I took my boys for a ride today and after running through some minor mud a few times my brakes went from very firm, barely have to push them to spongy and I have to push down a long way. Even pushing down way farther it still is like there are barely any brakes there at all! Fluid is full, don't see any leaks. Anyone run into this issue???
Brakes extremely spongy after going offroad
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wnelax04sr5
New member
check your pads and rotors and see if they're packed with mud
I just put new pads and rotors a couple weeks ago. I bought the drilled and slotted ones. The holes have mud in them, but are clean where contact is made. I will have my power washer tomorrow and will spray everything down real good to see if that helps. I was thinking of bleeding the brakes but don't know how I'd suddenly get air in there.
wnelax04sr5
New member
even though its clean, there could still be almost a film of greasy mud on there contributing to the bad feeling when braking.
does the pedal feel different or is it just more effort required to stop? if the pedal feels different its a pressure issue, if the pedal feels the same its with the braking assembly
I have to push it much farther now. It used to be really touchy, I barely had to push on them, but now it is required to push it down a couple inches past normal and it takes much more effort. There is power there, but just feels completely different. I will definitely clean them and see what that does.
BlackWorksInc
New member
Clean the brakes off really well, then drive the vehicle and do some good stops in a safe place; then go and clean the brakes off again.
Hopefully the issue is the mud being caked into the rotors.
Hopefully the issue is the mud being caked into the rotors.
redbull9944
New member
I have the same issue on my old 2004 4Runner that I sold to my dad. It was that way when I bought it. I asked them to take a look at it and when I got it back the brakes felt great, but after a week they got that same spongy feeling. That was a year ago and I grew used to it. I figured it might be a normal thing that I'd have to get used to but my 2006 doesn't have that problem.
Atlanta_man
New member
not too bad a job
the rears will do themselves while you watch
the rears will do themselves while you watch
I seen that, pretty cool actually! I wonder if my camry will do that as well. lol
BlackWorksInc
New member
Did you ever get around to bleeding the system?
2014 Warthog
New member
Is it possible that you have just "Glazed" the brake pads? Especially with them being new and having slotted rotors filled with mud, that might keep the dirt under the pads for a lot longer when you got back on the highway and maybe used your brakes hard or for an extended period causing the mud to bake into the pads?
Should be able to remove some of the pads and examine them for glazing. This would make the brakes far less effective causing you to have to press down a lot harder to stop the car.
Should be able to remove some of the pads and examine them for glazing. This would make the brakes far less effective causing you to have to press down a lot harder to stop the car.
Not yet. Was out of town over the weekend. Will be doing soon.
Didn't think of that either. Will be pulling everything apart in the next few days to see what they look like.
I would lean more toward glazed pads or rotors than needing to bleed the system. The only thing bleeding will do is remove trapped air, and you would have had to had a way to introduce air into the system. You could have boiled the fluid with a lot of hard braking, but chances are you would have smelled burnt brakes before you got to that point. Even when you do that, the vapor will condense back to a liquid once it cools. In a long, long shot, there could have been water dissolved into the fluid that you boiled out into a vapor that hasn't condensed yet. That is really extreme. My money is on the simple. You probably glazed the pads or rotors. Brake geeks will argue whether the pads or rotors glaze, but it really doesn't matter if you can't stop well.
How do I deglaze them if that's what's going on?
2014 Warthog
New member
There are a lot of articles on the web about that. Or you just buy new ones :/ If you hold them in a reflective position to a light you can see shiny spots or streaks on them if they are glazed. Also if you feel some really smooth polished spots.
Basically you just sand them down a bit (But look up the right grit on line). The rotors can become glazed too, but the pads are easy to check for at least...
Basically you just sand them down a bit (But look up the right grit on line). The rotors can become glazed too, but the pads are easy to check for at least...
Ok, Just got home so I will do some research on it. Unfortunately it's raining so I can't go out and pull a tire off to look at them. Supposed to have heavy rains tomorrow too....ugh. Was dry for months and now we are having flooding. lol
I reread your post. Is your pedal going to the floor and you have to pump to get better pedal? If so, then I would lean toward bleeding fixing your problem. Is your pedal firm, but you have to apply more pressure to stop or is it taking you longer to stop? That would indicate glazing.
The first thing I would try to be simple is to spray down the rotors and pads with brake clean. You may get lucky. The next suggestion is to rough up the pads and rotors with a sanding block. That may work, but depending on how bad you over heated them, they could be roached. If your pads have a lifetime warranty, they should swap them out.
They don't need to be pumped, just have to press much much harder and farther.
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