anyone had this brake problem???
Thread Starter
|
Intermediate
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: apopka florida
anyone had this brake problem???
my bike is a daily ride. 07 FLHTC. after 80k with no brake problems other than pads i went out to get on it for the ride home from work and no rear brakes. pedal went all the way down. now i run an automotive repair shop so this aint rocket science to . caliper, hose and master right?? pads are ok. no leaks at any of the three pieces. appears to be the master bypassing. so i replace the master, bleed it off. bleed the system and all is right again.
Until 5 days later. same thing. go to go home and no rear brakes. neither time was there a warning sign. no pedal fade. nothing. im going to re bleed but i have no confidence that ive solved the problem. any input anyone??
Until 5 days later. same thing. go to go home and no rear brakes. neither time was there a warning sign. no pedal fade. nothing. im going to re bleed but i have no confidence that ive solved the problem. any input anyone??
Banned
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Walden NY
Had same issue with front a while back. Turns out the pistons had a bunch of built up dust and wouldnt "push" out. Pulled caliper cleaned pistons, made sure they moved in and out of the housing and walla all is good.
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Manitoba, Canada
Brake Problem
I haven't had this problem yet, but nice to know of the possible solutions, as I'm sure I'll have this problem in the future. Had a problem with my front brakes awhile back, and did almosot everything to fix the problem only to find that during the previous front tire change, the shop bent one of my rotors. After doing all of the fixes stated here, and not having any change; a shop discovered the problem, changed one front rotor and problem fixed. I now always remove my rotor when I take a wheel in for a tire change.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,334
Likes: 17
From: Rosamond, Cali
It sounds like the problem is in the caliper...since you replaced the master cylinder, and can't see any external leaking. Presume you evacuated all fluid, and replaced it with the mc replacement...so unlikely to be related to the fluid. One other possibility is...the replacement mc you used is faulty. Not likely, but stranger stuff has happened.
Alan
Alan
Trending Topics
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,296
Likes: 3
From: Cheltenham, UK
You are right to be scratching your head, it is a weird one...
No external leaks - presume you have triple checked that the fluid level is still as you left it after replacing MC?
Pistons jamming in the caliper would still have you building up pressure so the pedal wouldn't go down and it would "feel" like you had brakes apart from the fact that pads would not get to the disk and therefore no brakes.
What if....
Pistons are not retracting correctly but pedal does as it is sprung loaded. Something needs to fill the void so you will start to suck air. It may take some time, but after each cycle of the brakes you would get a bit of air until ultimately you experience the failure you did???
Possibly exarcebated by the option of you parking te bike up with the fluid relatively hot then cooling down....changing the air pressure in the lines.
Total speculation - just working from first principles of brakes and hydraulics.
Like you said though, really peculiar.
Why not try bleeding them again and see if you get a whole lot of air out again?
No external leaks - presume you have triple checked that the fluid level is still as you left it after replacing MC?
Pistons jamming in the caliper would still have you building up pressure so the pedal wouldn't go down and it would "feel" like you had brakes apart from the fact that pads would not get to the disk and therefore no brakes.
What if....
Pistons are not retracting correctly but pedal does as it is sprung loaded. Something needs to fill the void so you will start to suck air. It may take some time, but after each cycle of the brakes you would get a bit of air until ultimately you experience the failure you did???
Possibly exarcebated by the option of you parking te bike up with the fluid relatively hot then cooling down....changing the air pressure in the lines.
Total speculation - just working from first principles of brakes and hydraulics.
Like you said though, really peculiar.
Why not try bleeding them again and see if you get a whole lot of air out again?
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
|
Intermediate
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: apopka florida
You are right to be scratching your head, it is a weird one...
No external leaks - presume you have triple checked that the fluid level is still as you left it after replacing MC?
Pistons jamming in the caliper would still have you building up pressure so the pedal wouldn't go down and it would "feel" like you had brakes apart from the fact that pads would not get to the disk and therefore no brakes.
What if....
Pistons are not retracting correctly but pedal does as it is sprung loaded. Something needs to fill the void so you will start to suck air. It may take some time, but after each cycle of the brakes you would get a bit of air until ultimately you experience the failure you did???
Possibly exarcebated by the option of you parking te bike up with the fluid relatively hot then cooling down....changing the air pressure in the lines.
Total speculation - just working from first principles of brakes and hydraulics.
Like you said though, really peculiar.
Why not try bleeding them again and see if you get a whole lot of air out again?
No external leaks - presume you have triple checked that the fluid level is still as you left it after replacing MC?
Pistons jamming in the caliper would still have you building up pressure so the pedal wouldn't go down and it would "feel" like you had brakes apart from the fact that pads would not get to the disk and therefore no brakes.
What if....
Pistons are not retracting correctly but pedal does as it is sprung loaded. Something needs to fill the void so you will start to suck air. It may take some time, but after each cycle of the brakes you would get a bit of air until ultimately you experience the failure you did???
Possibly exarcebated by the option of you parking te bike up with the fluid relatively hot then cooling down....changing the air pressure in the lines.
Total speculation - just working from first principles of brakes and hydraulics.
Like you said though, really peculiar.
Why not try bleeding them again and see if you get a whole lot of air out again?
whats the subscribe comment about?
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 203
Likes: 0
From: Mt.Pleasant Pa.
I had the same thing happen on a car i owned.The master cylinder went bad.I replaced it and bled the brake system. 2 days later the brake pedal went to the floor. I would pump the pedal really fast and get about 1/4 pedal.No leaks where found so I took the car to my mechanic.Turns out there was air trapped in the abs system and there was a special way it had to be bled.I'm not sure what my mechanic did because he was busy and didn't have time to show me. I'm still wondering if the master cylinder was actually bad or if it was just air in the system.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post