Brakes Problem

[john34]

Hi I have a 2006 lx tdci mondeo

Problem is my brake pedal has a lot of travel I have put pads and discs on front and pads on the back

I have bled the brakes so no air in there but I have found the front passenger side brake is slow to react when the pedal is pressed

So could this be the caliper or the brake line

And help would be great

Thanks a lot

John

[astings]

Before you put the pistons back, did you clean them? Or were they rusted/ pitted?

[john34]

no i did not clean them but they daint look too bad

thanks for your reply

[BigD]

I'd be going straight to the master cylinder here.

[jeebowhite]

agreed, its worth checking that its sufficiently lubricated. I would suggest take some brake cleaner, and spray in there then wipe away the residue, that should get rid of any gunk built up, and then do some brake tests, make sure that you dont have any leaks as you press the pedal to the floor...

[BigD]

Well, apparently, winding the piston back in can cause the seals to flip in the master cylinder by forcing the fluid the wrong way. Some says that's a myth, but then, some say it's happened, so make up your own mind.

I found it really difficult to wind the piston in (using an angle grinder spanner), and found it much easier to remove the brake line from the caliper (after putting a hose clamp on the brake line, obviously) - that way you can get the caliper on the bench and wind the piston back in easily as there is no pressure/resistance at all doing it this way.

The approved method is to clamp the brake line, and undo the bleed valve before winding in the piston. But as I said, I find it much easier with the caliper off the car.

[jocojohn]

Hi, there is a tool you can buy, only 2 or 3 pounds, I think from Wilco or similar, its a small cube with pins on each face that fits into the slots in the brake piston, this attaches to a normal socket wrench and makes winding back the piston quick and easy. Because the pins on each face are spaced slightly differently this tool can be used on different types of car. It worked a treat on my mondeo without the need of removing the caliper.

John