brake pedal travel

[xfish 20]

hey guys, the breaks on my EL are a bit strange....it has a new break booster, and master cylinder ( 2 years old ) , I replaced the rear calipers about 6 weeks ago. The front calipers look good, and I've bleed the system twice.....but it seems I have a lot a travel in the break pedal. Unlike my XF's, which are nice and touchy....these seem slow and un-responsive. it's hard to explain, but if I need to hard break, I near need to stand on the pedal....but is there some other adjustment i'm missing. It has ABS....

[Outback Jack 6,352]

Big Hammer...... LOL

Excessive brake travel means air in the system or brakes leaking fluid. Also if you run out of ideas, start looking for a vaccuum leak. Vaccuum assisted brakes don't work so well when there is a vaccuum leak. Shouldn't be the ABS, to test that just stomp on them, shouldn't lock up, should brake and release, brake and release.

Best of luck man, I hate brakes...... Oh and sometimes the ball in one man bleeding kits get stuck, is why I prefer it as a 2 people job.

 

Jack.

[Nath 1,975]

Pfft why do you even need brakes anyway...

 

[xfish 20]

No worries....lol

 

Are the brake boosters and master cylinders the same between EL XR6's and XR8's?

[jca25 1,034]

if there is a vac leak the pedal will be hard as to push, u may find the master cyl has die and is bypassing which is common after bleeding the brakes if its not been done before they get a build up of shit in them and when bleeding it the worst thing people do is push it all the way which picks up the shit and kills the the cups. best way to to find out is to pump the pedal up till its firm and then leave Ur foot on it and see if it slowly s goes to the floor

 

and as to the booster from i can recall they are the same been to many yrs since i play with them

also something to keep a eye out for on the plastic boosters is the case cracks on them have done a few of them 

[steve mcqueen 1,796]

 

Also something to keep a eye out for on the plastic boosters is the case cracks on them have done a few of them 

 

Had this happen in a EF Wagon i had years ago, took me by surprize and im like 'WTF' 

Was easy to replace but still a pain in the bum to happen. 

[SPArKy_Dave 8,892]

Ahhh, EL brakes...... one of the great mysteries of man kind.

 

I have many E-series in the family.

The EL's with ABS, seem to have a somewhat unresponsive brake pedal.

 

By the same token, the EF wagon project has extremely touchy brakes, so I know the e-series have a fundamental capability, to have good brakes.

 

I've tried playing with around with my EL wagon, installing stupidly expensive front rotors, and NOS front calipers, etc.

Those things did improve the brakes, but not dramatically.

The EF still has a far more responsive pedal.

 

I still want to try replacing the booster on my EL wagon, re-build the back brake calipers and fit expensive rotors there too.

 

It's a learning experience, but I've heard the ABS units can hold air in the system, and need to be operated/pulsed, to force out the air.

This can be achieved by an ABS diagnostic tool, or by test driving the car and standing on the brakes hard, to make the ABS work - then re-bleeding the system.

I personally haven't tested this theory.

 

EF's and EL's also have different ABS units.

[jca25 1,034]

Had this happen in a EF Wagon i had years ago, took me by surprize and im like 'WTF' 

Was easy to replace but still a pain in the bum to happen. 

 

Yea we use to keep them and then make one out of two most of the time but they are easy to change over

[jca25 1,034]

Ahhh, EL brakes...... one of the great mysteries of man kind, LOL.

 

I have many E-series in the family.

The EL's with ABS, seem to have a somewhat unresponsive brake pedal.

 

By the same token, the EF wagon project has extremely touchy brakes, so I know the e-series have a fundamental capability, to have good brakes.

 

I've tried playing with around with my EL wagon, installing stupidly expensive front rotors, and NOS front calipers, etc.

Those things did improve the brakes, but not dramatically.

The EF still has a far more responsive pedal.

 

I still want to try replacing the booster on my EL wagon, re-build the back brake calipers and fit expensive rotors there too.

 

It's a learning experience, but I've heard the ABS units can hold air in the system, and need to be operated/pulsed, to force out the air.

This can be achieved by an ABS diagnostic tool, or by test driving the car and standing on the brakes hard, to make the ABS work - then re-bleeding the system.

I personally haven't tested this theory.

Cant say i have had any dramas with the abs units holding air but i have been out of the brake game for yrs now, but one car to watch for is the late model land cruiser  the brake master and booster is all in one and need dot 3 only or they stuff up