Question about brakes and ABS... help please

[tom4bren]

According to the shop manual (page 5C-7) Excessive Brake Pedal Travel is caused by:

Air in hydraulic circuit

Level of brake fluid in reservoir too low

Master cylinder push rod clearance excessive

Leakage in hydraulic system

I'm confused though. Why did the Tech open the hydraulic system anyway? I was under the impression that the rebuild kits only dealt with the electronic portion of the ABS. Replacing that does not require opening the hydraulic system.

The Tech should also not have had to do anything that would have damaged the Master Cylinder ... but it's also unlikely that the Master Cylinder would go bad at the same time as working on the ABS.

The likely scenario is that the Tech did not properly bleed the brakes. It's a fairly involved process on the VX. The instructions for bleeding the brakes is on page 5C-9 of the Shop Manual (I'll try to post that in a moment). The first thing you should ask the Tech is if he removed the 40A ABS fuse during the bleeding process. If he looks at you funny or says that's not standard operating procedure then tell the boss to have a different Tech repeat the bleeding process.

[Mile High VX]

x2 with what Tom said.

When I had my brakes done I took this with me and gave it to them. They shop manager said he was glad I did because they would have just done it like every other vehicle that they service.

[tom4bren]

I've gotten mixed results from taking in specs or instructions. Sometimes they appreciate it & sometimes they take offense. I'd absolutely take in these instructions if I were getting brake work done that includes bleeding the brakes.

BTW Ty - you may want to take a look at your brake pads before going too far down the rabbit hole. When my brakes got really mushy it was because I have a sticking caliper (RR) that eats up pads in about 6 months ... I'm just sayin!!!

[tysamigo]

Thanks guys soooooo much. I printed out the instructions and will take them back to him. Yea he probably serviced my VX just like any other vehicle. I'll tell him to redo the process using these instructions. Hopefully by doing that, it will fix the problem.

[tom4bren]

Yah, I'm not used to leaving the car running whilst bleeding the brakes (or pulling a fuse). I rekin I'm just old school.

[tysamigo]

I'm brought that info to him and he said, ok no problem and he apologized. He said to bring it back tonight and he will follow those instructions and fix the problem, and there's no additional charge. He charged $85 to replace the ABS module. He appears to be honest, we will see how it pans out.

Thank you

[circmand]

I'm brought that info to him and he said, ok no problem and he apologized. He said to bring it back tonight and he will follow those instructions and fix the problem, and there's no additional charge. He charged $85 to replace the ABS module. He appears to be honest, we will see how it pans out.

Thank you

Mistakes happen it is how we deal with them that is what tells us about a person. Sounds like a good guy.