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I had a similar problem after changing from regular mineral or semi-synthetic 10W40 to fully-synthetic 5W40 to be “nice” to the engine. The engine which is like 12 years old runs smoothly but now the engine leaks from several places.
So on an old engine that has never had any TLC – when someone all of a sudden fills the engine with premium “thin” oil and keeps the engine nicely filled almost right up to the max level (and thus creating a little higher oil pressure) the oil might begin to leak out. Especially if you all of a sudden also begin to use oil cleaning additives. Probably go for a “thicker” mineral 10W40/15W40 and shorter shifting intervals.
Passed MOT-test today without any remarks.
Next project.
Car used to (for like 6 month ago) run like 150 km/t (some 90-95 mph) but will now only do 120 km/t (some 75-80 mph) and seriously lacks power when over taking or driving up-hill.
I have done all the obvious and easy fixes – complete oil change, changed air filter and cleaned throttle body thoroughly, changed fuel filter, changed spark plugs. No white or black smoke from exhaust. No butter cream in cooling fluid. Just passed MOT-test with no emission failures. No “hanging” or locking brakes. No obvious clutch problems but more than anything lacks power in especially 5th gear.
I have by chance a head gasket set with head gasket and valve seals for that particular model and make and think I will try and see what a 1.4 16V DOHC looks like taken apart.
Passed MOT-test today without any remarks.
Next project.
Car used to (for like 6 month ago) run like 150 km/t (some 90-95 mph) but will now only do 120 km/t (some 75-80 mph) and seriously lacks power when over taking or driving up-hill.
I have done all the obvious and easy fixes – complete oil change, changed air filter and cleaned throttle body thoroughly, changed fuel filter, changed spark plugs. No white or black smoke from exhaust. No butter cream in cooling fluid. Just passed MOT-test with no emission failures. No “hanging” or locking brakes. No obvious clutch problems but more than anything lacks power in especially 5th gear.
I have by chance a head gasket set with head gasket and valve seals for that particular model and make and think I will try and see what a 1.4 16V DOHC looks like taken apart.
I myself thought it was a failing master cylinder.
I can honestly say that I am happy to have finished this project. But I have learnt so much from this single brake job.
No, I do not have a functioning bleeder screw at rear right wheel. I somehow had to close the port and thus tapped a M12 thread, put down a little 3 mm steel ball to block the port hole, and screwed in a M12 bolt to keep the steel ball tight in there. I bled that wheel through the brake hose inlet port. A little more difficult but doable.
I myself thought it was a failing master cylinder.
I can honestly say that I am happy to have finished this project. But I have learnt so much from this single brake job.
No, I do not have a functioning bleeder screw at rear right wheel. I somehow had to close the port and thus tapped a M12 thread, put down a little 3 mm steel ball to block the port hole, and screwed in a M12 bolt to keep the steel ball tight in there. I bled that wheel through the brake hose inlet port. A little more difficult but doable.
UPDATE.
Checked the car this morning. No fluid inside rims or on the ground.
Then re-bled all four wheels – RR>LR>RF>LF. Bleeding the final wheel (left front) I was a little stunned to see some 5 inches of real dirty brake fluid pass through the tubing – maybe some of the old brake fluid from the ABS system? If that is the case, then “poor man’s VAG-COM” seems to have been working all right.
I now have brakes, one closed up for good brake bleeder screw at rear right caliper, but unfortunately with a little to much pedal free play.
At this time I do not have the time or the energy to try reducing the pedal free play.
But I hope it will pass the MOT-test tomorrow morning.
CONCLUSION
All ways make sure to make a thorough job as you work your way around the car. You should be able to “trust” what you have all ready done, as to rule out possible causes, but if in doubt or encountering problems, then go back to start and work your way through all of your work one more time.
A missing 50 cent brass washer can some times “destroy” your brakes and make you or your mechanic buy you a new master cylinder and possible buy you one or more new brake calipers (none of which would have dealt with the problem).
Keep you updated on the internet. The information you need is out there but you have to put together all the bits of information from several places.
If in doubt – one should probably take the car to a “real” mechanic – one of those who actually diagnose car problems and repair cars. Not one of those who “just” replace parts until the problem is fixed.
UPDATE.
Checked the car this morning. No fluid inside rims or on the ground.
Then re-bled all four wheels – RR>LR>RF>LF. Bleeding the final wheel (left front) I was a little stunned to see some 5 inches of real dirty brake fluid pass through the tubing – maybe some of the old brake fluid from the ABS system? If that is the case, then “poor man’s VAG-COM” seems to have been working all right.
I now have brakes, one closed up for good brake bleeder screw at rear right caliper, but unfortunately with a little to much pedal free play.
At this time I do not have the time or the energy to try reducing the pedal free play.
But I hope it will pass the MOT-test tomorrow morning.
CONCLUSION
All ways make sure to make a thorough job as you work your way around the car. You should be able to “trust” what you have all ready done, as to rule out possible causes, but if in doubt or encountering problems, then go back to start and work your way through all of your work one more time.
A missing 50 cent brass washer can some times “destroy” your brakes and make you or your mechanic buy you a new master cylinder and possible buy you one or more new brake calipers (none of which would have dealt with the problem).
Keep you updated on the internet. The information you need is out there but you have to put together all the bits of information from several places.
If in doubt – one should probably take the car to a “real” mechanic – one of those who actually diagnose car problems and repair cars. Not one of those who “just” replace parts until the problem is fixed.
You will probably either need a male HEX wrench AKA Allen key (the bolt is a female HEX) or a female HEX (the bolt is a male HEX).
You will need an impacting motion (power tool or manual impact driver but probably hard to reach place).
Try giving it some penetrating oil, then whack it with a hammer/blunt chisel, but DO wear goggles. On the left hand side you can try using your jack to push your wrench up – unwinding the bolt (that has worked for me several times). You will need torque – either power or the longest handle tool you can fit (leverage).
But take into account that you might end up with broken bolts – and then you will all of a sudden have a very bad day as a amateur home mechanic.
You will probably either need a male HEX wrench AKA Allen key (the bolt is a female HEX) or a female HEX (the bolt is a male HEX).
You will need an impacting motion (power tool or manual impact driver but probably hard to reach place).
Try giving it some penetrating oil, then whack it with a hammer/blunt chisel, but DO wear goggles. On the left hand side you can try using your jack to push your wrench up – unwinding the bolt (that has worked for me several times). You will need torque – either power or the longest handle tool you can fit (leverage).
But take into account that you might end up with broken bolts – and then you will all of a sudden have a very bad day as a amateur home mechanic.
So today was certainly a loooooong day.
I now have brakes – hurray!
PROBLEM turned out to be – external leakage and possibly trapped air.
Double clamped all four flexible brake hoses. Hard brake pedal.
Master cylinder – OK.
Brake lines – OK.
Took off all four calipers and then injected them with new brake fluid while tapping and turning them, with the bleeder screw up, to get out all trapped air pockets.
Put the calipers back but still had a somewhat harder but still sinking pedal.
Found a tiny leakage from front left brake hose bolt. Turned out to be due to a missing brass washer (there should be one above and one below the brake hose inlet thingy – :pinch: ).
Fixed that. Ready to go. One final round to torque up all bolts and screws.
F………………….! Sorcery is in play. Rear right bleeder screw was suddenly loose. I don’t know how, but I somehow managed to screw up the thread :whistle: . Then off with the caliper again again. As the car uses M10 bleeder screws I had to cut a new M12 thread down into the old thread, put in a little steel ball, and then press the steel ball down into the bleeder port hole with a giant M12 bolt (I only had like 2″ long ones). But it somehow did the trick and I will quite surely not see any leakage from that port in the future (but will have to bleed through the brake hose bolt – inlet port).
I then finally managed to get a somewhat firm (maybe a little spongy) but non sinking brake pedal.
Then took the car for a progressively tough drive in the mountains and turned ON “poor man’s VAG-COM” – activating the ABS pump by making some tough braking maneuvers letting the ABS kick in. When I got home the brake pedal was a lot more spongy – so either I succeeded in getting some of the possible air in the ABS system out in the brake circuit, or else something else is wrong.Will look for leaks tomorrow and then do a final bleed.
So today was certainly a loooooong day.
I now have brakes – hurray!
PROBLEM turned out to be – external leakage and possibly trapped air.
Double clamped all four flexible brake hoses. Hard brake pedal.
Master cylinder – OK.
Brake lines – OK.
Took off all four calipers and then injected them with new brake fluid while tapping and turning them, with the bleeder screw up, to get out all trapped air pockets.
Put the calipers back but still had a somewhat harder but still sinking pedal.
Found a tiny leakage from front left brake hose bolt. Turned out to be due to a missing brass washer (there should be one above and one below the brake hose inlet thingy – :pinch: ).
Fixed that. Ready to go. One final round to torque up all bolts and screws.
F………………….! Sorcery is in play. Rear right bleeder screw was suddenly loose. I don’t know how, but I somehow managed to screw up the thread :whistle: . Then off with the caliper again again. As the car uses M10 bleeder screws I had to cut a new M12 thread down into the old thread, put in a little steel ball, and then press the steel ball down into the bleeder port hole with a giant M12 bolt (I only had like 2″ long ones). But it somehow did the trick and I will quite surely not see any leakage from that port in the future (but will have to bleed through the brake hose bolt – inlet port).
I then finally managed to get a somewhat firm (maybe a little spongy) but non sinking brake pedal.
Then took the car for a progressively tough drive in the mountains and turned ON “poor man’s VAG-COM” – activating the ABS pump by making some tough braking maneuvers letting the ABS kick in. When I got home the brake pedal was a lot more spongy – so either I succeeded in getting some of the possible air in the ABS system out in the brake circuit, or else something else is wrong.Will look for leaks tomorrow and then do a final bleed.
Hi. Thanks for the responses so far.
The pistons in the calipers were compressed “on the bench” and then put back to the car.
Looking around on the internet I have gathered the following information.
Possible causes:
– master cylinder internal seals damaged because of “old” pedal brake bleeding method – theory is that the greater than normal travel of the internal seals when using this brake bleeding method will force the seals out in a not normally used part of the master cylinder filled with corrosion and dirt – which distorts the seals and thus leaking.
– air in ABS pump (not sure if this is a problem with my particular car model) – bleeding the ABS part of the system normally requires some expensive dealership hard-/software (VAG-COM) so that one can turn on the ABS pump and thus bleeding the air (and the old brake fluid) from the ABS system out to the non-ABS system – from where it should be bled by one of the ordinary bleeding methods.
– trapped air in 1 to 4 of the calipers as i forgot (I have spanked myself…) to fill the calipers with brake fluid before they were put back on the car – so that air is (could be = is in car world accordind to Murphy’s law) trapped in the top of the calipers.I have just received an “new” used master cylinder (which could be or could not be working out of the box…!).
Diagnostic approach:
1) Isolate master cylinder by clogging off the outlet ports with M10 bolts > firm brake pedal > master cylinder is not the cause. Otherwise replace and continue approach.
2) Isolate brake lines from master cylinder to brake calipers by squeezing of all four of the flexible brake hoses with double clamping (you f….. need to be sure that they are squeezed off to use this as a diagnostic approach) > firm brake pedal > brake lines are not the cause. Otherwise look along brake lines to find leakage (park on dry surface over night with heavy stone on brake pedal to create pressure in system).
3) Un-squeeze one flexible brake hose one at the time to find the brake caliper(s) which are creating the menace. The look for leaks in the caliper. Take off the caliper while still attached to the brake hose – then rotate the caliper and have the bleeder nipple at the highest point when rebleeding.This should be fun (NOT!). Will keep you posted in some days.
Hi. Thanks for the responses so far.
The pistons in the calipers were compressed “on the bench” and then put back to the car.
Looking around on the internet I have gathered the following information.
Possible causes:
– master cylinder internal seals damaged because of “old” pedal brake bleeding method – theory is that the greater than normal travel of the internal seals when using this brake bleeding method will force the seals out in a not normally used part of the master cylinder filled with corrosion and dirt – which distorts the seals and thus leaking.
– air in ABS pump (not sure if this is a problem with my particular car model) – bleeding the ABS part of the system normally requires some expensive dealership hard-/software (VAG-COM) so that one can turn on the ABS pump and thus bleeding the air (and the old brake fluid) from the ABS system out to the non-ABS system – from where it should be bled by one of the ordinary bleeding methods.
– trapped air in 1 to 4 of the calipers as i forgot (I have spanked myself…) to fill the calipers with brake fluid before they were put back on the car – so that air is (could be = is in car world accordind to Murphy’s law) trapped in the top of the calipers.I have just received an “new” used master cylinder (which could be or could not be working out of the box…!).
Diagnostic approach:
1) Isolate master cylinder by clogging off the outlet ports with M10 bolts > firm brake pedal > master cylinder is not the cause. Otherwise replace and continue approach.
2) Isolate brake lines from master cylinder to brake calipers by squeezing of all four of the flexible brake hoses with double clamping (you f….. need to be sure that they are squeezed off to use this as a diagnostic approach) > firm brake pedal > brake lines are not the cause. Otherwise look along brake lines to find leakage (park on dry surface over night with heavy stone on brake pedal to create pressure in system).
3) Un-squeeze one flexible brake hose one at the time to find the brake caliper(s) which are creating the menace. The look for leaks in the caliper. Take off the caliper while still attached to the brake hose – then rotate the caliper and have the bleeder nipple at the highest point when rebleeding.This should be fun (NOT!). Will keep you posted in some days.