BRAKE FLUID LEAK? Anyone else?

[CSM]

Also one thing I forgot to mention is that one of the bleeder screws was actually initially gunked up really bad with corrosion and wouldn't bleed..had to take a pipe cleaner and fix it. Also the right front piston (on the caliper that i had to rebuild) was really rusty as well. Makes me wonder....weird for a car with 30k miles to have such rusty brakes right?

 

[Intuit]

Had over 330k rust-belt miles on my OEM calipers for my prior Ford and corrosion was pretty much a non-issue. Sounds like Ford may have gotten a raw deal (bait and switch) from one of it's parts suppliers. On the other hand I've always avoided tire and wheel cleaners specifically because they're hella hard on brake caliper parts. (tire wetter might be okay though) I also avoid letting the car sit wet and in the shadows... driven after rains.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Yeah i thought so to, so I re-read that entire thread. Sucks that Boombots sold his ST... It seems like having the dealer bleed the system with the ABS tool helped pedal feel but he still suffered from crappy brakes.

I spent basically the entire day trying to figure this thing out, and only thing I can think of is that its the ABS issue. Going to take it to the dealer Thursday and have them sort it out.

I had spongy brakes (not dropping to the floor), two things 1 after opening the system people noted that the firmness is lost until a ~100 miles of city driving with brake usage. Secondly a quick dirty trick is try to get the ABS to activate in a safe environment this may solve the problem.

If this does not solve it I am curious what the issue is. IF you believe a leak do you see your brake fluid level dropping?

 

[CSM]

I had spongy brakes (not dropping to the floor), two things 1 after opening the system people noted that the firmness is lost until a ~100 miles of city driving with brake usage. Secondly a quick dirty trick is try to get the ABS to activate in a safe environment this may solve the problem.

If this does not solve it I am curious what the issue is. IF you believe a leak do you see your brake fluid level dropping?

I tried the ABS activation trick to no avail. Haven't seen fluid level drop, but I also did a thorough inspection and could not find a leak.

 

[CSM]

Quick UPDATE:

Took the car to the dealer today to have them do a proper flush (using the ABS scan tool) to see if this would fix the pedal issue. Car is still behaving strangely with the pedal sink. Service advisor drove the car after the brake flush and thought everything seemed normal. I will not be back to that dealer for any service.

So, just to recap the issues I have:
- Did full pads, rotors, and brake fluid bleed (using Motive power bleeder) on 5/12. Had to rebuild front right caliper due to rusty piston allowing fluid to leak past seal. Pedal felt spongy and had a little bit of sink after all of this.
- Activated ABS in gravel lot and re-bled the system. Not much difference. Decided to take car to dealer to have them do a flush using their scan tool
- Dealer does a full flush and brake inspection 5/18. Stopping power is a little bit improved (probably more due to pads bedding in), but the crappy pedal feel and sink is still there. Pedal will SLOWLY sink at stop lights, and with the car on, I can pump the brakes which GREATLY reduces the travel and also at the same time GREATLY reduces stopping power. Dealer service advisor drove the car around but thought it was normal, told me that pumping brakes while driving is not advised (lol).

I'm thinking Master Cylinder or brake booster. What do you guys think? I may take the car to another dealer to have a second opinion. My car has entered its certified pre-owned warranty phase, so I'm hoping a replacement master cylinder or brake booster would be covered

Thoughts?

 

[CanadianGuy]

Quick UPDATE:

Took the car to the dealer today to have them do a proper flush (using the ABS scan tool) to see if this would fix the pedal issue. Car is still behaving strangely with the pedal sink. Service advisor drove the car after the brake flush and thought everything seemed normal. I will not be back to that dealer for any service.

So, just to recap the issues I have:
- Did full pads, rotors, and brake fluid bleed (using Motive power bleeder) on 5/12. Had to rebuild front right caliper due to rusty piston allowing fluid to leak past seal. Pedal felt spongy and had a little bit of sink after all of this.
- Activated ABS in gravel lot and re-bled the system. Not much difference. Decided to take car to dealer to have them do a flush using their scan tool
- Dealer does a full flush and brake inspection 5/18. Stopping power is a little bit improved (probably more due to pads bedding in), but the crappy pedal feel and sink is still there. Pedal will SLOWLY sink at stop lights, and with the car on, I can pump the brakes which GREATLY reduces the travel and also at the same time GREATLY reduces stopping power. Dealer service advisor drove the car around but thought it was normal, told me that pumping brakes while driving is not advised (lol).

I'm thinking Master Cylinder or brake booster. What do you guys think? I may take the car to another dealer to have a second opinion. My car has entered its certified pre-owned warranty phase, so I'm hoping a replacement master cylinder or brake booster would be covered

Thoughts?

If spongy but little sink I suggest driving for a while. As I state before some local chaps have had the similar affect after opening the system and required a few days of driving and using the system before it settled. I can vouch mine was similar. Spongy a bit of sink after the ABS and running it for another 500km it is back to normal. It could have been the pad as well.

 

[CSM]

If spongy but little sink I suggest driving for a while. As I state before some local chaps have had the similar affect after opening the system and required a few days of driving and using the system before it settled. I can vouch mine was similar. Spongy a bit of sink after the ABS and running it for another 500km it is back to normal. It could have been the pad as well.

Thanks mate. I'll give it a bit of a drive for a few weeks and see if it improves. Hopefully it does!!

 

[CSM]

I've noticed that I have a weird metallic "ticking" noise coming from the front left caliper when the car is on and you apply steady and firm pressure to the brake. Almost a sound like a metallic cable makes when it is taut and tightened. Hard to describe. I'll try to get video of it tomorrow and if I have time I'll remove the wheel and do a thorough inspection.

 

[Bonesaw]

I've noticed that I have a weird metallic "ticking" noise coming from the front left caliper when the car is on and you apply steady and firm pressure to the brake. Almost a sound like a metallic cable makes when it is taut and tightened. Hard to describe. I'll try to get video of it tomorrow and if I have time I'll remove the wheel and do a thorough inspection.

What ended up being the final outcome to this problem? What caused the the sinking pedal?

 

[CSM]

What ended up being the final outcome to this problem? What caused the the sinking pedal?

CanadianGuy was 100% right. I drove the car around for about a week and the pedal feel improved IMMENSELY. It is now very firm and the ticking noise has gone away. The only thing I can thing of is that the outside of the pad was glazed over and that glazed layer had to be worn off before I could actually have some good stopping power.

Everything is perfect now

 

[Bonesaw]

Great to hear CSM! I have Stoptech SS lines arriving today and after reading some of the horror stories on here with brakes - it shook me a bit LOL. I THINK if I plug the hard line as soon as I diconnect the OEM rubber( one wheel at a time) - it should be okay and not suck enough air in to cause some the issues others have had. That, and bleed properly (not letting the Master Cyl go dry/suck air...