Hyundai Elantra Forum banner

Pushing brake pedal hard to stop

11K views 8 replies 9 participants last post by  KeWLKaT 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I have an 02 which doesn't stop to my liking. I feel like I have to push the pedal to the floor to get descent stopping power. It doesn't feel like it needs the brake lines bled, just a lack of grip. Are there any suggestions to this? My fiancee's 03 accent nearly puts me through the windshield when I drive it because it brakes awesome. Thanks!
 
#6 ·
If the vacuum booster is at fault, it would be the opposite, there would be a lot of resistance in the brake pedal and it wouldn't almost go to the floor.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic ... it attracts water. If you have any amount of water in your brake lines, it will cause a mushy brake pedal because it expands as it heats up where brake fluid does not. Have your brake lines completely flushed. Should cost you about $100 to have it done for you.

If that is not the problem, you may have a bad seal in your master cylinder, allowing fluid to seep back when you are applying the brakes.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I doubt you have a problem with your hydraulic system or vacuum booster. I am assuming you have drums in the rear. If so, pull the drums off and see how much lining the shoes have left (pad, meat). If the shoes look good and the wheel cylinders aren't leaking, they just need to be adjusted to bring them closer to the drum. This makes it so that they need less hydraulic pressure for them to apply pressure to the drums which will make it so you don't need to push the pedal so low before the brakes grab. This will also tighten up the e-brake handle.

To adjust the shoes, get a flat head and turn the little star wheel adjuster that you see at the top of the hub that extends from one shoe to the other. You should be turning the wheel so that you hear it clicking. This will push the shoes farther away from each other and closer to the drum surface. Be careful, turn it a little at a time. Turn it a few clicks, then put the drum on to see how much drag it has. Check this by spinng the drum. If it free wheels a lot before stopping, you need more adjustment. Just keep adjusting until you can feel the shoes applying resistance to the drum and so it barely freewheels when spinning it. You want it to almost feel like you can't turn the drum by hand. Do this for both rear wheels. You will get better results if you take the drums into a shop and have them resurfaced first.

Also, check the sliders on your front calipers to make sure they glide easily. If not, that means the caliper is not moving in as the pads wear. This requires more piston travel and causes a low pedal. So, just take off the bottom 14mm bolt off the caliper, flip the caliper up and move it in and out to check the top slider (you may need to slightly compress the piston). This one is usually problem free. Now try to move the bottom slider in an out. The bottom slider is what the 14mm bolt goes into. Make sure it slides in and out easily. This is usually the one that siezes. If it is siezed, grab it with some big pliers and just keep twisting it back and forth while trying to pull it out. Pull the little rubber boot back and spray some WD40 in the slider hole and keep working it out. Once you get it out, unload a can of brake clean and/or WD40 in the slider hole until all the rust is cleaned out. Use Q-tips to get deep in the hole. Dry the hole. Now apply some brake lube to the slider pin and work it in and out of the hole til it feels smooth. Reinstall!

Also, make sure the front pads & rotors and rear shoes & drums aren't glazed over. If they are, are get some 180 grit sand paper and just sand all the glaze off.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top