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Air in Brake lines?

M

muskamike

CEG'er
Joined
Oct 7, 2004
Messages
60
Hey all, I tried searching, but no luck so far looking for similar post...

Two days ago my brake pedal went from responsive to a 'mushy' push in feeling. I knew I had to check the brake fluid but was not able to get to it for another day. When I filled it up, the reservoir was empty. I proceeded to fill it up and apply brake pushes to pump it in. But I still have a very soft pedal. The ABS light comes on periodically. Sometimes on a startup, sometimes not. Is their air in the lines? Have I drained the master cylinder? How can I check either? Is their a release valve under the car somewhere to get rid of the air?

Please helpppp...

Cheers,
 
im going to say you have a broken brake line somewhere.brake fluid doesnt just disappear so start with that. should be where ever you see a wet spot. if you did suck air through you would have to bleed all for corners. the bleeder is on the caliper itself
 
God damn, that sounds like a pain in the ass during winter with no garage...
I'll check, but I am almost positive there is no break in the line. Is there a link for a HOWTO fix for brake lines, etc?
 
If I continuously pump the brakes, would I be able to see the leak? How difficult is it going to be to find the leak...???
 
If you're draining the reservoir, I'd imagine you'd be able to see the leak, look for fluid pooling somewhere, check the soft lines at each caliper, then check the hard lines running down the body is all I can suggest.
 
Yeah i should add DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL FIXED!!!!!!

I'm not sure if anyone can add to this, but I'd do it with the key off also, and try to push the fluid out to find the leak, dont' want to run the ABS module dry.
 
after you filled it up, did it go dry again?


The way to clear air oput of the lines is to bleed each brake caliper individually. There are kits available to make it a one person job.

Keep an eye on the level as you bleed them because if it gets low again, you'll have air in the lines again.
 
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No Brakes

No Brakes

While looking at the brake lines I would also inspect pads and rotors / drums. Excessive wear could cause low levels in the resivor. As brake pads / shoes wear it takes more fluid to fill the lines, caliper, brake cylinder and resivor. If you did not check the fluid, it could get low enough to suck air. If all components check out, proceed to bleeding system as described. Start with the wheel farthest from the brake resivor(passanger rear). Then bleed next closest ect. Refill resivor during process as needed. If the fluid appears dirty discolored bleed as much as possible from the system at the passenger rear wheel. Continue to fill resivor to avoid air in fluid. But please stop driving until corrected. Failure to stop before hitting the other car is the number one cause of multiple car wrecks. Good Luck Dan
 
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