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mtnbkgtv6
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Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 12:35 pm
Location: Prescott, AZ or Appleton, ME
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Brake Issues

Post by mtnbkgtv6 »

Edit: These are stock brakes.

Here's the story: This summer one of my rear calipers started leaking while I was on vacation. I came back and lost a lot of fluid. So, I refilled the fluid and bled the brakes so I could use the car while I waited to get a new caliper. But, the brakes wouldn't work right, the pedal was soft and it seemed that the rears weren't working.

Since then, this is what I have done: I replaced the caliper, and have bled the brakes probably a dozen times with no success. I've flushed two big bottles of fluid through. I rebuilt the MC; the original seals all seemed fine anyway, so I don't think it's that.

Here's how I've bled the brakes: Start at the MC and bleed it. Bleed the rears - right caliper, inside bleeder, then outside bleeder; left caliper, inside then outside. Bleed the right front, then left.

With that not working, yesterday I bled the right side of the car, then the left, doing the inside-outside order for the rears. This led to good braking up front. The front lines seems to be perfect and the fronts lock up first while the rears just won't work. The pedal is squishy for about half the travel, indicating that there must must be air in the lines, and it must be for the rear system.

Then, I read that you have to make sure the ebrake isn't tightened too much and isn't on when bleeding the rears, something I'd never thought of. So, I just corrected that and rebled the rears only, starting at the MC, leaving the fronts alone because they should still be fine. I got no bubbles and a quick test left me the fronts still working, the rears still not working, and the pedal still squishy.

What's up?

I've bled the system so many times that I don't see how's there can be any air in it. But, since the pedal is squishy, there must be air, right? Or can that indicate something else? I don't think the rear lines are blocked, because the fluid seems to flow just fine, and the fluid that I flushed out the first time was fairly clean.

Could it be the limiting valve? And how would that create the squishy pedal feel.

Any input is really appreciated. I haven't had good brakes for months now and haven't really driven the car as a result. I'm running out of options.

Thanks,
Aaron
(Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to make the situation clear.)
1981 Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili Romeo Grand Tourismo V-6
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