Good idea. I'll try them.

 

Well, there goes that idea.

Honestly, if the cause is firewall flex, then there should be a recall to fix this from the factory. Soft brakes due to firewall flex would be justification in my book.

Prob is, i don't think that's it

 

Yeah I was definitely disappointed. I think it will work on the 03-04 but I haven't been able to look at a 03-04 MC to verify. The talk on my350Z has been pretty positive about the results about the stiffener.

 

We all here agree that our cars can use a bit more of pedal firmness. But we do not think that the issue is serious enough to justify aserious repair. There might be a problem with your car that mayrrquire more than just a mc brace.

Sounds like air to me because it sounds very bad according to you.

 

just got done swapping G37s brakes (akebonos) on my G35 coupe.

at the same time I replaced all lines with SS lines and motul rbf 600

I now have the exact issue you guys are talking about. I press the pedal and it is soft, then if I press it again within 10 sec or so it bites damn hard. but if I wait 30 sec or longer I have to repeat the procedure.

on my first bleed it was very unsafe, each bleed has gotten progressively better, I can actually stop now from the first press. It just takes the whole length of the pedal and it doesnt have that bite unless I do a quick pump again.

I'm on my 4th bleed now, it feels like there is air in there somewhere but I can't find it. It's so damn frustrating.

I didn't unplug the battery before doing the bleed, so maybe its just air trapped in the ABS unit. I think my next bleed will be with the battery disconnected to see if it yields better results.

 

In what order did you have to bleed the calipers?

 

It's generally furthest caliper from MC to closest, so whichever one has the longest brake line distance goes first. '

Usually RR, LR, RF and then LF.



ANd yes, i've done it this way and any other combination with no results. If there is air in there, i can't get it out. Makes me wonder if there is any special procedure to bleed from ABS unit? All i can think of

 

The order posted above was the old standard, but with modern cars (ABS, VDC, etc) you have to check the manual. Direct quote from the service manual:

"-Turn ignition switch OFF and disconnectVDC actuator
connectors or the battery negative terminal.
- Bleed air in the following order. Right rear brake → Left
front brake → Left rear brake → Rightfront brake
1.Connect a transparent vinyl tube to bleed valve.
2.Fully depress brake pedal several times.
3.With brake pedal depressed, open bleed valve to releaseair.
4.Close bleed valve.
5.Release brake pedal slowly.
6.Repeat steps 2 through 5 until clear brake fluid comes out of bleed valve."

 

o rly... right rear is passenger rear right?... I mean correct?

I'll probably try doing that order to see if it helps things.

 

Try SS lines and top off fluid~

 

Correct. I completely bleed mine last year using the method in the service manual (two-man job). I used ATE Super Blue, so it was obvious that I got all the old amber fluid out. I tried to do the most perfect job I could, but my pedal still isn't as firm as when it was new. I've got 55k miles on her, and I'm still on the original pads and rotors, so no changes there.

 

I've done mine both ways and still made no difference.


Like i said before, i've bled gallons of fluid through the system with no change in pedal feel. Still not as firm as it was when car was new. That's why i really think it's degredation of a component in the system.

I really don't want to install SS lines until this is fixed. My reasoning is i shouldn't add aftermarket parts to get back to where the system was when brand new

 

well whats weird is mine did seem to get worse over time compared to new, but there was a huge difference when I installed the Akebonos. a problem like that shouldn't get worse that fast

 

Subbed to see what the fix is. I will be changing my brake fluid soon so hopefully this doesn't happen to me. Related to this my sister's Maxima has a bad bite. It doesn't proportionally brake as it should. It feels like a soft bite when the brake pedal is pressed. I'll have to bleed her brake system to see if that fixes the problem.

How long do you have to keep the battery unplugged before you can bleed the system? Do you have to wait 20 minutes or something for the ECU to shut off?

 

Well I have some feedback on my particular situation. Last week I replaced my 1/2 worn Hawk HPS pads with OEM. Mind you, I have never rolled on OEM, the car had some type of Duralast pads on when it was purchased. I replaced them with the Hawks last year and they felt OK but not what I expected.

The OEM were night and day different. Great initial bite and a more sure footed stop when you really mashed the pedal. ALSO, the pedal was rock hard on all presses of the pedal from the first to the 4th (if you pressed it that many times) However, the OEM pads have a lot of material on them so when I was all done the MC was virtually full. The fluid level filled the whole MC except for a bubble that covered about half of the top behind the cap. So I drained enough fluid to get to the "full" line and I'll be damned if the pedal didn't soften up noticeably. Not nearly as bad as with the Hawk pads, but definitely different than with the MC being almost completely full.

Now I want to go buy some fluid and fill the damn MC full again like it was but I don't know if that's bad for the brake system. Does anyone know the answer?