Spongy brake pedal after new pads

[Cubey]

Like the title says, spongy brakes after I replaced the front pads on the 85 E350.

Maybe its because i had a brain fart about using an old pad to push in the pistons both at once, and instead i did them one at a time? I tried to get them close. I figured they would just self balance out after a few times, but so far no. Before i even started it, the pedal felt like it had power assist, going to the floor without excessive pressure.

Sudden air in the lines despite not opening the system beyond the MC lid? Uneven pistons? Something else?

This was how far out the pistons were due to outer pads being down to almost nothing, while inners were maybe half way. This was after I pressed in one.

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[79jasper]

Adjust the rears. Lol
Like 90% of the time that cures brake pedal feel issues.

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[Cubey]

Adjust the rears. Lol
Like 90% of the time that cures brake pedal feel issues.

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Oh? Well the shop that did all the hydraulics probably adjusted them to behave with the crappy old brake pads. I really hate doing brake shoe adjustments... blah.

Here are the old pads.

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Oh and I forgot to mention, they seem to be dragging a bit. The old dragged and the new drag. You can turn it by hand but it doesn't spin long with the wheel on. Without the wheel, it stops pretty fast. It feels like a steady drag, not warped rotor drag where it has a high spot.

Maybe they did a crap job of bleeding? Maybe the booster needs adjusting?

 

[gandalf]

I've always found that disc pads will drag a bit. It's normal. They shouldn't drag too much, but a bit is okay. As 79Jasper says, poor brakes can usually be cured by adjusting the rear shoes. Do not ever rely on Ford's "self-adjusting" feature. Adjust them manually, using the star wheel. Adjust them out until they drag a bit, and back them off just enough that they don't drag. Then do the other side. Then check the first side and make any adjustments. The bottom line, sadly, is that Ford brakes of that vintage were never very good. That's the reason I changed mine to hydroboost on my '92.

 

[79jasper]

Also didn't see it mentioned, did you lube the sliders and all that?
That should cure the uneven wear, although those aren't actually that bad.

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[rubberfish]

The old pads seem to have worn alright.
Agree with a quick rear adj. You'll be happy.

 

[Cubey]

Also didn't see it mentioned, did you lube the sliders and all that?
That should cure the uneven wear, although those aren't actually that bad.

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Yes. The shop that installed the new calipers put NO grease. It was bone dry. I skipped them doing pads because I was already paying them so much and I wanted to shop around for severe duty pads. I got these.

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[ifrythings]

@Cubey did you measure the rotor thickness before you put new pads on? I have found many times that one side of the rotor is worn way more then the other and they are usually out of spec.

Do the pads slide easily in the mounting bracket?

It is also common for the steel and aluminum (if your lucky enough to get that trash) pistons to get stuck in the caliper and cause the pads to drag excessively.

 

[Cubey]

No, I didn't measure.

They installed in the caliper bracket fine.

This is a new issue that changed as soon as they were changed so it's gotta be a direct result. I didn't do anything else.

The fluid is slighty lower than it was, but i had to remove a fair amount to avoid overflows before I pushed in the pistons. I never let it get empty though, I used shop towel paper towels to sop up small amounts.

 

[ifrythings]

The only reason I ask if the pads went in easy to the bracket is I’ve had pads drag before because they were to tight in the bracket, required beating them out, when done right the pads should practically fall out when you put them in.

Have you tried bleeding each brake?

 

[Cubey]

Yep they like to fall out if you aren't careful. The spring clip thing keeps them in well for reinstalling the caliper though.

I haven't tried anything with it yet. I took it out for a short drive to heat up the engine and circulate the radiator flush in cooling system right now, since I did that today too.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

Your original thought isnt wrong at all, BTW: all things being equal brakes that *work* should also work again just fine with new pads when all you do is compress the calipers back. Introducing air is a whole nuther ball game, but it sounds like you didnt do that.

As others have said, rear brakes are key to the system working correctly.

You also have a 3rd variable which is the shop, obviously they didnt do everything right so cleaning up that mess is part of this fix too. Grease the caliper slides, adjust the rears, break in the brakes(doesnt take long, maybe a drive around the block twice) and you should be good. Otherwise you're chasing air in the lines or improper master cylinder pushrod depth.

 

[Cubey]

I need to go back and redo the driver's side at minimum. The flat piece with the bent ends was half gone on that side. Yes, the shop put it back together that way. What's it for, anti-rattle?

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...350-econoline?q=Disc+Brake+Hardware+Kit&pos=0

Is it really common to just replace the little I beam pieces too? Seems like a very low wear part, having the flat piece between it and the caliper. I greased them up, at least.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

I need to go back and redo the driver's side at minimum. The flat piece with the bent ends was half gone on that side. Yes, the shop put it back together that way. What's it for, anti-rattle?

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...350-econoline?q=Disc+Brake+Hardware+Kit&pos=0

Is it really common to just replace the little I beam pieces too? Seems like a very low wear part, having the flat piece between it and the caliper. I greased them up, at least.

Crazy, I've never seen that doodad before in Ford brakes. According to your link Oriellys says the last van used was 1985, last F250 was 1977. So dang I'm no help.
Sorry, I figured we had the same caliper arrangement. Apparently not!

 

[Noiseydiesel]

I have doe a few hundred brake jobs in my life and you can adjust the back to your hearts content and you will still have a spongy brake. Sorry 'bout that. What you could do, is to drive the vehicle to 30 MPH and then stop it firmly. Repeat 9 more times. Park the vehicle, DO NOT set the brakes. Allow to cool and now you will have a firm pedal and brakes that will lock up in an emergency stop.