Notices
Cayenne 958 - 2011-2018 2nd Generation
Sponsored By:
Sponsored By:

Brakes soft then not - no brake work done

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 05-18-2018, 09:17 AM
  #1  
personalt
Intermediate
Thread Starter
 
personalt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default Brakes soft then not - no brake work done

Yesterday my wife complained that brakes in her Cayenne were soft. I drove it last night and felt it the same. Peddle would sink but what was interesting was if you let it come back up a hair and pushed it down a second time it felt a lot stronger. Fluid level was topped off so doesn't appear to be any leaks or air introduced in to system.

Car is under warranty so figured we planned to take it in but today it is not happening. Is there any brake issue that would cause the brakes to be sometime spongy but not others?
Old 05-18-2018, 10:54 AM
  #2  
Eskimo1
Burning Brakes
 
Eskimo1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Central PA
Posts: 952
Received 107 Likes on 76 Posts
Default

Doubt this is the reason for your case, but when wheel bearings start to get slop in them, this happens. The brake rotor moves around and pushes the pads back into the caliper, and when you first press the pedal, it has to take up that gap. A little bit of that is normal, as manufacturers try to pull the pads back a bit for better fuel economy.

More likely would be dirty caliper pistons,, catching on the piston seal when you press the brakes, but that friction pulls the piston back further than normal.
Old 05-18-2018, 12:31 PM
  #3  
Newegg
Instructor
 
Newegg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 141
Received 37 Likes on 29 Posts
Default

What year and how many miles. Maybe flush the brake fluid and bleed. The couple times I have done that the peddle firms up.

I still a bit soft though.
Old 05-18-2018, 02:42 PM
  #4  
kennyt
Instructor
 
kennyt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 221
Received 5 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

Brake fluid needs to be flushed and replaced every 2 years as Porsche brake fluid is very hygroscopic. It absorbs moisture. Old fluid makes the brake pedal feels soft. Happened to my 2013 CTT.
Old 05-18-2018, 06:15 PM
  #5  
personalt
Intermediate
Thread Starter
 
personalt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Eskimo1
Doubt this is the reason for your case, but when wheel bearings start to get slop in them, this happens. The brake rotor moves around and pushes the pads back into the caliper, and when you first press the pedal, it has to take up that gap. A little bit of that is normal, as manufacturers try to pull the pads back a bit for better fuel economy.

More likely would be dirty caliper pistons,, catching on the piston seal when you press the brakes, but that friction pulls the piston back further than normal.
Yeah I saw some videos sighting this bearing as a possible problem, but I don't think it was applicable to me as when it was happening the paddle was dropping even if I was sitting in the driveway. You might be onto something with the caliper piston getting hung up. Especially with it coming on all the sudden and then not happening the next day.
Old 05-18-2018, 06:21 PM
  #6  
personalt
Intermediate
Thread Starter
 
personalt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

2012 with 60k. I have the car for about a year-and-a-half but not sure if they did it for I bought it as cpo. I was thinking about doing the flush. Only concern I had was if I did the flush and it didn't fix the problem and then I brought it in they might think that I did some brake work and introduced to Erin to the system. I have about four months left on the CPO warranty, which I think covers brake systems. I would think the CPO warranty would cover any issue other than the pads and maybe the idea that it should be flushed, but I could be mistaken

Originally Posted by Newegg
What year and how many miles. Maybe flush the brake fluid and bleed. The couple times I have done that the peddle firms up.

I still a bit soft though.
Old 05-18-2018, 07:22 PM
  #7  
CAVU
Rennlist Member
 
CAVU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 1,831
Received 353 Likes on 259 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by personalt
... I bought it as cpo. '''
No brainer solution. Take it in to the dealer. Let them solve the problem(s). You might be out of pocket for a brake fluid flush.
Old 05-22-2018, 01:43 AM
  #8  
RAudi Driver
Rennlist Member
 
RAudi Driver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: West Coast
Posts: 8,805
Received 2,728 Likes on 1,634 Posts
Default

And that's not really out of pocket as the dealer should be the one doing your fluid to get 100% of the fluid out of the system.
Old 12-21-2019, 01:58 PM
  #9  
C2012T
8th Gear
 
C2012T's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 8
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default Cayenne Brake Pedal soft

Have you ever been able to fix the problem with the Cayenne brake pedal now soft and now not so soft? I have the same problem for a few months now. New brake fluid did not help. Hate going to a dealer. Thank you in advance!
Old 12-21-2019, 08:53 PM
  #10  
deilenberger
Banned
 
deilenberger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Spring Lake, NJ, US of A
Posts: 10,085
Received 1,140 Likes on 758 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by C2012T
Have you ever been able to fix the problem with the Cayenne brake pedal now soft and now not so soft? I have the same problem for a few months now. New brake fluid did not help. Hate going to a dealer. Thank you in advance!
Hi, welcome to the forums.

When tacking on a question reactivating an old thread (this one isn't ancient though) - it's always worth checking the profile of the person you're asking the question of. In this case - the OP was last on the forum 09-03-2018 - so chances are he won't see your question. It's also always a clue when someone with a low post count (12 I believe) comes to the forum, asks questions, then simply disappears never telling anyone if what was suggested helped, or what the final resolution is. They're chump dumpers. Ask the rest of the world to do your research, then leave.

I hope one of the other posters in this thread opens it and replies.. but simple things first. Fluid flush. Check how worn your brake pads and rotors are. The calipers are supposed to position the pads a small distance from the surface of the rotor. If the pads and rotors are really worn, the pullback in the caliper (which is generally a square o-ring that tilts when the piston moves) may be pulling the pistons back a bit more than necessary.
Old 12-22-2019, 01:10 PM
  #11  
C2012T
8th Gear
 
C2012T's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 8
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Hi Don, Thanks for the advice. I thought the thread originator would receive an email or something. Do you mean these brackets? The car is 23K and everything is like new. The pads are maybe 70% worn. I have never read about the brackets, but it make sense. Is there a way to say for sure? Thanks again.


Old 12-22-2019, 09:46 PM
  #12  
deilenberger
Banned
 
deilenberger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Spring Lake, NJ, US of A
Posts: 10,085
Received 1,140 Likes on 758 Posts
Default

Those are anti-rattle springs. The pads on these caipers have square holes in them that locate on round pins sticking out of the caliper inside wall. If the springs weren't there the pads would rattle every time you hit a bump (round peg in square hole sort of thing.) I rather doubt if that's your problem. As I mentioned in my last message, what I'd do first is a fluid flush, then examine the pads for how worn they are.
Old 12-22-2019, 10:14 PM
  #13  
HenryPcar
Three Wheelin'
 
HenryPcar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Northern California
Posts: 1,966
Received 233 Likes on 168 Posts
Default

subscribe
Old 12-23-2019, 03:10 AM
  #14  
BrendonSF
Rennlist Member
 
BrendonSF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 388
Received 78 Likes on 65 Posts
Default

I too feel like I experience this on my 2016 GTS. The brakes don't feel to have much initial bite to them, but the pedal responds much better if I back off it a bit and then quickly push again. All this despite being having about 8mm of pads up front still (5mm on the rears). I had a fluid flush done with a 4 corner bleed thinking that might solve the problem, but it still persists.
Old 12-23-2019, 12:10 PM
  #15  
RAudi Driver
Rennlist Member
 
RAudi Driver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: West Coast
Posts: 8,805
Received 2,728 Likes on 1,634 Posts
Default

Who did the fluid flush?


Quick Reply: Brakes soft then not - no brake work done



All times are GMT -3. The time now is 04:51 AM.