Brake Questions!

[Angelois]

Okay Doing Rotors and pads next weekend. Rotors are quite thin and the right side brake pad is starting to dig into the rotor. I know its bad but anyways.... Looking at reman calipers. while im changing rotors should I pick up some advance auto parts fenco reman calipers and replace them? after I get the core charge back ill be spending about 50$ on them. 25$ a piece sounds like a steal to me. And I never have actually completely changed brake fluid can anyone describe in detail how to do it? I experience brake fade. For example if im stopped on a hill and I keep constant pressure on the pedal my foot sinks slightly and I need to push down harder to stay stopped and I need to fully release the pedal and push the pedal again to stay stopped. so usually going down big hills I keep in a lower gear and pump the brakes instead of constant pressure. Can this be caused by thin rotors? I feel like it could be the master cylinder but Id much rather start with new fluid and see what that does for me. Ive owned the car for about 3 years now only needed on brake job and I know the back brakes and drums are fine. just the rotors and pads up front need to be done so to sum up....

1) Should I put in re manufactured calipers?

2) How do I change the brake fluid successfully.

Sorry I looked everywhere on the fourm of how to change fluid I really dont like this new search feature :sad2:

[Hazwan]

Pedal sinking usually means your master cylinder is leaking internally unless of course you could see any external leaks.

[King Peetis]

Your calipers are probably ok. My suggestion is to replace the rotors and pads, bleed the brakes until the fluid runs transparent then take the car for a test drive. You will be able to better diagnose your issues once the car is drivable.

[Dr_Snooz]

Definitely replace your master cylinder. Do a visual check of your calipers, looking for damaged seals and leaks. If you don't find any, then save your money.

This is a pretty good primer on bleeding brakes: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/maintenance/4213448

[Angelois]

Hmm okay, so ill probably just visually chek out the calipers then, and go ahead and just grab me a m/c. So I'm going to assume its the same as changing the brake fluid except taking the brake lines off first and unbolting the cylinder bolting the new one and reconnecting the lines and wires filling and bleeding till no bubbles and clean fluid? Any tips or tricks I should know? I got both the Haynes and Clinton manual as well as a copy of the service manual on my laptop! Much appreciated and merry Christmas! :)

[Legend_master]

Before buying the master cylinder I would at least do a full brake bleed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v667/Legend_Master/EBE6DA2B-42B2-4DF7-8004-DCC1F66AABAF-12873-000006BA0E103B3E.jpg

[Dr_Snooz]

The master cylinder will need to be bench bled before installation. The parts store should have a kit for that (~$5). Instructions should come with the MC itself. Otherwise, just do a Google search. Beyond that, it's a simple swap. For removing the hard lines, I find the hillbilly impact method to work best, detailed in this thread: http://www.3geez.com/forum/technical/64355-how-free-rusted-seized-deformed-bolts.html. Flare nut wrenches are also recommended.

[import racer]

Hey snooze,the link doesn't work.

[Dr_Snooz]

Ah, thank you. I fixed it.

[ecogabriel]

Pedal sinking usually means your master cylinder is leaking internally unless of course you could see any external leaks.

x2. Before replacing it, inspect the brake fluid's condition.
Since brake fluid absorbs moisture, excessive water in the system means corrosion; in my wife's camry the master cylinder succumbed to corrosion in the cylinder (I had replaced the fluid before but was way too late.

In my 3G I rebuilt the front calipers myself; not a hard work to do if you are careful and pay attention to detail. The brake cylinders have considerable amounts of scaled rust (fortunately not on the walls) that I could remove completely. That alerted me of possible problems with the brake system, so I did a few drain and refills. After 3-4 drains and refills (and a replaced master cylinder) the fluid is just darker but clear; over time, brake fluid would remove the corrosion accumulated in the steel lines and keep it in suspension (that is the reason for the darkened color).

By all means, get rid of the old fluid and at the very least clean each cylinder internally with denatured alcohol. Then use new brake fluid; nothing fancy, DOT3 works fine.

DO NOT USE PETROLEUM-BASED PRODUCTS OR YOU WILL DESTROY THE RUBBER PARTS.

It may be a good idea to replace the brake hoses as well; mine were replaced by the previous owner so I did not touch them (same for the rear brake cylinders)