Ford Repair: spongy brakes after pad and shoe replacement, 2001 mercury sable, spongy brakes

Question
Hi - I have a 2001 mercury sable (ABS front and rear) – has front disc/rear drums

I replaced the pads and shoes this weekend. Everything went well.
- Brakes have good stopping power
- Emergency brake works well
- takes very little pressure on the pedal to stop

The problem is that the pedal feels too soft. It has a spongy feel. I examined the calipers and wheel cylinders and they are not leaking, plus there are no leaks in the system. I bled the system even though I never opened up any lines. This didn’t help.

Any ideas on what could be going on here? Could the master cylinder be damaged? The only thing that I did that really effected the hydraulic system is to push the pistons back in. Some people have suggested that once the brakes have "seated" better if will be ok. I've never experienced that before.

Thanks for your help!
Rob


Answer
Yes, especially witih new brake pads or shoes they may feel a little soft until the "burn in". Usually doesn't take very many stops do accomplish this. If you have 4-wheel ABS, you may have pushed some sludge back into the ABS unit. When retracting pistons on ABS vehicles I always open the bleeder screw instead of pushing the old fluid backwards thru the system. If this doesn't clear up you may have to have an ABS brake bleed, which involves a scanner to bleed the ABS unit. Did you turn the rotors, lubricate the caliper slides, and make sure nothing is sticking?