Weak brakes

[elightbo]

My brakes seemed rather weak, so I replaced the rear drums and pads as well as flushed the fluid. Inspected the front pads / rotors, and they seem fine. The behavior is rather similar to what it was before. Are the brakes just weak in general? Should I be able to lock up the tires? I bought the car very used, so I've never had the chance to compare them in their current state to whatever they're supposed to be. My guess is that they in general suck, especially with the rear drums.

[goldstar]

Our cars do not have weak brakes. Even with my completely stock brake system, braking performance was fine and I also have rear drums. If your brakes are inadequate, I would look for some component (s) that might need replacing.


Currently, I'm running an upgraded system with Power slot slotted rotors, Hawk HPS pads and Techna-Fit SS brake lines. While it's certainly an improvement over stock, I still feel the OEM system was more than adequate for just about all driving situations.

I'm sure Mazda would not have signed off on a less than adequate brake system.

Happy Motoring!

[elightbo]

That is good to know, thank you. I'll keep looking for bad parts. The front rotors are quite rusty (obviously not on the brake surface, but around it), and the pads might just suck. I may try replacing those to see if there are any improvements.

[1Mazda323Fan]

When you say weak, what exactly do you mean? If the pedal is moving too far before any noticeable engagement you may consider replacing the lines, as the stock rubber lines will allow greater flexing as they age. Stainless steel lines aren't too expensive and will help with the problem. If the car isn't stopping as hard or as quickly as you'd like, upgrade the pads and rotors, especially the pads. There are many alternatives that offer better performance; Hawk is popular, though I've had great results with EBC. Also, and this is more expensive, but a set of higher performance tires will help as well. Start with pads and rotors first and go from there.

[elightbo]

When I say weak, it's more so that the car isn't stopping nearly as hard as I would think it should. It doesn't have ABS, so I would think that when I press very hard on the pedal, the tires should probably at least try to lock up. The rotors are rusty with some scores on them, but the pads are fine. Also, I just threw on new Kumho PA31s since the tires that came with it were absolute garbage. When I get some extra cash I'll throw in some new quality rotors and pads for the front and see if it all improves.

It used to be that the pedal would go all the way to the floor, but bleeding the brake lines has taken care of that problem.

When you say weak, what exactly do you mean? If the pedal is moving too far before any noticeable engagement you may consider replacing the lines, as the stock rubber lines will allow greater flexing as they age. Stainless steel lines aren't too expensive and will help with the problem. If the car isn't stopping as hard or as quickly as you'd like, upgrade the pads and rotors, especially the pads. There are many alternatives that offer better performance; Hawk is popular, though I've had great results with EBC. Also, and this is more expensive, but a set of higher performance tires will help as well. Start with pads and rotors first and go from there.

[1Mazda323Fan]

Sounds like you just have cheapo pads on there. They do the job, but there are better alternatives in the aftermarket. Dig around the forum a bit; there have been quite a few different setups people have tried. I'm sure you can find one to suit your budget.

[elightbo]

I noticed today that when I pump the brakes, the pedal never feels "tight". I also forgot to mention that when I was bleeding the lines, I could not get all of the air through just the fronts. I sucked a whole container of brake fluid just through the front brakes. I'm guessing that there is a leak somewhere, but I'll need to research. Thanks for all the info.

Sounds like you just have cheapo pads on there. They do the job, but there are better alternatives in the aftermarket. Dig around the forum a bit; there have been quite a few different setups people have tried. I'm sure you can find one to suit your budget.

[1Mazda323Fan]

The lack of pedal pressure is most likely due to the air still in the system. Bleed the lines again, making sure the car is absolutely 100% level. I normally do a gravity bleed, but using a bleeder is also fine. Just my preference. Make sure you have fluid coming out of all four screws, and that there is fluid in the master cylinder all the time. If that doesn't solve the problem, it could be down to the lines expanding, or possibly a bad master cylinder. Bleed first, see if it helps.

[elightbo]

Thanks for the reply. I used this bleeder from harbor freight to help out. I'll throw it up on jack stands soon, and bleed again. The bubbles from the rear brakes didn't take too long to stop flowing, but it seemed like the front two just wouldn't stop. It could be I wasn't being patient enough.

[1Mazda323Fan]

It's possible. Sometimes they just take their sweet old time to bleed. Just make sure you have a solid stream of fluid coming out and to keep the master topped up. Air + brake lines = bad. Also, that bleeder is fine. Like I said, it's just my preference to not use one.

[Randywolf244]

possible that your calipers or master are going bad. if i were to guess i would say they just need to be bled