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Midas messed up my brakes!

Hmmm, a lot of people keep mentioning the spring clips. Anyone know the mechanical reason why an incorrectly installed clip would cause that lost of braking on the first pump but then full braking on the second pump?


I also found this article which described this problem to a T...

"When a brake master cylinder begins to go bad or fails, you will notice a soft or squishy feeling when you press down on the brake pedal. When constant pressure is maintained on the brake pedal (like when you keep your foot on it at a stop light), the brake pedal will begin to sink to the floor as the brake fluid leaks internally in the master cylinder. This is called "extended travel" when the brake pedal goes farther down than normal or than it was intended to. When this occurs you will have to "pump" the brake pedal to regain normal pressure and to keep the car from moving forward because the brakes are slowly releasing. The red brake warning dash light should come on to indicate low brake fluid, or excessive movement "travel" in the brake pedal. "

http://www.trustmymechanic.com/master_cylinder.htm
 
People have said in incorrect or missing spring clip feels like a failing master cylinder. I would assume its because it lets the pads move farther than they otherwise could and that affects the pedal travel.
 
Missing caliber springs (AKA clips) don't feel like that. Usually if they are installed wrong, they will come off pretty quickly. If one does come off there is virtually no change in the pedal feel. A couple of months ago I discovered I had been without one for at least 3 months. What it DID cause was uneven pad wear on the pad in the back of the caliper on the side where the spring had come off.

Whatever the problem is (probably the master cylinder), make sure those idiots pay for it. Go to court of you have to. They get away with that crap because no one wants to "bother" to fight them about it.
 
Thats contrary to what some other folks have said but you may have had a different experience. As far as going after them, its not like they broke the master cylinder so you'd only be going after the cost of the caliper that didnt do anything.
 
A missing clip will be an entirely different feel. The brakes will still function ok, but may cause a shake, and the pad to wear uneven.

My 00 SVT had both clips installed wrong after replacing the pads and when I started up the car, it couldn't even hold itself in the driveway with the pedal to the floor. It kept changing from no pressure, to a small amount of pressure, but still not safe enough to take it on the road.
 
CSVT1214 said:
A missing clip will be an entirely different feel. The brakes will still function ok, but may cause a shake, and the pad to wear uneven.

My 00 SVT had both clips installed wrong after replacing the pads and when I started up the car, it couldn't even hold itself in the driveway with the pedal to the floor. It kept changing from no pressure, to a small amount of pressure, but still not safe enough to take it on the road.
Click to expand...

Sometimes a missing or improperly installed retainer spring can and does feel about the same as a failed master cylinder with a very low brake pedal. I have experienced it more than once.
 
iBrent said:
So I went in to Midas on Friday to have my lifetime pads replaced and the rotors turned. About an hour later, they come to me with a problem. After they put everything together they said the pedal didn't feel right. When you push the pedal in, it goes almost to the floor before you feel the brakes engage, but once you release the pedal and immediately put your foot back on, it has full pressure and everything is normal. But if you ever release your foot for more than a few seconds, pressing the pedal again will cause it to go to the floor.

They pinched off the driver's side front caliper and everything was fine. They decided the caliper had failed. Then they replaced the caliper but that didn't fix it. Then they decided the brake line had a leak or blister or something. They replaced that. Still didn't fix it. They didn't know what to do and decided the car was fixed and released it to me. They said maybe the pads need to sink in before it will work properly.

I've been driving it for two days now and i feel it is unsafe to drive. The pedal is unpredictable and too soft on first application. It basically requires me to pump the brakes before I can actually stop. I tried a few emergency stops and it almost feels like the brakes are coming on at different times, with the front left being last to come on.

I want to take it back to them so they can fix it, but they don't know how. Any insights as to what could be causing this?
Click to expand...


I ran into this problem once, and it meets what your saying to the "T". You would swear it's air in the system. Every release and press of the pedal builds more pressure, until you go another block and stop just to have it drop again. Yet when you build pressure and hold down on it, it never sinks (drops).

Your pads are getting stuck. I know it sounds crazy but I this car for a week (fellow CEG'er) and thought about everything. Until I got another set of pads, made sure the bracket for the pads was clean and even took the paint of the ears of the pads with a wire wheel. Sometimes when they paint the pads the paint is just thick enough to cause the pad to bind. I've even seen some techs try to force them in (ugh!) I would go back and ask them to make sure the pads move easy on the slides (not the pin slide for the caliper itself) but where the pads meet the bracket. But you don't want them to grind them down to were they are loose... Sometimes the aftermarket stuff from China just doesn't come correct.

I just saw this tread is old... Maybe this problem is fixed by now...
 
DSC01362.jpg


From another thread. Not the best picture but you see where it goes.
 
Dyoel182 said:
DSC01362.jpg


From another thread. Not the best picture but you see where it goes.
Click to expand...

I think that's where my problem lies. I did not install the spring correctly. The front pads are dragging and making a horrible racket. On the plus side I am getting quite good/fast at taking apart my brakes. Too bad there are no other Pensacola CEGers.

EDIT: Yep, that was my problem. The daggum spring was in wrong. Thanks for the pic.
 
This picture saved my ass! I've taken the brakes apart numerous times this weekend trying to determine why my pedal was so damn soft, and had been ever since I did my brakes a few years ago! I now have the best brake pedal ever because the clips have been wrong last time, and I copied them this time!
Thanks!
 
If I only saw this last week. Oh well, all good now. Brakes were a bit soft and I was wondering if I would have to bleed them. They are fantastic now. Was going to get Nascar, but ended with Monroe. Luv em!
 
Contour.org saves the day again! Short story long: ball joint separates while car is in motion. Get it home, back together. Squishy brakes like a bad master cylinder. But no fluid loss. Search the forum and there is and answer. Thanks a lot!
 
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