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when garages give regular maintenance to they bleed the brakes? cause my car's brakes feel very weak, i have to step on them really hard to get any kind of good stopping power. or is it the brake pads? i woudlnt know about what the people do for regular maintenance cause its technically my parents car and they took care of it, but its gonna be mine soon and im lookin for my first try at working on the car
If you're trying to find something to do to be your first job fixing on the car, you'll want to be extremely careful around the brake system. But since you said that you have poor stopping power, like you have to practically stomp on the pedal to get the brakes to slow the car down, then you should probably remove the front wheels, look through the service hole in the caliper, and check the brake linings to see how thick they are. If there is only about a 1/4 inch of pad or less, you need to replace them. The new pads should be about 3/4 inch thick, depending on the brand, but you really should check them, if the brake pads are fine, then you will want to go and bleed each wheel. You also might want to check the fluid level too, before going way into the hardcore work on everything, it might just be something small like that. But anyways, if you do have to replace the pads, then you should go ahead and bleed the brakes while you're down there.
^ if everything cheaks out and you still have to mash the padel to stop,you brakelines might be week and are exspanding under pressur,you might have to replace them,but that should be one of the last things you change,after that you still have to bleed the brakes
my brake pads have 3/8 inches left on them... i dont know where the brake fluid is so i cant check that i was lookin for it in the engine bay... there was only a container that wasnt labeled... it said like "only use dot3 fluid", is that it?
Originally posted by Xevuhtess7 i dont know where the brake fluid is so i cant check that i was lookin for it in the engine bay... there was only a container that wasnt labeled... it said like "only use dot3 fluid", is that it?
So u checked thoroughly? Are ur rotors clean?
Sometimes if u use spray tyre shine solutions it gets onto the rotors and by extension the pads and decreases braking power.
Did u check ur rear brakes as well?
Also, some brands of pads create more brake dust than others and it unevitably causes an annoying squeal and more dangerously, fading. It actually sounds different from regular brake squeal and can occur barely months (sometimes weeks!)after changing pads.
Bleeding can also help if there's moisture or air in ur lines for whatever reason.
Does the pedal sink when u hold the brakes down? Then it's ur master cylinder...change it.
If all this fails, then I'd have to back up Warlock on the brake lines.
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Last edited by 'rollaholic; 11-28-2003 at 05:49 PM.
Originally posted by Xevuhtess7 my brake pads have 3/8 inches left on them... i dont know where the brake fluid is so i cant check that i was lookin for it in the engine bay... there was only a container that wasnt labeled... it said like "only use dot3 fluid", is that it?
sorry to sound like an ass but if you dont know that dot3 is break fluid i dont think you should do this on your own;if i was you i would have someone help me and show me how it is done.brakes are a real big deal, may the force be with you
Originally posted by warlock sorry to sound like an ass but if you dont know that dot3 is break fluid i dont think you should do this on your own;if i was you i would have someone help me and show me how it is done.brakes are a real big deal, may the force be with you
^ I agree with Warlock on that one, not to be completely rude or anything, but it does sound like you could use a little "experienced" help with this project. The brakes are a really big part of your car, although they may seem small, they're really important. Think about it--they're what brings that 2 ton piece of metal to a stop, and you've got to keep them in best working order...even if you don't care about yourself all that much, or your car, you should at least have consideration enough for others on the road...but that was just a thought...not trying to be an ass...but PLEASE get some help with this before you go cracking into anything major.
You may also want to have your brakes bleeded because you might have air bubbles in your brake lines causing the spongy pedal. There are many ways you can do this, such as using the one way bleed screws, the bleeder jars or the good 'ol fashion way of having someone pump the breaks while you open and close the bleeder screw. But I would suggest having a professional or someone with brake system knowledge do this because it is an important safety system for you and others on the road. And like everyone else have said, not trying to be an ass or a dick, just concerned for your safety.
If you have the brakes bleeded and it still feels weak, it could your master cylinder or boost vacuum.
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'04 Camry SE V6
'05 Tacoma PreRunner DC TRD Off-Road
Make sure you close the break fluid valves after bleeding them... me and my friend replaced my brake pads and he forgot to close one of the valves (I pumped brakes), which left a nice surprise for me when I was on the highway.
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1995 Silverleaf Metallic Camry LE Automatic beater
Yeah, well, us "experienced" individuals in the automotive area really can't stress enough how important the brake system is to your safety and others. Just please be extremely careful, and if you don't know for sure what you're doing, then don't try to go off and do it yourself, get some help, or maybe even have a professional do it. I would strongly recommend that you have a professional take care of the brake system on your car since you seem to not have all that much experience, just stick to the smaller things until you have the time to mess around with a car that don't mean anything to you, and won't harm anyone else when you experiment with ripping it apart and slapping it back together.
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