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Proportioning Valve or something else?

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    Proportioning Valve or something else?

    Hello fellow Mazda family!

    I come to the forum on this gorgeous and sunny Monday morning because my poor Maddie(my car's given name) has recently had more than her fair share of issues.

    A little over three weeks ago I took my car in to have some work done and was floored by the steep cost for the work. I was informed that my rear brakes and calipers had seized and that my strut had blown on my passenger side. Well, to say the least, I declined to have the shop do the more than $2000 worth of work in favor of purchasing the parts and doing all of the mechanical work myself(mostly my boyfriend as I am super petite and have little mechanical knowledge.)

    Anyway, yesterday all of the work was finished; we replaced both back struts with new and better quality ones, replaced both calipers, and purchased new banjo bolts from the dealer(one was stripped 1/3 of the way), but as we attempted to bleed the rear brakes; we got 0 fluid from the rear driver side and a little dribble from the rear passenger.

    Today, just to ensure we knew what the problem was, we dropped Maddie off at a local mechanic who's reputation isn't tarnished by corporate greed. The man was kind enough to inform us that I needed a new proportioning valve and a full flush. For $630, I kind of felt like I was back to where we were before(more expensive work!) but after looking around online...I noticed a lot of people saying that this valve going isn't very normal and or rarely happens. So, my question is, although this shop is much better than PepBoys, NTB, or Monroe; is it possible that there is another issue aside from the proportioning valve?

    When I purchased the car I will add that the rear brakes never 'fully' worked and my e-brake was pretty much non-existant. My e-brake is fully working now but I still don't have any movement with my rear brakes. The front brakes work just fine as well.

    #2
    the E-brake is a separate system from the actual hydro braking portion of the caliper. the E-brake itself is adjusted by an allen key on the back side of the caliper(be sure to let whomever know they should never attempt to push the piston back in)

    from my personal experience, the only real way to get fluid to the rear lines is to use a good vacuum bleeder (not the hand pump style) you can buy various types just be weary of the pistol grip/hand style.

    its 95% unlikely your proportioning valve failed. In the future I suggest using line locks on the brake lines to prevent air feedback/draining of the lines when you change the calipers.

    hope this helps
    ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

    1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




    I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
    he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

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      #3
      I'm certainly going to pass on all the information to my boyfriend. He's really invested in getting my car back on the road again and doing the work himself. Plus, I spoke to a few of the local dealerships to get a price on the piece and asked about the likelihood of it failing. They corroborated how unlikely it would be for it to go so I think we are going to try a few different solutions I found on this forum and online.

      The vacuum bleeder so will definitely be our first shot.

      I read somewhere else that we can try to shoot compressed air into the bleeding valve to unclog it but I know my boyfriend was worried about pushing more air into the lines...

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        #4
        i dont ever recommend pushing compressed air through the lines.
        ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

        1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




        I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
        he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

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          #5
          That is noted. I talked to my partner and he seems to think that replacing the proportioning valve is the best solution.

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            #6
            I would take a good look under the car as well, following the rear brake lines, and make sure there aren't any kinks in the lines.

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              #7
              Did you replace the hoses? Sounds obvious but I overlooked it and once I did I didn't have any more problems really. Also, gravity bleed your system. It should work fine without having to buy special equipment.

              Sent from my ASUS_Z00TD using Tapatalk

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