I30 Boogie

Ok guys, the weather was nice yesterday so I decided to replace my rotors and pads. Long story short I got all 4 done (using a write up in the 5th gen forums) and now I have almost no pressure in the brake line. I bled all four lines and refilled the resovoir but still no bite on the brakes. I literally have to pump the brakes repeatedly to stop and I noticed a slight "burning" smell coming from the rears after a quick test drive. Also, with the car in Park, if I pump the brake pedal it will stiffen after 3-4 trys, then, for some reason, the idle drops and the engine will shut off (happened twice). If I start if back up the brake pedal is "soft" again. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

MetaOrbit

iTrader: (19)

Yikes. I don't really have any suggestions, but I'd try the 5th gen forum (more traffic) or take it to a trusted mechanic ASAP. I never had problems like that doing a pad & rotor swap (something similar with caliper change, but never had the engine shut off).

I30 Boogie

OK...thanks John. I have another question. I am tackling this again today and purchased 2 new calipers for the rear. I installed the passenger side caliper and bled the line but now it looks like fluid is coming from the piston. Anyone else have this problem?!?! Need a quick esponse guys. Thanks!

MaximaExposure

iTrader: (1)

You are probably leaking brake fluid around the pads/rotors area whenever you press on the brakes, so there isn't enough pressure to stop the car easily. The smell is probably caused by the leaky brake fluid that is being burned around the pads/rotors area (friction -> heat).

I am just guessing, so don't take my word for it. It could also be air that's trapped inside the brake fluid line. When you bled and refilled the fluid, did you follow the steps required to get the air out? I think you have to press on the brake then top the brake fluid and repeat it a few times, and you have to do that for all 4 brakes. I don't know the details, and I know I left out a lot of important steps, so check the repair manual.

As for your stalling issue, it could be something else unrelated. I am still trying to figure out what's causing both of my I's to stall, argh!

OnEBadAsSi30

iTrader: (1)

If you totally empty the resivior to bleed it correctly you have to take the master off of the car. It's a pain but then you know its done right. I had to replace my calipers in the back. It felt spongy for a few days but stiffened after the pads had worn in i guess?

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

You have a defective caliper... the piston should not be leaking fluid. I would return it and get another one.

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

It does not sound like you bled the system properly... Did you bleed the system until the reservoir was empty?? If so, you probably have a bunch of air back in the system or you might have blown the master cylinder out... Good luck.

I30 Boogie

Hit the nail on the head. System needed to be bled properly...unfortunately I had to take it to the dealer to do it I also bought another rear caliper which they put on as well..... *sigh* $200 bux thrown away

Anyway, thanks for the replies guys.....I learned a hard lesson this weekend.

Mizike

iTrader: (7)

Ouch!!....$200 blown down the drain. Sorry to hear that. I ran across the the same problem, minus the burning smell. I ended up having the calipers on the wrong side, which didnt allow all the air to bled out of the system. Once I changed them to the proper side and bled the brakes again, they worked like a charm.

I30 Boogie

Yeah ..this was my first attempt at a rotor/pad change on this car. I thought just for others (and to re-live my own pain) I would "brake" down my costs:

Brembo Blanks/PBR Deluxe Pad (bought through GD on the .org) = $260 shipped
Misc Tools/Equip (brake grease/fluid/wire brushes/rubber mallet/C-Clamp etc) - $45 (from Autozone)
2 New rear calipers - $170 (after core charge - from Autozone)
Total WOULD have been: $475 (decent for new rotors+pads+rear calipers all the way around

Add in a trip to Infiniti.....

Flush/Refill brake lines - $130 (RIDICULOUSLY HIGH!)
Install (yet another) rear caliper - $55 (smh)
Add in tax......and....

Total (w/ trip to dealership) = $675 (OUCH!!!!)

Lesson(s) Learned:
(1) Don't EVER (ever ever ever) try and force a caliper piston back into its housing.
(2) Learn how to bleed your own friggin lines!
(3) The job is not hard at all and not that time consuming (if you know what you're doing!)

So, I guess the lessons learned = priceless ......but if you ask me they cost me an extra $370!!!!

Ok...I'm done venting....

MetaOrbit

iTrader: (19)

Yikes, sorry again Chad.

Yeah bleeding the brakes on these cars sucks. I didn't feel confident enough to do it when I had the system flushed and new calipers installed so I took it to a local shop. Even they had to bleed it 3-4 times to get it right.

FYI - you may know this, but the rear calipers screw/twist into the caliper, whereas the fronts just compress straight in. Was that the problem you encountered?

MaximaExposure

iTrader: (1)

Ah, so I was partially right, sorry to hear you have to spend so much .