Help - Brake Questions Bleeding/Fill level? Ebrake adjustment?

[Loochy88]

I spent all yesterday installing my new disk brakes and getting rid of the drums. I have everything hooked up but theres quite a few problems still. First of all, the brakes are really weak. Too weak to drive the car. were trying right now to bleed the system. i know the order (abs modulator rear/front, right rear, left rear, right front, left front, abs front) but we are stuck on the right rear. we have been bleeding it for about 20 min. Is that normal or do we have a leak somewhere?

Also, how full is the master cylinder supposed to be? Line a, b, or c, in this picture:
http://www.thenebula.com/carpics/pics3/mc.JPG

One more thing... the ebrake cable is way too tight. There is no give in the new cables and the handle cant be lifted all the way. It pulls the brakes hard and tight, but the red e-brake light is always on whenever the car is on. How do i give it some slack?

[Loochy88]

I just took it for a drive. It still stops really weak. if you jack up the rear, and put it in drive the rear brakes can barely stop the rear wheels. We seemed to get most of the air out of the lines, but i dont think we got everything. The ebrake light also still comes on and off while driving, usually when you slam the brake to the floor, then it will stay on for a while and then go off. What in the world is going on with my brakes? Im getting ready to take it to the shop. :rolleyes:

[whiteshark]

[img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img] Sorry to hear about all the trouble :D

[Loochy88]

Originally posted by whiteshark:
[img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img] Sorry to hear about all the trouble :D

yeah, i bet you are! [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/twak.gif[/img]

[WishIHad$$$]

Hmm are you SURE you got all the air out of the lines? If you have your brake fluid cap off make sure you do not touch the brakes! Remember, it will suck in air when you release them!

[RevLimit478]

I had a similar problem when I swapped in my new rear. I had to bleed the whole brake system 5 times total to get all the air out of the lines. I'm 99% positive the master cylinder should be filled to line "b" on your diagram. As far as the e-brake cable, I sprayed the equalizer with lots of WD-40 to make sure it wasn't binding up. Once all the air was out of the lines, I found I had more slack in the cable and the light went out just fine. I imagine it could be that the cable didn't have enough travel due to the pads not being adjusted up to the rotors since the calipers didn't have the pressure they needed. Just keep bleeding it and try to keep the resevoir full. Hope this helps somewhat, good luck.

[hockeyman]

I had trouble with my driver's side caliper not fully engaging when I hit the brakes. I removed it, took the whole thing apart and completely rebuilt it. The brake piston was totally corroded and needed to be greased up again. Ended up rebuilding both calipers to be sure they worked 100%, but it was a "PITA" to get them apart!!! Also, check the brake lines going into the calipers. Make sure they aren't dirty, corroded or pinched.

The fluid level should be near "B" on your diagram.

As for the e-brake cables, I had no trouble with mine. It was a bolt-on and never gave me any problems. I'm not sure if it can be adjusted at the e-brake lever under your console.

If you suspect a master cylinder (which I doubt), lemme know. I have an extra one from a 2000 SS Camaro sitting in my garage that is in excellent condition.


E-Mail me if you have any questions: pomarco331b@aol.com

-Marc

[Loochy88]

thanks for the help guys. Ill check into those things and get back to you. [img]smile.gif[/img]