Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes Soft pedal feel

saturday i did some work to my car. I replaced the knuclke with new wheel bearing. This is the passenger side. After i'm done i put everyhting back together and test drive the car. I notice the ABS light is on and the pedal feels soft.I mean by soft is that when i first steped on the pedal it went down all the way and no braking action took place until the pedal hit the floor. This is jsut the first time when you touch the pedal. after you pump it once it goes back to normal. i fixed the abs light by replacing the abs sensor but i still get that soft pedal. any thoughts or comments>? thx

Try bleeding the system. It sounds like you have air in the system. ABS light is probably a seperate issue. Make sure yolu didn't leave a sensor unplugged when you put things back together.

ok , but what makes me wonder is how could i get air in the lines if i never even touch the brakes the only think was to loosen it from the knuckle thats all.? is it a possiblity it might be something else.

Did you have the brake pads off? If you did, you may have reinstalled the retaining clips incorrectly but it doesn't usually react like you have described.

I'd guess clips if nothing was done with the lines.

I had the same problem after I had my wheel bearings replaced.
Try checking for play in your hub nuts. With your lug nuts tightend and the front corner of your car jacked up try moving the tire to see if there is play in the hub.
If there is play, remove the wheel/tire and tighten the center nut till the play is gone.
What happens is, if there is play, the rotor will move enough to push the brake pads away from the rotor. That is why you have to pump the brakes to get the pads back to the correct position.

Good Luck

yep you hit the jackpot. thx. i ended up bleeding all 4 corners too so that helped too even tho i never touched the brakes.