2000 Echo - poor braking

[emi323i]

I noticed braking performance on my echo is really bad under heavy braking... i just can't get the front wheels to lock up.

pedal is firm
i bled all 4 corners - twice
new brembo replacement rotors w/ oem pads
the car slows down quite well under normal driving
if i stump the pedal, it feels as if i just touched it.... as if the rotors were slippery. there's no way i can lock the front wheels, unless it's raining.

please help... thanks

[Tercel GTS]

how long ago did you put the rotors on, and does the car have ABS ?

[emi323i]

No ABS, I replaced them about a month ago.

[dougone]

Might want to try flushing the whole brake fluid!

[Tercel GTS]

when you installed the new rotors, did you wash off the anti-rust film they come with? If not it's possible that the slippage this would allow may have boiled the brake fluid. During a month the film would be worn off, a bleeding may take care of the problem.

[emi323i]

i just found out that toyota revised the brakes and replaced the 235mm rotors with 255 mm rotors in 07/2000, so the first echo's that came out had smaller rotors... that sucks, because noone makes brake pads for those echos I bet... not kvr, forget brembo, hawk doesn't even list the echo at all.

I remember the oem replacement brembo's i had on my 3 series had the same problem. perhaps that's what the problem is, altho it seems unlikely. I shou8ld perhaps invest into oem rotors.

[cuteroxygurl]

I have an '01 Echo. My brakes lock badly. I hate it because then I skid. But at least I stop... eventually.

Michelle