New to the F car world...First hard drive in new to me 01 360. Questions on the brakes... On hard braking the brakes go flat... They feel very mushy and the brake pedal has very little travel. Almost like the fluid is blocked, or ABS is kicking in early. Not a good feeling slowing from 100 into a tight one... When I slow down the pedal returns to normal....My turbo had a similar feeling, no ABS but felt soft and then full lock left front????.... The dealer I bought the car from was aware of the situation, they bled the brakes but it still feels the same to me. Pedal is fine around town but scary on hard braking?? Maybe it is the feel of the ABS??? But I doubt it.. Any help would be great.... Joe
Typically if you break very hard you'll hear a clicking as the ABS kicks in. I've only triggered it once on my 360. On my 355, I installed after market brembo brakes (F50 size in front, F40 size in rear as I recall), and this caused the ABS to trigger much more often. If you are getting on the brakes very hard and not feeling the pedal pulse and/or not hearing a rapid click as you come to a halt, then it sounds like the ABS isn't triggering. However, ABS doesn't affect how well the brakes stop the car. It only keeps the brakes from locking the wheels to the point where the car skids for an extended distance. If you are pushing the brakes and the car feels like it isn't stopping as rapidly as it should, then it could be a few issues. One, air in the line and/or air in the master cylinder. I believe bleeding the brakes alone does not always properly bleed the master cylinder. Additionally, if the seal around the master cylinder is bad, it will allow fluid to pass by the master cylinder plunger, instead of pushing all of it into the calipers. The other issue is to make sure something hasn't gone wrong with the vacuum assist in the brakes. You might also check and see how worn down the pads are and/or if there appears to be any glaze on the rotors. One other possible issue is if the calipers aren't releasing properly and are holding the pads up against the rotors, this could be heating them up to the point where the brakes are in a constant state of "fade" as it were. However, this can be tested by doing a stop quickly after you initially start up the car. Anyway, those are some areas to think about and/or look into. Ray
Thanks Ray. It feels like air. They work fine except for hard braking. The pedal engages early and you get moosh no bite...I can feel the anit lock, and it seems to be way early. Never had antlock engage so quickly. The master seal is a good place to start, also they bled the brakes but not the master. Thanks for the help.. Joe
