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OP, check your brake fluid level though. You may have the master cylinder over-full.
It's better form to at least crack open the bleeder valves and put a tube on them to a jar, when pushing the piston back on disc brakes. On drum brakes if you don't need to bother the wheel cylinder you don't need to bleed the brakes or do anything else to the hydraulic system.
Opening the bleed valve when pushing the piston back in also assures the dirtiest fluid in the system, in the caliper, gets discharged rather than pushed back into the system, maybe as far as the master cylinder.
Yeah, as GarageLogic notes, you need to leave the car in Park or leave the parking brake on while you start the engine and work the pedal - best to use short strokes rather than push the master cylinder piston way beyond it's normal range which can cause problems - work the pedal till you have a good firm pedal. Make sure you actually have brakes before moving the car. If you don't "seat" the pads like this, you definitely will not have anything but the hand/parking brake.
Btw, next time you tackle this job, as $20 worth pads won't last you long, don't remove caliper.
Simply undo one of the caliper bolts and swing caliper up or down. Depends on the vehicle, on some goes up, on some goes down. Then is sits on the slider pin, without worrying about it falling down.
But hate to spoil your happiness. You did BIG mistake. You did not lubricate caliper guides and pad seats and pad backings with caliper grease. Ooops! See, caliper, when done, has to slide from hand, little effort, back and for on pin guides. OR, one side of pads will wear much faster than the other.
Oh, the things we learn while DIY-ing our cars....
The reason the pedal went to the floor at first is because you pushed the pistons back too far. If a car doesn't have power brakes, you may experience a hard pedal for some miles until the pads are seated on the rotors.
On some cars, you don't have to remove the caliper or even swing it up or down. I had a car where the pads were held in with two pins, pads slid out forward, pistons could be pushed back with a large screwdriver.
as the others said, you are good to go since you didnt crack the hydraulic system. the reason you had to pump the brakes a couple of times to get a pedal is because you pushed all the fluid in the calipers back up into the master cylinder, and it takes a couple of pumps to get the fluid back into the calipers. i would however check the master cylinder fluid level and adjust it as necessary.
This. Usually what I do is pop the top off the reservoir before pushing the pistons in. It keeps the hydraulic pressure from fighting you as much. If it appears as though pushing the pistons back in will cause the master cylinder to overflow, drain a little bit of fluid from it first (an old turkey blaster works well for this).
As long as you didn't open the fluid lines to the caliper or anywhere else, you don't need to bleed them. I always bleed mine though since it takes literally 10 minutes of additional work. Brake fluid should be bled every 2-3 years.
Is brake fluid replacement done independently of pad/rotor replacements? My vehicle computer says I will need to replace the brake fluid by end of this year. Not sure when it was last done and when/if the computer was reset for it. 5 years old w/ 35k miles. My front and rear pads now have about 15k miles left on them.
Its really a good idea to check bleed them anyways.
Brake fluid gets nasty and its a good idea to circulate some fluid through the lines. Old brake fluid degrades after a while and can change pedal feel over time. You may or may not notice this.....when you simply think the pads are just wearing out.
Ive done more than a few brake changes on different cars and have seen bubbles come out after pushing caliper pistons back in.
The bubbles are from the old nasty fluid.
My current car is a bit more picky...I need to use a special tool to turn the pistons back in the caliper. If I used a regular C-clamp I would ruin my rear calipers. I also need to have the brakes under pressure when I bleed them and the pedal cant touch the floor or I risk damaging the master cylinder seals.
Is brake fluid replacement done independently of pad/rotor replacements? My vehicle computer says I will need to replace the brake fluid by end of this year. Not sure when it was last done and when/if the computer was reset for it. 5 years old w/ 35k miles. My front and rear pads now have about 15k miles left on them.
You don't even need to remove the calipers or pads when flushing the brake fluid. It involves attaching a clear hose to the bleeder valve on the caliper, opening the valve, and pumping the brake to force the fluid out of the caliper and the hoses from the master cylinder to the caliper. Fill the master cylinder a couple of times with fresh fluid so it does not run dry. You will pump it several times until clear fluid flows out the hose and there is a procedure to follow to keep air from getting inside the lines and a proper order to bleed the brakes, RR LR, RF and last LR calipers.
Thank you very much, you verified what I thought all along. Others I know who have more experience with such things (and thus are ones I tend to believe over my own thoughts in such situations) had asked me "did you bleed the brakes" & I replied "I just changed the pads, I always heard you didn't need to if all you do is change the pads" & I could hear them groaning like they were thinking "oh boy, I hope the car doesn't crash."
So I was right on this one, huh? Ha ha, that's funny, I'm going to have fun with this one when I tell them. It also makes me feel more calm & relaxed too, again, such tasks aren't tasks I do, normally I'd just pay a shop to do it. I'm more of a computers/cameras/electronics type of person, not a mechanical "Tim the Toolman Taylor" type of person, so I really surprised myself here, a LOT.
Thank you very much for the quick feedback.
LRH
I wouldn't get all cocky. $20 pads and not bleeding the brakes, while probably functional, are not the hallmarks of a job well done.
BTW.....attempting to bleed the brakes or otherwise adjust them with the emergency brake engaged is a no-no. Put the car in park. Chock the wheels.
Brake fluid flushes should be performed every 1-2 years. Brake fluid is very hydroscopic and will absorb moisture which can damage brake lines and create a spongy feeling pedal.
Fluid flushes are easy, i usually do them alone. Most say to do it with 2 peple but i've found that putting a hose on the bleeder into the bottle and cracking the line does not result in air going into the caliper. I crack the line, then go pump the pedal a few times. Fluid pushes out, and draws from the MC. Do 10 pumps or so, tighten the bleeder and move on. Proper method is to to the firthest brake first, and move back.
Every time i bleed the brakes, the pedal response feels much better.
I always replace rotors now when I do brakes. Saves headaches.
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