Brake job problem

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Daniel Garrison - 14 Jul 2004 06:05 GMT

Ok so I was doing a pad replacement on my girlfreinds 99' sportage

I think my first mistake was opening the lines to push back the caliper
instead of opening the cap on the fluid resivor. So, the brakes have no push
when i go to drive em
I have tried to bleed the front brakes ( usual method, pump, hold, have
someone else open the line, let it touch the floor, close the line, repeat)
several times on both sides.

Is there something Im missing? Is there a sensor or something that needs to
be reset before they will work properly? Do i need to bleed all four wheels
at the wheel? Thanks.

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Hal - 14 Jul 2004 17:20 GMT

> I think my first mistake was opening the lines to push back the caliper
> instead of opening the cap on the fluid resivor. So, the brakes have no push
> when i go to drive em

Normally you put a clip on the flexible line going back to the master
cylinder and then open the bleeder screw to push the piston back into
the caliper. You have probably pushed a substantial amount of air up
into the line(s) going to the master cylinder.

Does the car have ABS brakes? If so, you may be out of luck without
the tool to make the ABS pump motor run while you do the bleeding. If
it does not have abs brakes then you may have to use a power bleeder
to draw the air out of the system. Normally it's just a bottle or jar
with two hoses, one hose goes all the way to the bottom of the jar and
that gets hooked to the bleeder screw, the other line just pierces the
lid of the jar/bottle and you hook it to a vaccum port on the intake
manifold. Start the engine, then crack open the bleeder screw and the
vaccum will draw the air out of the system. You should see fresh fluid
come out of the bleeder screw within 30 seconds or so.

You should check the back brakes for air as well. Start with the wheel
farthest from the master cylinder(usually passenger rear) and work
your way forward towards the MC.

Chris

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hyundaitech - 14 Jul 2004 17:41 GMT

Even the ABS Sportages bleed normally. If you've properly bled the brakes
and verified you have no air in the lines, remove the cap from the master
cylinder and see if they will pump up. I had a Sportage with no braking
because the piston had been pushed in and the vent hole in the cap had not
been punched out. If your brakes pump up with the cap off, then look down
into the little tube on the top of the cap and see if there's a small hole
in the end of it near the center of the cap. If not, you can try to use a
punch or something to put a small one in.

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Daniel Garrison - 14 Jul 2004 21:24 GMT

Awesome, Thanks to you all. I went out to work on it again this morning and
found what my mess up was. Aparently instead of opening the bleeding screw i
kept taking the bolt off of the line and thus was continually exposing air
into the system with every bleed. I bled the back breaks off again and then
went to the front. I had a bit of a problem with the passenger side bleeder
valve wanting to strip but i took care of it with some penetrating oil and a
socket. So, the girlfriend is back on the road again :)

> Even the ABS Sportages bleed normally. If you've properly bled the brakes
> and verified you have no air in the lines, remove the cap from the master
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> in the end of it near the center of the cap. If not, you can try to use a
> punch or something to put a small one in.

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Hal - 16 Jul 2004 08:53 GMT

> Awesome, Thanks to you all. I went out to work on it again this morning and
> found what my mess up was. Aparently instead of opening the bleeding screw i
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> valve wanting to strip but i took care of it with some penetrating oil and a
> socket. So, the girlfriend is back on the road again :)

Frozen bleeder screws are a common issue, next time around unscrew the
bleeder screw completely and put a bit of anti-sieze compound on the
threads. Alternatively, spray the screws with some penetrating oil(I
like the supertech stuff from wal-mart..cheap, and it works) a couple
days before you plan on taking things apart.

Chris

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