BRAKING ISSUES

[RJHTUNER]

2008 Chrysler Town and Country Touring van and I recently did a front brake pad replacement and now the peddle doesn’t feel the same like it did before, a little spongy and van doesn’t stop the same either. Could It have air in the system even though I did not open up the system?

Topic

[juan]

Yes it has air bleed the brakes……when ever you do the breaks you have to open the caliper to get the new breaks in right…thats when air is introduced into the system

[RJHTUNER]

No, I didn’t open up the system all I did was compress the piston. did rear brakes about 5 months ago the same way with no issues, But I’ll bleed them anyways..

[juan]

Yea i think that would be the best thing to do it might fix the problem….then we’ll go from there

[Lorrin Barth]

If you didn’t open the system and air is in it, it was in there before the pad job.

If the rotors are grooved or wavy it could take some driving to bed in the pads. If the rotors were in good shape then I’d suggest it is the brake pad material. Could it be you are having to press on the pedal with more force than before?

I bought ceramic pads that promised to be quiet and dust free – a decently expensive pad. They were both but the braking effort was like I was dragging my feet. I had to plan for stop signs.

Anyway, there’s a lot of variation in the stopping ability of brake pads sold these days.

[Andrew]

The pads will need time to bed in. Give them time, say 100-200 miles. Also, if your pedal is more spongy than before and you haven’t opened the system check for leaks around the pistons, as you have moved them back a fair way. More likely, and I can’t explain this, but often when you change the front pads, any slack in the rear drums (if you have them) will become more prominent. Once the pads have bedded in you should try adjusting the rears and see if things improve.

[Author]

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