Spongy brake pedal

[Classik]

New

[steve2003rs6]

Hi classik. If you have only just realised that there are 2 bleed nipples on the front calipers.
Do you think that incorrect bleeding has been your problem from the start.
Or were the additional components fitted faulty.
In any case you now have peace of mind that they have been replaced.
Cheers buddy.

[Shoppinit]

bleeding will follow shortly

Yup, that's true for most jobs I do on the car.

[Classik]

bleeding will follow shortly

Yup, that's true for most jobs I do on the car.

lol

[Classik]

Hi classik. If you have only just realised that there are 2 bleed nipples on the front calipers.
Do you think that incorrect bleeding has been your problem from the start.
Or were the additional components fitted faulty.
In any case you now have peace of mind that they have been replaced.
Cheers buddy.

Hi Steve,

The rear right caliper was faulty (leaking bleed screw + tired piston) and the master cylinder was also leaking, so there were definitely some stuff to fix, not only for peace of mind. Although the car is now braking fine, I'm still not 100% happy with the touch and feel of the brake pedal (I miss the first 'grip' when you hit the pedal), so there's a good chance I'll do another bleeding shortly.

(still no news from your shipping, will let you know of course )

[steve2003rs6]

Ok buddy. From lots of info on this site it appears that bleeding can be a pain to get all the air out.

[Classik]

Yep...

Extract from Elsa (my ESP is 5.7) :

Bleeding sequence for vehicles with Electronic Stability Program (ESP 5.7)
Unlike ESP 5.3, ESP 5.7 does not incorporate hydraulic pump -V156. Therefore it is not necessary to bleed the system with the diagnostic tester.

Please note:
A pressure of at least 2 bar is required for bleeding the hydraulic unit. Therefore always check the pressure setting on the bleeding device.

Only use the brake pedal depressor when installing brake system components, and bleed the system afterwards.

Follow the operating instructions for VAS 5234 or V.A.G 1869.

‒ Connect V.A.G 1869 or VAS 5234.
‒ Open bleeder screws in the specified order and bleed brake calipers (assist as required with pedal pressure [Edit: what is this supposed to mean??]).

Bleed sequence for LHD and RHD vehicles
1 - Front right brake caliper
2 - Front left brake caliper
3 - Rear right brake caliper
4 - Rear left brake caliper

‒ Keep bleeding the calipers until clear, bubble-free brake fluid emerges.
‒ Close bleed screw.

[Shoppinit]

‒ Connect V.A.G 1869 or VAS 5234.
‒ Open bleeder screws in the specified order and bleed brake calipers (assist as required with pedal pressure [Edit: what is this supposed to mean??]).

Means that if the air pressure isn't enough to get a good flow you can get someone to press the brake pedal to put more pressure in the system.

[Mɐʇʇ]

FWIW, with 30+PSI on the bleed bottle, I found it OK, doing it solo. Never "easy", it's just a job I hate, but certainly OK. This was starting with fully drained system, inc new master cylinder & reman front calipers. I did do maybe 3 laps of the car to get it all bubble free, including cycling the ABS pump (technically not necessary....), and maybe 4 litres of fluid through in total.

[Classik]

‒ Connect V.A.G 1869 or VAS 5234.
‒ Open bleeder screws in the specified order and bleed brake calipers (assist as required with pedal pressure [Edit: what is this supposed to mean??]).

Means that if the air pressure isn't enough to get a good flow you can get someone to press the brake pedal to put more pressure in the system.

I would have though 2 bars of pressure would be enough, but fair enough, I'll give it a spin with the wife

[Mɐʇʇ]

I gave the pedal a couple of presses with the bleed nipples open & the 30psi on it. Not so much for extra pressure - but just to change the "shape" in case any bubbles trapped in any of the far corners etc - bit of turbulence through the cylinders to mix it all up etc.

[Classik]

Sounds like a good advice, Ill give it a go, ta

[Classik]

I'm happy to report I finally got the brake pedal feel as I want it. Since my last post it took me a couple of purges and 5 liters of fluid to get there (yeah, newbie... ) but now it's firm as it should. Hopefully this will be confirmed by the mot.. Thanks for all the help and encouragement!



Next job, as soon as time allows, is to finally replace those fuel pumps. To do things right, I'm looking for a proper pump removal tool, but those purposely made like this one are too expensive for a 30s usage in my whole life.


Do you think one of those 'generic' ones could do the job?

[Shoppinit]

I made my own tool from bits I had lying around so I’m pretty sure a generic one would be fine.

[Classik]

Thank you Shopp, no need for another expensive tool then