Porsche605

I have a 2009 C2 Cab (997.2). I changed the front brake pads and the pad wear sensors today.

As part of this process I disconnected the the brake lines so that I could remove the caliper to change the pads. Some brake fluid came out from both the left and right lines.

I put everything back together and there aren't any leaks, but I did need to add almost a full bottle of brake fluid.

Now the fun begins. When I press the brake pedal it goes all the way to the floor. I drove around the block a couple of times and pumped the brakes. It is very spongy. I have to push the pedal right to the floor board in order to stop the car. I spent about 20 minutes pushing the brake pedal hoping that it would provide normal resistance, but it hasn't. It is still very spongy and the pedal goes to the floor.

So, what do I need to do to fix this? This car is my daily driver and the dealer service is closed tomorrow and Monday.

Do I need to bleed the brakes or should I flush out all the brake fluid or something else?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

alexb76

Did you bleed the brakes? I am sure you got air in the lines, must have the bleeder open, have someone else pump the brakes to flush things out, while you close the bleeder.

Porsche605

No I haven't. Should I bleed just the front brakes that I changed the pads on or should I bleed all four brakes?

Thanks.

mattyf

^ this. Plus make sure and check the reservoir while you do this. Don't let it go dry. There's an inner and outer bleed valve, you should do both.

Also when was your last brake fluid flush?

Buddhamonk

wow you change your own brakes and don't know you have to bleed them? Luckily you didn't drive the car anywhere.

alexb76

Do all four... specially since you have major issues now.

Porsche605

Okay, thanks. It is getting close to two years since I last had them flushed. So, they are due anyhow.

Bijan

Start with the longest line, right rear and end with the shortest driver side front

alexb76

+1

Sniff

Before you do anything (if you haven't finished the job yet), review these 2 DIY threads on bleeding brakes:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...ake-bleed.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...fluid-job.html

If you only set out to change your pads, you created much more work for yourself. You do not need to remove the calipers to swap the pads. There are some DIYs on that subject as well. In fact it took me 30 seconds to find this video on YouTube.


In the future I highly recommend you look through the 997 DIY tech index here on Rennlist (and search Youtube . . . there are tons of great videos), especially if it's been a while since you've done a particular job. Good luck.

Sean

Tier1Terrier

Yep, Definitely got air in the brake lines. just do the complete brake flush and you'll be GTG.

I know what you're going through. I had something like this happen the first time I did a complete brake service on my wife's BMW (her DD) and I ended up having to take the car to the dealer for them to finish what I started. I was embarrassed all the way around. Fortunately, not only did the dealer not rake me over the coals to fix my mistake, they even gave me a loaner. Fortunately, THAT mistake will never happen again.

Lesson learned - don't start a DIY job on a DD unless you have a backup plan for if things go unexpectedly wrong

mitoman

You never disconnect the brake lines to do a pad change. That is like asking for trouble

Porsche605

Well, now you tell me :-). It is difficult to get the pads out unless the caliper is disconnected from the break line on a 997.2. I think that I can take off the break line mounting bracket though and that would give me enough room to pivot the caliper around to access the pads though. Lessoned learned.

Porsche605

I've done a lot of DIY jobs and I was in a rush to get this done so that I could enjoy the holiday weekend. Now I will spending a good amount of my time on my car. Indeed, lesson learned.

Porsche605

Thanks for the info. The caliper on a 997.2 is very different than a 997.1. I can't access the pads the way this video demonstrates.

I used the instructions from here to do the job.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...rake-pads.html

So, I am not clear on how this is done without removing the break line. Also, it is a real pain in the butt to reconnect the break line as well.