[emh]

sigh....

It's not going well. I recently did the Mustang GT Caliper swap, and noticed sponginess in the brakes.

I looked under the car today to see how it was looking, and found brake fluid splattered all around the splash guards. The culprit was a leaky brake line near the crush washer where the hose connects to the caliper. Since the calipers are aluminum, we can't over tighten them or we'll strip the caliper.

So I limped the car to Advanced Auto Parts, installed a new brake line, re-bled the lines with the bleeder hose submerged in brake fluid, and installed a new caliper.

It feels like it's still leaking. When the car is OFF, I can feel the pedal tighten up and never hit the floor. With the car ON, the brake pedal feels like a wet noodle compressing against fuzzy bunnies and pillows, and then goes to the floor if we keep on mashing.

I'm not sure what's going on here. New copper crush washers have been installed. New Caliper. New brake hose.
Do I have to bleed the brakes with the car on?
Bleeding should be done with pressure on the brake, open bleed valve, pedal hits floor, close bleed valve, remove pressure from brake pedal...yes?
How do I solve a leak problem?

I'm not giving up on this!

Thanks!

 

[emh]

....and no, I'm not driving the car at the moment. Safety first

 

[sheila]

I had same prob. when i installed rear reman. calipers from az. Copper crush washers were too thin and leaked. Took orig. wshr. to az and matched up a thicker one. Good luck!

 

[mediarocker]

Just throwing this out there, my brake pedal felt remotely squishy all the time. I had sure brake engagement though. If its not dropping to the floor and your brakes aren't fading you should be fine.

But if its affecting your braking, then I would suggest trying a thicker crush washer. If its not leaking visibly I don't know what it could be other than poor hose quality. I like to use brand name hoses, but that's just me. :lol2:

 

[shoz123]

Are the bleeder screws on the top of the GT calipers?

 

[emh]

Yes. Bleed lines are on top of the GT Calipers.

 

[paker]

Can air be in the ABS? I heard once air gets in ABS.....

 

[emh]

once the air gets in the ABS...... you win $50? your car explodes? Your brake system is screwed?

I've been careful to ensure that the reservoir never runs dry.

 

[shoz123]

How did you bleed them? I've had the best luck with a vacuum type setup. And I bleed mine with the engine running.

 

[emh]

I bled them by having the girlfriend apply light pressure to the brake, open the bleed valve, then press on the brake pedal until it hits the floor, then close the bleed valve with the brake pedal still depressed, then release the brake pedal. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Installing the new brake line helped the situation. New copper sealing washers and teflon tape on the soft line connector provided a sealed connection. Just have to watch how the washer lines up and take your time when installing the brake hose to ensure a good seal.

It took 3 sets of sealing washers to get a good fit, but it works now, thankfully.

Also note, there is the option to bleed the system where the hard line meets the rubber line. If it's not tight, this could be another leak point.

 

[shoz123]

I used copper washers from NAPA. I think they were for a GM. Never had a problem with them.

 

[c5f8]

It took 3 sets of sealing washers to get a good fit, but it works now, thankfully.

Do you mean it took 3 sets to find a good set or do you have all 3 sets of washers under the banjo bolts?

 

[emh]

haha. no no.. just one set is on there.
having three washers at once just wouldn't work!

 

[paker]

once the air gets in the ABS...... you win $50? your car explodes? Your brake system is screwed?

I've been careful to ensure that the reservoir never runs dry.

My apology. I meant to say ABS needs to be bled by the dealer.

By the way, teflon seal ring is used in high pressure hydraulics, but teflon tape? Did you use teflon tape on the threads? Or on copper seal on the sealing surface?