05 Camry Mushy Soft Brakes

[wiseowl]

I just bought a 2005 Camry XLE, V-6. Everything works fine except the brake pedal has a long travel ( about 2 inches) before the breaks bite in. The pads are a bit worn, about 1/8" of thickness left. The rotors look fine, some monor scratches but no pulsating. Brake fluid is OK in reservoir.

Is this brake mushy normal? Any thoughts or experiences??????

Thanks,
Wisowl

[TRD VVTi]

It sounds completely normal. It's a common complaint that the brakes feel soft even though they work normally.

[Avalonman]

this is normal

[CharmCityES]

very normal....gen 5 camrys commonly are faulted for brake pedal travel and spongy brakes....its just how the car's brakes are

[wiseowl]

Thanks everyone!

I appreciate your comments

Wiseowl

[TRDGen5.5camry]

Originally Posted by CorCamrySE

very normal....gen 5 camrys commonly are faulted for brake pedal travel and spongy brakes....its just how the car's brakes are

agree that why i am thinking of getting some steel brake lines from stoptech. Maybe that will not feel that soft when braking

[w203]

Originally Posted by TRDGen5.5camry

agree that why i am thinking of getting some steel brake lines from stoptech. Maybe that will not feel that soft when braking

it will help somewhat but the braking system is designed with lots of brake play. upgrading to new pads would also help as with higher piston calipers

[jimmy-j]

Originally Posted by w203

it will help somewhat but the braking system is designed with lots of brake play. upgrading to new pads would also help as with higher piston calipers

alot of people fail to upgrade their bmc's after upgrading their calipers to dual or quad piston calipers.

if you go the route of upgrading your calipers for more pistons don't forget to upgrade the bmc.

correct me if i'm wrong but doesn't the xle also have rear drums? i'm not sure how much that comes into play since it is the rear brake but keep that in mind as well.

[Avalonman]

Only Certain XLE Models Have Rear Disc Brakes. All V6 Models Have Rear Brakes. Certain SE/XLE Models That Have Alloy Rims From The Factory Have Rear Disc Brakes. Other Than That, They All Have Rear Drums.

[w203]

Originally Posted by jimmy-j

alot of people fail to upgrade their bmc's after upgrading their calipers to dual or quad piston calipers.

if you go the route of upgrading your calipers for more pistons don't forget to upgrade the bmc.

correct me if i'm wrong but doesn't the xle also have rear drums? i'm not sure how much that comes into play since it is the rear brake but keep that in mind as well.

avalonman basically said what i was going to say and more about the xle rear drums. as for the camry's bmc, the duals like the ones from the is300 could be retrofitted without an upgrade but anything more would need one. this applies for the 5/6th gen camry though, different for other applications

[wiseowl]

Thanks everyone for the replys. I have rear disc brakes. It sounds like the caliper retreats back to a certain dstance after each time the brake is applied. Therefore the caliper has a longer travel distance as the brakes get worn. I will start with new pads and bleed the brake lines.

Thanks everyone!