Brakes Feel Squishy

[alho]

Hi,

Lately my brakes feel really soft and squishy. I would need to step harder on the pedal before I actually feel any braking. The pedal is not close to touching the group or anything, but just seems my brakes doesn't bite as well as before.

Any solutions?


Thanks!

[Freakzaz]

Your brake pads sound like they're just wearing out. Try bringing it in to a shop and have them checked out.

[slam525i]

Shouldn't the brake wear noise-maker come on in that case? (I don't know. I drove the same car for over 10 years and that thing had a electronic brake-wear sensor.)

It may be you have a contaminated brake circuit and need to flush the lines.

[SomeGuy]

I would guess a brake fluid problem as well. Brakes aren't something you should take any risks with, go into a reputable shop and get them checked.

[n00bMeiSter]

Go see Jimmy at Street Performance.

[alho]

No sound when braking. My car has less than 30 000km. Would the brake fluid be bad already?

[SomeGuy]

No sound when braking. My car has less than 30 000km. Would the brake fluid be bad already?

No, unless there was a leak.

[fini]

brake fluid level will drop down as your brakes and rotors wear. if you fill up the fluid you should have a better feel in the pedal.

following my service, the tech told me i had only a few months of brake life left and that my car was "really thirsty" for more brake fluid. there was a significant difference once i got my car back.

[TheMAN]

brake fluid absorbs water from air... the water will also release air bubbles after it boils inside the brake system, that contributes to the mushy pedal... so the simplest thing to do is to flush the brake system with new fluid first and go from there

[alho]

Ok, thanks for the advice :)

[Default User]

brake fluid absorbs water from air... the water will also release air bubbles after it boils inside the brake system, that contributes to the mushy pedal... so the simplest thing to do is to flush the brake system with new fluid first and go from there

cant he just top up the fluid rather than having to flush out the lines?

[Elder_MMHS]

Mushy brakes usually mean the fluid in your brake system is compressing due to moisture content. However, you can sanity-check all other possibilities.

The volume of brake fluid doesn't decrease over time as it is a closed system... unless you had a leak - which would be bad. Topping it up would not remove the moisture absorbed by the fluid through the hoses.

Inspect your brake fluid level - the reservoir is next to your battery box in the engine bay. It should be between the min/max markings.
Remove your wheels and inspect the pad thickness. Most pads start life around 10mm thickness and have wear indicators around 2mm. Check the inner and outer pads of each rotor.

If you've never done a brake fluid flush for at least 2 years, chances are you need a flush anyways.

[Dextar]

Mushy brakes usually mean the fluid in your brake system is compressing due to moisture content. However, you can sanity-check all other possibilities.

The volume of brake fluid doesn't decrease over time as it is a closed system... unless you had a leak - which would be bad. Topping it up would not remove the moisture absorbed by the fluid through the hoses.

Inspect your brake fluid level - the reservoir is next to your battery box in the engine bay. It should be between the min/max markings.
Remove your wheels and inspect the pad thickness. Most pads start life around 10mm thickness and have wear indicators around 2mm. Check the inner and outer pads of each rotor.

If you've never done a brake fluid flush for at least 2 years, chances are you need a flush anyways.

Hi,
Check the break fluid. It must be low. fill break fluid to its required level then it will not squish.
Thanks

[slam525i]

Hi,
fill break fluid to its required level then it will not squish.


Until it leaks out again from whatever existing leak you have that made you lose fluid in the first place. Seriously, check it out properly. Brakes aren't something to screw around with.

[notthesnail]

If you don't have a leak, filling the brake fluid reservoir will not fix anything. It might actually hurt something. The reservoir is designed to hold enough fluid to allow for pad wear. If the pads get close to worn out, the brake fluid will get low and a light will come on in the instrument panel indicating a problem. This should allow you to service the brakes with the least expense.
Top up the fluid 'just because' and you lose this. Now the first indication of a problem will be the squeal bar on the pad. If that doesn't work, then your first indication will be a grinding sound. That's your backing plates grinding away your rotors, metal to metal. Brake service at this point will cost more.

That being said, the first thing you should do, after making sure you don't have a leak, is flush your brake fluid. If you're a DIY type, look up Motive Power Bleeders. They make fluid flushes a dead simple, one person job. If not, go get it done. It should only take a shop about half an hour and less than $10 in fluid.