Front brake squishy

[hoochster]

Yesterday I took my front brakes apart to check my pads due to squeeking. Upon looking at them they looked good and weren't up to the wear marks. They were worn unevenly but I understand that is normal and I could see the piston were out at different lengths. So, knowing this in normal I pushed the pistons back and put the pads back in and put it together. Upon riding it the front brake lever is squishy. The lever even actually goes all the way back to the handle bar. I didn't take any of the fluid out or even crack the bleeding valve or brake fluid hose. Is it possible there is air in the system? Would that be the reason for this? I haven't tried bleeding it yet since I didn't mess with the valve or hose.

[Skid]

I had a similar problem last year that took a couple weeks for me to find. Even Yammer was here for a day to help bleed the brakes and we couldn't find it. Finally I got looking very closely at the pads and discovered the corner ear was slightly bend. Apparently it caught on the edge of the caliper and gotten bent. I noticed the caliper was moving slightly as I was hitting the brake lever and knew that wasn't right. It was pushing back on the piston each time and making too much movement for the brake to feel firm. Just a experience I had with mine. Good luck

 

[Marcarl]

I have heard that the back brakes wear unevenly, but for that to happen to the front is a new one I think. Maybe best check that the pistons are all working properly and not hanging up, or ceased.

[djh3]

I was going to also say the back uneven is common. Fronts first I have heard or it.

what color is the fluid in the reservoir sight glass? when was the last time it was changed out and bleed thru? I would get an old tooth brush or similar soft brush, some brake clean and remove the caliper from the mount. Take the pads out and clean the exposed part of pucks and what you can get at on the caliper. If pads are uneven maybe flip them around. Drain and bleed the system thru. Could be there was some air bubbles created while you pushed the pucks back. Doubt it but it is probably worth the $4 or whatever to bleed it out with fresh DOT 4 fluid.

[utadventure]

Having pushed the pistons in, it may just need a little time to push enough fluid into the caliper and extend the pistons out.

[hoochster]

I changed and bled the brakes around August of last year. The fluid is still clear in the sight glass. I guess I will start by looking to see if anything is hanging up in there. Then then try it again and if still squishy try bleeding and see if that helps. I thin k it has had enough time to get the fluid back to the caliper so, I think it is a bigger issue. Thanks for the input so far.

[djh3]

Might try the tie the handle back and let it sit deal also. This will sometimes let any bubbles work thier way up if thats what it is.

[Marcarl]

Just for kicks, change the pads back the way they were. If that solves your problem, the real problem will be with the calipers in that the pistons are hanging up. Pay attention here,,, brakes not working right is no joke, it's outright dangerous. We don't have that much power in the braking situation, so don't go compromising it in any way. You need all you got,, get it right!!!

[videoarizona]

I put my calipers back on after changing the front tire. One of the notes in the manual said to squeeze the lever firmly a few times to make sure the pads are seated back where they need to be before riding. So either Skid's thought on something hanging up or the pads haven't seated right makes sense to me. Especially if you swapped the pads. If one or more of the pistons have gunk on them and aren't moving forward to compensate for the different pad...that could be a small part of this as well....

[Great White]

This is kind of too late for your situ and more what I do with 4+ wheeled vehicles, but I always crack the bleeders when I push calipers back in.

 

Modern vehicles with multiple circuits and components (like abs manifolds and such) very often don't respond well to contaminated brake fluid being pushed back up through the system. I learned this after dealing with a couple weird brake faults, after a simple pad replacement, that resulted in replacing a few expensive components at my cost.

 

I usually just return the cores, but I have had master cylinders that mysteriously developed split/bypassing cups after a brake job where I've pushed the pistons back.

 

Not one problem since I started cracking the bleeders.

 

Personally, I'd try a flush of your brake fluid. Run a bottle through it and see what you get. Worse thing that can happen is you're out 5-10 bucks for a bottle and 30 minutes of your time.

 

I'm assuming you have already run the pistons/pads back out to the disc surface by pumping them up....

[hoochster]

Thanks everyone for your input! I did figure it out and skid was right. When I put the pads back on I didn't put one of them on the slide correctly and it was hanging on the outside of the slide. Corrected the problem with the pad and now I am good to go! Thanks again all!!