Brake Pedal Play

[oompah2788]

I was wondering how much play do you guys have in your guys brake pedal? In my car you need to press it down pretty far (around 3 inches) till you can actually feel the car slowing down..... From there you need to press it pretty firmly another 2 inches or so to slow the car down. I just got new pads for the front and resurfaced the rotors and flushed the brake fluid and put new fluid in too.... In my mom's honda accord (2004) you only need to slightly press on it for the car to start slowing down and after about an inch or alittle more the car would come to a stop. It's almost like it's alittle TOO sensitive(the accord) since it only needs a slight pressure on the pedal for it to start braking.... but thats what i like, cause it feels like i have more control of the braking. On the other hand, its kinda scary sometimes in my car cause when i need to brake quick there is a slight delay(cause of the longer travel in the pedal) AND i need to press real firm for it to stop, unlinke my moms car where only a slight pressure is needed..... I was thinking maybe its like this cause our car is heavy but the accord is a pretty big and heavy car too so i dont think thats the problem.... Are all solara's like this?? Or is there something wrong with my brakes?? master cylinder, stretchy brake lines, etc??? Thanks!

[impactX]

It can be air in the brakeline. It can also be glazed brakepads due to overheat.

[oompah2788]

but like i said... i already bled the lines.....so i dont think that would be the cause, and its all the time... from start of drive to end... whenever, so its not overheating. Its not really a "problem".... i just dont like that it "squishy". How are everyone elses brakes?

[1jzgte]

either air in brake lines orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr your master cylinder dying on you.. either situation is dangerous.. get it inspected and fixed asap

[geminimouse]

did u bleed the lines urself? if u did, what method did u use to make sure no air went into the lines?

[Mole]

toyota brakes are inferior to honda brakes.

for some reason honda is just more sensitive on their braking systems.

[oompah2788]

geminimouse- I used the "press on pedal, open bleed valve, close valve, release pedal, repeat, and refill fluid in reservior as needed" method. After I bled and "flushed" the old fluid, it didnt get worse or better.... its still the same as before so i never made it like that from the bleeding.....

noone answered my question if this is normal on all solaras and if your guys cars do this too....

trdmole- im assuming your saying that this is normal and that toyota's brake are alittle "squishy"???? THANKS!

[Jon11582]

Mine are very unsensitive compared to my moms 2003 Highlander.

I cant add much more than that.

[johndavid]

Occasionaly, the pistons (cups) get dirt and grime built up around the sides. The causes the cup to stick to the inside of the caliper. My brake kit lacks dust shields, and as a consequence, I have to replace (or rebuild) my pistons on my front calipers once a year! You ought to take your car to the dealership and suggest the possiblities discussed on this thread with the mechanic looking at your vehicle.

good luck,

john david


www.cardomain.com/id/jtamas

[GreenSolara01]

My brakes do the same thing , and might have been why I just got into
an accident. I was in a 09 Camry rental with really good brakes. When
I got my car back I was surprised how far my pedal goes down
before the car slows or stops. I looked at the brake fluid reservoir and
it was at the low line. Is it my low brake fluid level causing this?

I don’t suspect it to be any other components because I have replaced
almost the entire system recently.

•Master Cylinder
•Brake Booster
•Rotors
•Pads
•Flush/fill Fluid

I was also curious if anyone else was having this same problem.
I’ll top of fluid tomorrow but I’m still wondering what’s up with the brakes.

[rjfoste09]

mine does it too...i'm just happy we have the 1st gen with decent brakes, rather than a stuck gas pedal.

[K1llertwo]

I<ve noticed the same thing on my car... except that I for sure have a leak in my braking system... I need to add more brake fluid every once in awhile... when its full, my brakes respond ( correctly) whereas i don<t need to push it in as far but then the pedal gradually lowers to that about 3 inch place... I changed my pads & discs this summer... they bled the lines too... prolly master cylinder...

[jimmm]

Brake pedal play would be unacceptable to me
in any car. I would get it checked by a professional.
I just had a brake job done on my car after my first year
of driving it just under 18,000 miles. I trusted my mechanic
to do whatever needed to be done. He never disappoints me.
The only reason I checked the brakes was because they
were starting to make an intermittent squeal when I
used them, but they were still stopping to my sastifaction.
After the brake job I now notice that they are much
tighter than before, so I'm very pleased with them.
The only other car that I drive on a regular basis is a
2007 Lexus ES350 and I never noticed any difference in
the braking performance on that car and my 2004 Solara.

[timefourfood]

my brakes doesn't respond as quick as i want it to. I think its Toyotas cuz I drove a 95 camry as well, same thing. My mom's nissan is very responsive. So i just assume that is how the Toyotas are. different cars behave differently just takes a lil time to get to know how it responds.

[SleeperSolara]

When you bleed the brake, you will need some else to help you open the caliper valve.
You have to pump the brakes at least 3 times before you open the caliper valve.
If there is no improvement on the brakes.
You might have a bad brake master cylinder, or may need a new caliper rebuild.

I'm runnin' Goodridge SS brake lines, Hawk HPS pads up from wit Cryo PowerSlot rotors, twin piston ES300 front calipers, the rears are stock wit DBA slotted rotors.
My brakes aren't as sensitive as my dad's 98 Camry, but i feel that my brake pedal is stiffer, and will bite down hard compared to my dad's Camry.