a51658c$4b58a477$18...@ALLTEL.NET...
>
> "Walt Fles" <wef...@ameritech.net> wrote in message
> news:N7b4m.6542$kA....@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com...
>> The LR hub had the wires broken/cut so the ABS light is on, but it does
>> stop.
>>
>> I changed 1 rotor and the brake pads.
>
> Why change only one? It is far better to change both.
I hope he meant that he change the pads on both sides, not just the ones
on the rotor he replaced. The rotor will eventually seat in (I hope).
They usually
do. Having different brands, or types, of pads as axle pairs may never
balance
and can be dangerous.
Walt
> "Mike Marlow" <mmarlowREM...@windstream.net> wrote in message
Changed pads on both sides, just 1 scored rotor.
I was told BTW to put on the cap when we bleed the brakes, which we
did not. Could THAT have caused the problem?
Mike Marlow
"Walt" <wef...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7f2c352f-8f99-419f...@b9g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...
********************************************************************************
Do you mean the dust cap on the bleeder? If so, don't do that. If you mean
the cap on the master cylinder, that doesn't matter. Leaving it off can
result in splashes under the hood if you're vigorous, but that simple fact
notwithstanding, it does not matter.
With one rotor (presumably...) worn down more than the new rotor, you can
end up with a situation where the pedal does not come up as firmly as you'd
like.
ABS can just be a pain in the butt to bleed. Like I said earlier, you may
find that opening all four bleeders and letting it gravity bleed for a while
helps quite a bit. You have to keep an eye on things to make sure you don't
run the reservoir dry, and introduce a fresh new air supply. That's also a
good way to change your brake fluid. If it's dark, it would not hurt to
change it by draining the old fluid through the system.
--
-Mike-
mmarlo...@windstream.net
Walt
The other rotor was not turned down very much. Before we went to
bleed it I still had somewhat of a mushy pedal but not like we do now.
One thing we did not consider or do is to bleed to the MC first and
then the wheels.
We did not change the MC or any wheel cylinders.
The one thing that did happen was we checked the rear brakes with the
drums off, and had a seal pop on a wheel cylinder.
We did push it back together and it did not leak. We then bled the
rears and then the fronts.
We made sure the reservoir did not get too low as we did this. The
fluid was brown as we bled it. Im thinking that possibly if the MC is
going bad it's
because the seals in are bad and causing the fluid discoloration.
I hate to just be throwing darts blindly but I might go and have it
power flushed/bled and see if that helps before I consider changing
any other parts.
HLS
"Walt" <wef...@gmail.com> wrote in message news:7f2c352f-8f99-419f-9d31-
I was told BTW to put on the cap when we bleed the brakes, which we
did not. Could THAT have caused the problem?
**********
You normally put the cap back on the brake fluid reservoir when you bleed
the brakes. Keeps moisture to a minimum in the brake fluid, keeps brake
fluid from spurting out,etc.
I suspect that you did not get the system bled properly, or perhaps are
feeling the
effects from the pads not having seated in yet.
HLS
"Walt" <wef...@gmail.com> wrote in message news:6c43c136-174e-49c4-aa87-
We made sure the reservoir did not get too low as we did this. The
fluid was brown as we bled it. Im thinking that possibly if the MC is
going bad it's
because the seals in are bad and causing the fluid discoloration.
I hate to just be throwing darts blindly but I might go and have it
power flushed/bled and see if that helps before I consider changing
any other parts.
**********
IMO, you need to bleed until the fluid runs clear.
When you popped that rear wheel cylinder, remember it is important
that you get it back together correctly, and you bleed it conscientiously.
Brake fluid is cheap, compared to the consequences.
Walt
The fronts stopped much better before we started bleeding this,
compared to how they were before.
I don't get a solid pedal when I go to bleed the rear brakes BTW.
Do you think that if the MC was not bled at the bleeder screws before
bleeding the brakes it could have caused this?
Steve W.
From what you have posted so far I would say you have a couple problems.
One is contaminated fluid. Brake fluid should be clear or SLIGHTLY
amber. Other colors indicate water/rust/rubber contamination.
Two is that you still have air in the system.
Air can be a REAL PIA to remove if it gets into certain parts of the
system. I would go buy some new fluid. Then bleed the brakes (start with
the longest line first) until you have NEW fluid coming out. Then work
your way around until you have new fluid at each wheel. It is possible
that you got air into the ABS controller and will need to cycle it a few
times to get the air out.
--
Steve W.
Walt
How can I cycle the ABS controller if I have a dash light on, due to
bad/broken wiring to the Left Front Wheel Sensor?
Steve W.
Fix the wire OR use a scan tool.
--
Steve W.
Walt
I cried uncle and it's going to a shop to get taken care of.