alec_b Posted November 3, 2010 Report Share Posted November 3, 2010 As the title states, it seems to me like my brake pedal "dead zone" is huge. By dead zone I mean the distance in pedal travel from full released until I can feel the brakes apply. When they do grab, they grab really well for a 1st gen. I flushed the original fluid tonight with all new fresh DOT 3. Not sure if I thought it would help... but I was bored and it's really easy with a vacuum bleeder. It made the pedal a little firmer, but it didn't change the travel at all. I know boosters are common on this gen, but usually isn't that associated with a hard pedal? Because mine's not hard and it has plenty of assist. And we're talking vacuum assist on my car, non ABS. I'm not sure if a bad master would cause this, most of the time I replace masters for either external or internal leakage. I don't see any external leaks on the booster and my pedal doesn't drop when steady pressure is applied, it holds firm. Any ideas where to start? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTP091 Posted November 3, 2010 Report Share Posted November 3, 2010 theres 3 causes of over travel I know of. the first is a mushy feel where they don't grab until far into the pedal travel. This is caused by air in the lines that has to compress first and allows the pedal to travel to far. The second is caused by excessive travel of the brake caliper pistons caused by overly worn brake pads. Your brake master cylinder can compensate a bit for worn pads but it gets to a point where they don't. If you check your pads I bet you find the inner pads worn excessively and the outer pads about 50%. third, you can also have old rubber brake lines that swell and add to the problem kind of like having air in the system. You can have a mixture of some or all these problems. I drove a firends truck years ago and his pedal almost hit the floor mat. I told him about it and he changed the pads and had the brakes bled and returned to normal. It got worse very slowly over time and he didn't even notice until I pointed it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alec_b Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 Check. The brake flush pushes all air out of the system. Flushed 4 bottles of DOT3 through it. It's good. Check. Brakes are good. Front's have maybe 2k miles on them, rears are about 40-50% worn, and evenly. Rotors look OK. Minus. I know a couple brake hoses were showing some signs of cracking, but I didn't think it'd be bad enough to cause this much travel. I believe I'm going to change all the hoses and replace the rear calipers and rotors when I do the brake job on the rear. Money permitting. I know 1st gen's had booster issues. Could be a viable component to look into? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Ball Posted November 4, 2010 Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 You could also get the braided stainless steel flex lines to replace the rubber ones. I know I still have a set brand new I never used. I re found it when I moved in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alec_b Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 Are yours fit for a 1st gen? If so how much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 When was the last time you ADJUSTED THE REAR BRAKES by applying the park brake??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alec_b Posted November 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 A week or so ago? I'm not sure but I know it works. Didn't help the brakes though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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