Brakes Mushy

[Jay Bousman]

Recently replaced the brakes on my ST. I only took the old ones off and put new ones in and that is it. Now my brake pedal is alittle mushy and i do not know why

any ideas?:banghead:

 

[Gavin Allan]

Air in the hydraulic system.



Bad hydraulic hose.



Rear brakes not adjusted correctly.



some of the causes...

 

[Jay Bousman]

i know air can cause it the only thing is that they were fine until I changed the brakes now they are messed up so there is no way air could have got in

 

[Jeremiah Morgan]

I would assume air in the lines...Bleed them out or go get the brakes flushed out..I had mine flushed out at work and it was like new again!!

 

[EddieS'04]

Did you open the bleeders. Let the old fluid flush out, while pushing the pistons in. The old fluid can be rusty and contaminated. Dont want to back it up in the ABS system.



I always open the the system for a flush with new brakes.

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

I agree with the others about the brakes needing bled. Do the RR,LR,RF,LR in that order.:banana:

 

[Richard L]

When was the last time you flushed your brake fluid and replaced it with fresh fluid?? I always recommend that you flush your brake fluid every 2 years or with every brake job, especially on vehicles with ABS like the Sport Trac. If you just push the caliper pistons back in, you are pushing that old contaminated fluid back up into the ABS unit and ABS repairs can be very exspensive $$$$. I always recommend that you crack open the bleeder valve on the calipers and push that old contaminated fluid out...Then you will see just how dirty and rusty the fluid is. That fluid is corroding the inside of your calipers and will eventually lead to damaged seals, leaking and sticking.



Brake fluid is hydroscopic and will absorb moisture from the atmosphere and it settles in the lowest part of the brake system which is in the calipers and/or wheel cylinders. When you get moisture in your brakes it causes corrosion and sticking calipers. The high brake temperatures created with new pads turns the moisture into steam and makes the brakes feel spongy because steam can be compressed just like air.



Flush the fluid in all of your brakes by bleeding them and adding fresh fluid until each brake bleeder shows clear fluid. Then you will see that your spongy pedal is gone...unless the seals have already been damaged.



...Rich

 

[scott degroot]

Before we go jumping to conclusions what exactly did you do? Saying that you replaced the brakes is a pretty vague description.

 

[RedRanger 7]

After years of use the caliper pistons can become pitted and may not be moving smoothly in its bore, or if you had your rotors turned they may not be thick enough now.:cry:

 

[scott degroot]

by RedRanger 7,11/1/2010 02:57 MT



After years of use the caliper pistons can become pitted and may not be moving smoothly in its bore, or if you had your rotors turned they may not be thick enough now.

Stuck pistons would casue a hard brake pedal and rotor thickness has nothing to do with pedal feel.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Flushing the hydraulic system and doing a thorough bleeding is still the first thing that needs to be done.

 

[Jay Bousman]

i changed the brakes just like it said in the projects section under brakes step by step and thats it......nothing with the lines or anything...i find it hard to believe there is air in the lines because they were prefectly fine before and i have never haad them open or anything to let air in

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

Yes but when you contract the calipers back in it sucks alittle air back in. Always bleed the brakes when changing the brakes, also take and clean/lube the sliders on the calipers.

 

[Richard L]

Jay,

I have been doing brakes for over 40 years, and the old way of just pushing the pads back into the calipers has been the way it was done for many years, but is not the correct way to do it now.



If your brake pads were wearing very thin, your master cylinder can gulp in some air if the fluid gets too low. As explained earlier, moisture gets into your brake system from the atmosphere and your brake fluid willingly attracts moisture. That moisture turns to steam and that creates a spongy pedal. If you seals go bad, they can suck air into the system as well.



When was the last time you flushed the fluid?? If you have not bleed the brakes or flushed the fluid, you need to try that first. The fact that you assume that no air got into your brake system is a false asumption.



The spongy pedal is caused by air or mosture in your brake system. Flushing the brakes will resolve those problems. Just bleeding your brakes will likely imrove the pedal feel.



...Rich

 

[Gavin Allan]

I was surprised at the big slug of black goo that came out of the calipers when I flushed my motorcycle's brakes last spring. It is a 2004 and apparently it had some moisture in the lines. Flushing both brakes and the clutch systems with nice clean DOT 4 fluid and bleeding them made a huge improvement on the firmness of the brakes, and the clutch action feels solid and quick.



I am a big believer of flushing brake fluid now. I want to see clear fluid in all my vehicles from now on!