club.liberty.asn.au

So I fitted 6 new braided lines and in the process ran the master cyl dry. No prob, was gonna do a flush anyway. Bled brakes in correct sequence, kept fluid up etc etc. Did this twice for good measure & used approx 1.5 bottles of Castrol Performance DOT4. Absolutely zero bubbles.
Pedal still bit spongy ....grrrr.
Google research suggests I need to activate ABS a few times by braking hard on grass, gravel etc. then bleeding the system again.

Is this correct?

Cheers,
Jay.

Couldnt hurt as air could be trapped in the abs unit. Next best thing if you cant activate the abs with a scan tool.
Hint: Dont let the master run dry.

Double post

I'm pretty certain its almost impossible to get air out of your abs module once its in there

Might be better off getting a second hand module

The only way you can bleed a master properly is on the bench.

Thanks for your help fellas.
Just got back from a test drive after activating abs on the grass several times and re-bleeding. Got a lot of air out of one line only (drivers rear) & zero out of the others.
It braked a LOT better. The feel through the pedal is much more responsive & more in line with the what I'd imagined braided lines to be. Maybe still a VERY slight element of sponginess, but I don't really know how much I should expect from my 9yo system (new solid brembo discs & akebono ceramics on the front.)
It sure pulls up in a hurry now tho & feels pretty good, so I think I'll just keep an eye on everything and call it done unless someone advises me otherwise.
Thanx again.
Jay.

Did you fit new pads and/or rotors when you changed the lines?

RX25SE wrote:Did you fit new pads and/or rotors when you changed the lines?

Nah, that was a few weeks ago now. I'd say they're fully bedded.

'Twas my first time bleeding brakes, let alone changing out for braided lines etc.
In hindsight, I should've plugged the hard lines as I disconnected the hoses to save the fluid draining. I also wanted to paint the calipers while they were out too ...prob should've done one job at a time. I never gave the abs unit a thought or even saw it mentioned when I was scoping out the correct procedures etc. 'Twas only when troubleshooting that I saw the abs module mentioned. Another lesson..
I would describe the brakes now as very very capable with good feel -but not a solid wall of awesome. Good for a stock size system.
Most importantly tho, I'm 100% confident they are 100% safe & will stop me, and my family, damn quick in an emergency.
If I was only 99% sure, I'd have it booked in first thing Monday..

Fair enough.

I asked because often people open the hydraulic system at the same time as a pad change, then blame the spongy pedal on air in the system when the fault is pads that are yet to bed in.
Sounds like you are all over it.

This is too something that I want to attempt myself. Braided lines, new rotors, painted calipers. Although havent even began researching the how to's of this as ive never attempted or honestly have a huge idea on exactly what is needed. Good to see it finally worked out for you
Quick question that I may have overlooked. You have a brake stopper installed? Could eliminate some of the sponginess?

No brake stopper Dan.
General consensus was that it's a tiny improvement at 9-10 tenths. The improvement/dollar ratio wasn't there for me at this stage.
I've really been enjoying tackling these mods myself and learning more about my car. If you're the same, I'd say do it for sure. The thing I learnt & would focus on, would be to plug the hard line (not sure with what) where you disconnect the flex lines ASAP. You can take your sweet time from then on. If you're removing the calipers to paint as I did, leave the brake line connected at the caliper until you've got it on the bench and drained properly -like I didn't.. Much cleaner.
Hindsight's a beautiful thing ain't it?!!
Oh well, thems the brakes...

Jay.

To blank the ends of the brake pipes I use either the dust caps from thr bleed nipples (if they are still there) or the blanking caps that are fitted to new master cylinders or other hydraulic parts.
Your local brake shop should have some laying around.