Thread: brakes staying squishy after 12in U.G. and rebuilt rears

About 2-3 weeks ago i did the front 12in brake upgrade new rotors,pads and all. On the rear i did new rotors and i borrowed a friends tools to rebuild my calipers and for pads all around i did EBC Red Stuffs. I have bleed a total of 5 times. 3 forced, 2 gravity bleeds. first few they started feeling better but then after sitting most pressure went away. Then after a week or so i had my buddy help me bleed the fronts only, which he does this stuff all day as ASE/honda tech certed mechanic, and it lasted for two drives then slowly faded on the next. They stay squishy. I drive 60 miles a day about just for work, luckily the pads are so good they stick enough to be close to stock power.

Ideas we have had are blown master but we nixed thet out through testing, calipers not working but we checked them all. only thing else was My buddy said something he has never seen but read about in school. Basically a caliper working to good or more than one. which is where when one was rebuilt or made it works so smooth vibrations allow the pistons to retract and every stop i have to force them back against pads before i get real pressure.

Anyone have this before? I have done a lot of brake work on my cars and friends cars and never had this.

Originally Posted by mechguy

Do the brakes engage so to speak and act squishy, or do you have to pump the pedal to get any action?

they do start to act but i have to go twice the distance in travel to get the performance of my Regal with the 12in fronts. pumping does help sometimes in performance.

both my cars are just rotor upgrade and both run stock lines. I want stainless for the grandprix but not in the cards until tax time.

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

Then you didn't change the calipers, you only rebuilt them? If that's all you did, then I'd wonder about the rebuild. And or.. when you did them if they were both off the car at the same time, did they go back on the proper side.

Bleeder must always be higher than the hose.

I'll have to double check but i explained my rear rebuilds to my buddy, calipers on the front are from zzp. I'll also double check positioning of bleeders on the rears. I know the fronts are right. As soon as i get tax money i'll get stainless lines.
My buddy did however check my front lines while bleeding for over flex, ballooning and stuff but saw no problems.

well its my rears. Pulled up a pic on google. I figured out how i did it so my bleeders are pointing forward. Don't know why i didn't figure that out when i was bleeding. Sometimes i really need someone to double check my stuff.

yeah. I was somewhat rushing cause i got a late start and had no help. It was dark when i was bleeding the system. Then i had one rear caliper bolts switched around and swapped the calipers first thinking i messed one up and didn't switch them back when i remembered the bolt order. one rubber end the other not, had them backwards on one side.
Upside is i can play with my new milwaukee impact i got in exchange for a months rent from my buddy. I let him slide on 250 and we have a 3/8 and 1/2 drive impact for around the house. Super nice.

Originally Posted by dsmuts

Good that it was such an easy fix and those Milwaukee impacts are nice i have a 28v 1/2" drive and it's the best money i've ever spent on a tool.

Yeah i don't know the voltage on ours but their lithium ion batteries. I was taking lugs off my 69 tempest that hadn't been off in about 10 years and that was the 3/8 drive. Even used it to take a crossmember bolt out of a rusted out volare body. After all the playing battery level was still at 2 out of 4 on power.

Thanks for the help guys! Wouldn't have figured it out on my own.