Hi
My wife has a 2006 Mazda 5 and it has recently developed a strange brake problem. The car sat for a month while we were on vacation and when we went to drive it the brake pedal slowly went to the floor. It did stop the car, thankfully, but it is not safe to drive. My first thoughts were a leak in the system. Checked the fluid level - OK. Checked the ground under the car - no fluid dripping. I put the car up on stands, removed the wheels and checked the calipers, rotors, flex lines etc. No leaks and nothing broke or seized. If the engine is off the brake pedal is good. Start it up and the brake pedal goes to the floor. It was acting like the master cylinder may be leaking by. Changed that. Bled the brakes. pedal still goes to the floor. Went to the dealer for advice and they said it must be the ABS hydraulic unit. Changed that. No fix. I'm at wits end with this. Nome of the mechanics where I work can figure it out. Nor mechanics at 2 other garages. Everyone says that it sounds like there is air in the system and it needs to be bled. Its been bled multiple times, I've gone through 2 1/2 litres. There is no air in the system. Here are a few more things I've tried:
- Blocked the outlets from the master cylinder - pedal rock hard with the car running or not
- I pinched off the flex lines at all wheels - pedal rock hard with the car running or not. Pedal stays good when I remove the vice grips from the rear but I loose the pedal if I remove either from the front.
- Removed the fuses for the ABS, no change.
I'm at a loss.
Hopefully someone has come up against this and can offer a fix
BenP5
My wife has a 2006 Mazda 5 and it has recently developed a strange brake problem. The car sat for a month while we were on vacation and when we went to drive it the brake pedal slowly went to the floor. It did stop the car, thankfully, but it is not safe to drive. My first thoughts were a leak in the system. Checked the fluid level - OK. Checked the ground under the car - no fluid dripping. I put the car up on stands, removed the wheels and checked the calipers, rotors, flex lines etc. No leaks and nothing broke or seized. If the engine is off the brake pedal is good. Start it up and the brake pedal goes to the floor. It was acting like the master cylinder may be leaking by. Changed that. Bled the brakes. pedal still goes to the floor. Went to the dealer for advice and they said it must be the ABS hydraulic unit. Changed that. No fix. I'm at wits end with this. Nome of the mechanics where I work can figure it out. Nor mechanics at 2 other garages. Everyone says that it sounds like there is air in the system and it needs to be bled. Its been bled multiple times, I've gone through 2 1/2 litres. There is no air in the system. Here are a few more things I've tried:
- Blocked the outlets from the master cylinder - pedal rock hard with the car running or not
- I pinched off the flex lines at all wheels - pedal rock hard with the car running or not. Pedal stays good when I remove the vice grips from the rear but I loose the pedal if I remove either from the front.
- Removed the fuses for the ABS, no change.
I'm at a loss.
Hopefully someone has come up against this and can offer a fix
BenP5
