Sperkie

Well I just finished putting on my new ceramic brake pads. Did a few pumps on the brake. Everything seemed fine. Started up the car, started moving slowly, only to find out my brakes barely work. The foot brake goes all the way to the end.

I read this on another site " One thing for folks to pay attention to concerning the caliper is that they wear from the inside out (fully expanded to fully compressed). So your new pads, which will be thicker will put the caliper in it's "worn out" range. A common symptom after completing these steps is that the caliper cannot decompress and always remain compressed, to a certain degree on the disc. This happens because the caliper cannot pull the piston back within itself as a result of wear. The caliper could be able to function with the thinner (old) break pads because the caliper would not be in it's worn range. I've had this happen once with a similar car and is worth noting. I went to my local junk yard and pulled calipers off a wrecked car with the same part and they worked fine. "

I hope there is a simpler solution to this because I need to go to school tomorrow!

newman

Did you only change you pads or did you do replace your calipers as well?

RajunCajun

Did you check the level of brake fluid? Does your brake pedal go down all the way right away or does it slowly go down to the floor?

imported_angryasian

could have air in the line

Sperkie

yeh i refilled the brake fluid with the Dot 3 stuff. I just changed the pads not the calipers. The pedal goes all the way down to the floor.

Im gonna go to my mechanics tomorrow morning though to whatcha call it "bleed" the brake fluid.

So if you see a car going 10km/hour on lakeshore with its hazards lights on. That would be me.

fred

i assume you had to push the piston back into the caliper to get the new pads to fit over the rotor.
maybe you need to top up your brake fluid, then pump the brakes a few times to get them seated against the rotor.
it wouldn't hurt to bleed the brakes while your at it.

fred

oh yeah, and maybe i should read all the posts properly, so i don't suggest you do stuff you allready did.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

after a brake change, you do need to pump the brakes a few times to seat the pads, then you need to bed them for 500 kms before hard braking.

if you just did a pad change, you should not have air in the lines. as for that lil quote off the other site, it's not applicable in your case, you have a 99 civic, which is too new to have 'worn out' calipers.

Sperkie

Thanks for all your help. Afterall there was air in the brake line. Don't know how it got there but it cost me $40. The way I see it is I still saved a few bucks doing it myself than getting my mechanic to do it for me.

imported_InVaDeR_HB

good job.....always better doing a job urself, rather than taking it in and getting raped

imported_dalinkwent

yah, i just changed my 99 stock rear drum in the rears to sir rear discs ... all u have to do is bleed the lines a few times to get the air outta the brake lines ...