2009 Mazda5 Braking issue

[OrganicRobo]

Few months ago I changed out the rotors and pads and the rear driver's side caliper. Bled the system and car had been driving great.

Fast forward to yesterday when I returned from a 3 week trip out of town, my son had been using the van and apparently drove it with the brake light illuminated on the dash, no fluid and hardly any brakes for over a week and a half!

I drove it for the first time since I got back and was able to locate a leaking caliper, the same one that I replaced. Swapped it out and used my compressor and pressure bleeder to bleed the system after adding fluid.

The brake light is still lite up on the dash and the pedal still seems to go to the floor with limited braking. I've checked for further leaks but haven't found any.

Does the MC or abs module need to be bled separately? Can I use forscan for purging the abs? Will driving on a dirt road and activating the abs help purge it? Did him driving for so long without fluid damage the MC? Really don't want to follow in the footsteps of past members that just threw parts at it and still not have it fixed.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[OrganicRobo]

Was able to get it out and get the abs to engage a few times and noticed the fluid reservoir was empty again, light went out and braking is slightly better but it's still far from what it was before. Have to put the pedal almost all the way down before the brakes will engage.

 

[negusm]

Well, get the leak sorted and all first. Then bleed it. See if it gets better. Then bleed it some more. I do not know the process.

Regarding the spongy brakes, there is a valve that gets stuck in the ABS module and no one wants to pay for. The part is $1100 but it's often the answer when everything else looks normal and checks out.

I'll just leave my post about it here: ABS Issue

 

[OrganicRobo]

Well, get the leak sorted and all first. Then bleed it. See if it gets better. Then bleed it some more. I do not know the process.

Regarding the spongy brakes, there is a valve that gets stuck in the ABS module and no one wants to pay for. The part is $1100 but it's often the answer when everything else looks normal and checks out.

I'll just leave my post about it here: ABS Issue

Thanks for the response. I had installed a new caliper on the rear and bled the system, took the car out and engaged the abs which in turn caused the MC reservoir to pretty much go dry again. I don't have the scan tool to be able to activate the abs unit so I've been trying my best to bleed it the old school way.

I plan on pressure bleeding the system this afternoon from the RR then the drivers side front since they are on the same link from what I'm reading. I just hope my son didn't do irreversible damage to the car but the symptoms are similar to what you've described in your post.

 

[cornerking]

Man, brake issues are the worst. I'm wondering, did you check if the brake fluid is the correct type? Mixing types can sometimes cause weird issues, but I could be wrong about that.

 

[OrganicRobo]

I did decide to use dot 4 since the system was completely dry.

I just finished the pressure bleeding after a few times engaging the abs on a dirt road. Seems to be a success! Just drove around the block and the brakes are back to the way they were a month ago!