Suspension & Brakes Advice

neil1983

Today I started cleaning bits up on my SRI, I started with the front brakes, I stripped them down to clean them up.

Now when I put them back together I pushed the caliper piston back on both front calipers then put everything back together with out problems. When I started the car I pumped the pedal to get a good brake pedal but now the pedal travels further than it did before, the brakes still stop the car but the pedal travels further.

Anyone got any idea what I might have done or what might be wrong?

Also when I took the car off the jack I noticed this on the suspension top

Drivers side

Passagner side

As you can see there's a bigger gap on the passanger side. Is this a knackered top mount on the passager side or something more serious?

jwalker

Did you bleed the brakes?

neil1983

Nope I didn't, I didn't think I needed to as I didn't remove the caliper completely, I unbolted it from its mounting and tied it up so it didn't stretch or damage the flexi brake pipe

JohnnyN

The top mounts are meant to have a gap once under load. If you jack the car up, the gap disappears as the mounts are hanging under their own weight.

As for the brakes, did you fit new pads too? Have you topped up the brake fluid? In the worse case you may have popped a seal?

neil1983

Its was just the size of the gap on the passager side compaired to the driver side that got me thinking.

I didn't fit new pads as it ones that are on there look nearly new, I haven't checked the brake fluid yet. Will hopefully check tomorrow if I get time.

m4rtin

Perhaps now you've cleaned up the brakes all the parts have freed up? Have you checked the brake fluid level? As for the suspension, I would deffo say the top mount has gone. Does it knock when you go over bumps etc

jwalker

IIRC if you push the pistons back without undoing the bleed valve you can flip the seal in the master cylinder, I would try and bleed the front calipers first and see if that improves things

neil1983

It doesn't knock that I have heard, I will try and check fluid level tomorrow

neil1983

Is there anyway of checking if I have knackered a seal?