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Model specific boards => Golf mk4 => Topic started by: MoMartin on 21 December 2014, 17:16

Title: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 21 December 2014, 17:16
Hi, I've just done the 312mm brake upgrade on my 2000 plate golf and since completion I've noticed that there is a lot of travel in the brake pedal before anything really happens.

I've checked the brake fluid level and it doesn't seem to have gone down so I've ruled that out. The system could probably do with a full brake bleed, but could that really cause the pedal to travel almost all the way to the floor?

Thanks, Mo

EDIT - Just drove 50 miles ish and i've noticed that both of the discs are only being half used whilst the other part is still rusty. (i bought 2 almost brand new discs and pads (few hundred miles) what's the most likely cause of this or do you think I have just put the outer brake pads the wrong way round (drivers switched with passenger)
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: viperjsy on 22 December 2014, 01:18
you will need to bleed the brakes and no harm in trying changing the pads around
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 22 December 2014, 13:29
Yeah I think bleeding them is the best way about it, ive noticed that if I pump the brake pedal the braking gets stronger and stronger, so I'm sure that there is an airlock or moisture in the system somewhere
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: Bellend on 22 December 2014, 13:54
Sounds like air in the system and the wrong brake pads.
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 22 December 2014, 14:13
I did the proper bedding in procedure earlier and the rust has almost gone now. I'll give it another day or two of driving around, then I'll switch them if it still hasn't cleared up.

They definitely need bleeding though, so that'll be a job to come soon.
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: Wazzzer on 22 December 2014, 20:31
Did you change the calipers over? As the 312mm conversion uses the same calipers...
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 22 December 2014, 20:52
Nope, all I've changed is the carriers, pads and the discs.
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 24 December 2014, 14:12
An update on the brakes -

The braking is getting a lot better, but now the steering wheel shakes when braking from 60ish mph. Is it possible that i have a warped disk or is there a chance that it's something else, like the brakes not being fully bedded or a stone stuck between the pads / disc?

Thanks. Mo

Edit - to add to that, if i brake harder the shaking stops and it also seems that the shaking gets worse depending on how hot the brakes are (when cold you can barely feel the shake).

Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: gm8 on 24 December 2014, 14:14
check the wheel nuts
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 24 December 2014, 14:47
They're all tight, actually had them torqued to the right level too.
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: Wazzzer on 24 December 2014, 21:57
warped discs are my bet...
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 24 December 2014, 22:29
warped discs are my bet...

Yeah, that's my bet too. It seems to get better every day I  drive it though, so I'm still not 100 percent sure
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: shaft69 on 02 January 2015, 23:12
Have you bled it from master cyl?? My pedal was sh!t when changed from Ap calliper so to R32 334mm bled it at master cyl then at calipers.
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 03 January 2015, 10:15
It's a strange one haha, my car seemed to fix itself. What I thought was a warped disc seemed to smooth out over a week or two and with that smoothing out,  the brake pedal seemed to come back. So God knows what the problem was.
Now that it's mostly fixed I think that bleeding the system definitely couldn't do it any harm, as there is still a bit of travel / sponginess, but for now I can live with it and am quite happy with the upgrade.

Cheers for all the help
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: gm8 on 05 January 2015, 09:59
im my experience of mk4 bleeding its a bloody nightmare. If you dont need to do it I wouldnt bother
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: Wazzzer on 05 January 2015, 23:05
It's easy enough to just run some new fluid through, it's when you change things it starts being a problem...
Title: Re: Did the 312mm brake upgrade today, now loads of brake pedal travel.
Post by: MoMartin on 06 January 2015, 16:20
When it comes to it I think I'll just pay for someone to do it because I've never bled brakes before and I'd rather not get it wrong