Weak Brakes

[Jimmie]

My 95 Pathfinder has weak brakes. Have changed all the calipers with new pads and blead the brakes good too, any ideas? Jim

[adamzan]

How is the master cylinder, are you getting good fluid flow to all 4 corners? Disc or drum brakes in the back?

 

When I replaced the front calipers many years ago I had them swapped from left to right, so I couldn't bleed all the air... Make sure your bleeders are at the top of the caliper...

[Strato_54]

1 minute ago, adamzan said:

Make sure your bleeders are at the top of the caliper...

You beat me too it I watched you post that haha! He's right make sure bleeder is up and make sure you didn't kink a hose.

 

I did that to my rear when I first did the lift and didn't realize

[Jimmie]

It's a SE with disk all the way around. Replace the master cylinder and all the calipers with new pads, also purchased a good bleeder. That leaves the brake booster and proportion valve.

[Slartibartfast]

Are you looking for an upgrade to the adequate-but-not-great stock brakes, or has something happened that's got your brakes worse than they used to be?

 

I had a knockdown dragout fight with the brakes on mine a while back. IIRC the master was leaking, so I replaced that and the rear flex hose between the frame and the axle, and the rear brakes just kinda quit working. I did a bunch of screwing around. Two-man bled, gravity bled, reverse bled, deleted the abs, put a 2WD Hardbody master in it (same piston size but no internal prop) with a Wilwood external prop because I didn't think the prop in the aftermarket Pathy masters was bleeding right, even replaced the booster. None of it helped. It bled normally, nothing was blocked, and the bleeders were at the top like they're meant to be. With the rear axle on jackstands, in drive, at idle, both feet on the brakes, the rears just spun.

 

I was out of good ideas, so I bought a brake pressure gauge, blew out all the plumbing for the rears with compressed air, and tested pressure at each point down the line, bleeding at the gauge as I went. Right at the master, joiner in the driver's wheel well, where the ABS used to be, splitter at the rear axle. Might've put it at the caliper hoses too, don't remember if I had the fittings for that. The gauge showed full pressure every time (~1500 psi IIRC). With no obvious fault to chase, I hooked the calipers back up, bled them yet again, and somehow the rear brakes started working. I don't know why. All I can think is there was a gob of goo holding an air bubble in a union or something, which all of my prior bleeding had somehow failed to budge.

 

I still hate everything about brake fluid.

 

Hopefully yours is easier to deal with than mine was!